Introduce young thespians to all aspects of the theater. A syllabus for a one-semester drama course provides lessons that take learners from the history of drama to the many facets of play production.

William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a play about star-crossed lovers, resonates deeply with teenagers. The study packet contains study questions for each act of the play. Learners use a graphic organizer to analyze whether characters...

Are some characteristics more desired than others?Scholars examine attributes of characters in books, models in catalogs, and articles in magazines. Discussion leads to identifying characteristics they see more often as well as...

Sir Peter Blake was an award-winning New Zealand yachtsman who was killed by pirates in 2001. Scholars learn about his leadership qualities in a fun lesson that combines games, writing, and discussion. Pupils also reflect on ideas of...

Scholars complete a close read of To Kill a Mockingbird and determine why characters take a stand. They use text-dependent questions and Note-catchers to help guide their thinking. Readers review the Taking a Stand Anchor chart and...

Readers look closely at Scout in chapter 15 of To Kill A Mockingbird. Learners use turn and talk and Analyzing Scout's and the Reader's Perspectives Note-catcher to compare their perspectives to Scout's. They then make a comparison to...

What's the verdict? Scholars look closely at the reactions of various characters in To Kill A Mockingbird in the aftermath of the verdict. They circulate the room, responding to a variety of probing questions. Pupils finalize their...

Class members participate in two circle group discussions to compare Atticus and Mr. Gilmer in chapters 17-19 of To Kill a Mockingbird. They use a note-catcher to guide their thinking. For homework, readers begin looking at chapters 20-21.

Class members meet in their drama circles and share their thoughts on why it might be necessary for the audience to know something the characters don't. They read Act 3 Scene 2 of A Midsummer Night's Dream and complete consequence flow...

It's show time! Scholars finalize their learning by performing their Reader's Theater script of To Kill A Mockingbird. As groups of actors perform, the remaining pupils give feedback using a rubric. After all groups finish, each person...

How does Shakespeare develop the theme of control in A Midsummer Night's Dream? Using the resource, scholars analyze the theme of parental control in the play and the Greek myth "Pyramus and Thisbe." Next, they talk to partners to...

Scholars unpack the word confession as they prepare to write confessionals based on characters from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Next, they read their narratives to a small group of peers as part of a final performance task.

During a reading of one section of Pygmalion, individuals begin thinking more deeply about identity. They also complete text-dependent questions and a close reading guide.

Scholars complete the Pygmalion mid-unit assessment to show their progress toward the unit's stated goals. The assessment requires learners to read text and successfully answer multiple choice and extended response questions.

Lights, camera, action. Scholars use page 33 of The Most Beautiful Roof in the World to create a readers theater. They work in triads and use sticky notes to mark and create their own speaking parts from sections of the text. They...

Readers of Lord of the Flies examine the four main symbols William Golding develops in his novel: the island, the conch, the Lord of the Flies effigy, and fire. Partners select one of the major symbols and create an image by adding words...

High schoolers create a "back story" for a character from Measure for Measure.  In this Measure for Measure lesson, students read the text closely as they look for clues about where the character came from and how he or she became...

Pupils identify characters, their qualities, and examples of their qualities and use Inspiration to organize them in a clear and understandable format. After a lecture/demo, students use the program on the next story by themselves.

Pupils analyze fairy tale characters and story elements. In this fairy tale lesson, students label two charts for the characters and settings of a fairy tale. Pupils view props in story boxes and answer questions about the story elements.

Second graders connect reading to writing by making predictions, completing text to world connections, solving problems, and more. In this reading and writing lesson plan, 2nd graders draw conclusions after reading and write them down.

In this math and literature learning exercise, students survey classmates about their favorite character in Charlotte's Web and display the data on a bar graph. The blank graph is unlabeled; there are no lists of characters to choose from.

In this math and literature worksheet, students survey classmates about their favorite character in the book Trumpet of the Swan. Students display the data on this blank bar graph.

Young scholars investigate language arts by analyzing a book with their classmates. In this children's literature lesson plan, students read the story Scarecrow by Cynthia Rylant and discuss the setting and characters. Young scholars...

Students utilize their reading comprehension by analyzing a book with their class. For this children's literature lesson, students read the story The Mitten by Jan Brett and discuss the imagery and characters in the story. Students...