Reading Shakespeare
Shakespeare Literature Circles Role Sheets
Tired of those blank stares after your class reads a particularly complex passage from a Shakespearean play? Help high schoolers untangle that prose with a literature circle activity. Ten different roles prompt class members to focus on...
Curated OER
American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins
Students explore daily life and its influences in the late 1700s for two families in different colonies- Delaware and Massachusetts by becoming historical detectives. After gathering information from artifacts to make inferences about...
Curated OER
Put the NEW in NEWBERY
Students read Newbery award books. In this Newbery book lesson, students look online to find all the books that have received this award and look through online reviews to find one they would like to read. After finishing the book, they...
Curated OER
British Surnames Derived from Occupations or Professions
Students use guiding questions in order to provide a context for research within the lesson plan. They explain how certain British surnames derive from people's occupations, and recognize some of the more common names still prevalent.
Ford's Theatre
How Perspective Shapes Understanding of History
The Boston Massacre may be an iconic event in American history, but perhaps the British soldiers had another point of view. Using primary sources, including reports from Boston newspapers and secondary sources from the British...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The War in the South, 1778–1781
The second in a three-part look at the Revolutionary War focuses the years from 1778 through 1781 and zooms in on military operations in the southern colonies, the French alliance, and the role African-Americans played in events. Class...
Curated OER
Robbing the 'Hood?
Students investigate historical figures and how they play a role in tourism by reading and discussing the article "When Robin Hood Supped, Was it Yorkshire Pudding?" In groups, students investigate issues related in the article in...
Curated OER
Learning with Roald Dahl
Engage critical thinking, comparison skills, and 21st century learning while celebrating a beloved author. Each idea found here provides ways to incorporate beloved Rol Dahl titles and new learning mediums.
Curated OER
Post-Colonial Writers Unit
How do cultural and historical background impact thought? To explore this essential question, class members view of portion of the film, The Passage to India, read an excerpt from The Magician’s Nephew, and Nissim Ezekiel’s poem, "In...
Curated OER
The Enlightenment: Matching #3
Who were some of the great thinkers, composers, and authors of the Enlightenment? Here are ten matching questions, where learners link the person to the work created during the time of the Enlightenment. Smith, Linnaeus, Diderot,...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
“Just a Minute” Focus: Adapting Speech
A little bit complicated, but a whole lot of fun. Show your class an episode of the British television game show Just a Minute. After an explanation of the rules (no repetition, hesitation, or deviation) groups develop topics, based on...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Harriet Beecher Stowe Sends Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Victoria and Albert, 1852
Harriet Beecher Stowe's plea for abolition is not only laid plain in her acclaimed novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, but in her written correspondence as well. High schoolers read a letter written by Stowe to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria to...
World of Teaching
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Explore the life and writing of John Steinbeck. A 48-slide presentation introduces the famous American author, his California heritage, and his impressive collection of published work. Viewers are then introduced to Of Mice and Men, one...
Curated OER
Colonial Rules
How did Colonists react to British rule prior to the American Revolution? Give your high schoolers a taste of oppression with this role-play activity, then let them come up with a revolution of their own. This excercise is intended to...
Curated OER
Analyzing the Use of Irony in a Short Story
Ninth graders examine how literature connects to real-life and see how irony aids in the development of theme. They read Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, and discuss elements of foreshadowing and situational irony. Then learners will write...
Curated OER
"Lawd! Lawd! Lawd!"
From British accents to Texan drawls, a character's dialect can be an important part of the reading experience. A Six-Trait writing activity guides learners through the analysis of a character's dialect (Daniel Keyes's Flowers for...
Novelinks
The Chosen: QAR
Question the text with a reading comprehension activity based on Chaim Potok's The Chosen. Learners read four passages from the book and decide if the question after each passage is between the reader and the author, for the reader to...
Curated OER
Causes of the American Revolution Review
Students investigate causes of the American Revolution. In this American Revolution lesson, students consider the major acts passed by the British in the 1760's and 1770's. Students access an online memory game regarding British taxation...
Curated OER
"Jabberwocky" Jive
Pupils review the fantasy of Alice in Wonderland and discuss the author. After reading the poem, "Jabberwocky," they look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary. Working as partners, they create a list of "protmanteau" or invented words...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 17
How did the Demerara Rebellion of 1823, the death of Reverend John Smith, and the Emancipation Bill of 1833 that abolished slavery throughout the British Empire change the sugar industry? Class members examine how the authors of Sugar...
Curated OER
Writing to Argue
Students analyze speeches for or against continued military presence in Iraq. In this writing to argue lesson, students listen to speeches given before Parliament to identify rhetorical devices used. Students compare techniques used and...
Curated OER
Indigenous Responses to Imperialism
In this Imperialism worksheet, students read a 1-page selection as well as Internet articles about the topic and then respond to 9 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Recommend a Book 2
For this book report worksheet, students recommend a book to someone by completing 6 different statements about their selection. First, they describe the book's main subject and point. Then, students write one of the most interesting...
K12 Reader
Different Perspectives: The American Revolution
Prompt your young historians to hone in their reading comprehension skills by considering the fascinating perspective that Rudyard Kipling offers in his poem, "The American Rebellion", which provides an alternative perspective toward the...