Curated OER
Who's Who
Ninth graders read a review three pieces of literature. They then compare and relate each piece to the time period in which they were written. Next, they consult different resources and explain how these sources are similar and different...
Curated OER
Fairy Tales Unit Ideas
Students listen to children's fairy tales and watch them on a video. Afterward, they list the heroes from each story. Students write a short paragraph about a typical day for the hero. Students dress up like their character and give a...
Listening Library
The Sign of the Beaver
Extend a class reading of the novel The Sign of the Beaver across all subject areas with this literature unit guide. From basic discussion questions and writing prompts, to a research project about tracking animals, this resource offers...
Curated OER
Note-Taking
Students take notes and summarize information. In this communication instructional activity, students summarize information by taking notes using the various methods that their instructor presents to them.
Curated OER
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fourth graders participate in a play to work on seeing events from a different perspective. Some of them are reporters, some cameramen and women, and others are interviewed. They put themselves in the shoes of the people in the book...
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Beowulf
Students read the epic, Beowulf and examine the nature of good and evil. They compile a list of questions about loyalty tests and take turns asking and answering them. they create Beowulf comic strips and research other epic tales.
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The Clay Marble
Students probe the story, "The Clay Marble" by Minfong Ho to identify examples of courage, quick thinking, and perseverance. The lesson creatively extends the plot of the story by celebrating the heroin's birthday many years after the...
Curated OER
Mark Twain Lesson Plans
Celebrate the birthday of Mark Twain and learn about American life and literature along the great Mississippi River.
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Holes
Students read and analyze the story elements of the novel "Holes" by Louis Sachar. They play a "Holes" matching game, complete a timeline of story events, complete a Cause-and-Effect graphic organizer, conduct research on Louis Sachar's...
Curated OER
Story Mapping Abel's Island
Students are able to prioritize story elements using graphic organizers. They are able to evaluate character, setting and sequence in a non-print source. Students use visual and audio clues to help them evaluate the parts of a story.
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic?
Learners analyze the epic poem form and its roots in oral tradition. In this epic poetry lesson, students research the epic hero cycle and recognize the pattern of events and elements. Learners analyze the patterns embedded in the stories.
Curated OER
What's Significant in Today's Notes from the Trail?
For this lesson, you will need access to "Notes from the Trail." Your learners will read the day's text, and identify the most important or significant event in the journal entry. Not many prompting questions are provided, and some of...
Curated OER
Guideline For Book Reports
Students are introduced to the guidelines regarding their upcoming book report. As a class, they brainstorm opening statements to grab the reader's attention and what type of information to present. They must include an evaluation of...
Curated OER
Literature Board Games
Learners create board games out of pieces of literature they have read. They work together to develop rules and elements of the game. They are to use as many elements of the story as possible. They play each game as a class.
Curated OER
The Task of the Mask
Students discover historical value and use of different African masks through research and literature. Students also relate different customs and traditions of ethnic groups to the masks.
Curated OER
Symmetry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Students examine knightly virtues and will measure Gawain's strength in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In this poetry analysis lesson, students identify the bob-and-wheel poetic form and analyze symmetry in the poem. Students...
Curated OER
Harriet The Spy
Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...
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Japanese Folktales
Students identify that Japanese folktales reveal information about Japanese history, life, and customs. Students identify and interpret the work kamishibai, paper play and explain that in Japanese folktales are told through a series of...
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Enrichment Activities - "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
Fifth graders read the novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." They discuss the various characters in the book, and the different types of conflict that take place within the book. They also research owls and rats to make comparisons...
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Pod Cast Responses
Students list to a pod cast. In this listening comprehension lesson, students listen to a pod cast and respond to comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Bon Voyage - Literature Travel Unit
Eighth graders locate and interpret information about the culture of another country using multi-media tools. Students read and interpret literature about characters and cultures from a foreign country. Students create a travel guide...
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Guideline for Book Reports -- Southern Literature and the Old South Myth
Students are introduced to the guidelines for giving their book report on Southern Literature. With a partner, they work together to develop a catchy phrase to grab the reader's attention. They must also include whether the book is...
Curated OER
The Polar Express
Students listen to the picture book, The Polar Express, and review events that happened in the story. Students draw pictures of what they might have seen on the way to the north pole.
Curated OER
SCI-FI TALES
Fifth graders brainstorm known features of science fiction books and titles read. They pair up and discuss the possible physical characteristics fo a creature that could appear fron an excerpt of SCI-FI TALES.