Caring, trustworthiness, and responsibility—these are only a few character traits in focus of a lesson plan based on stories from the Civil War era. Class members explore several influential lives while reading biographies that...

Students explore reading comprehension strategies. In this character development and reading comprehension lesson, students brainstorm common traits of "heroes." Students read Heroes, then identify the personal conflicts the story...

Students explore and study the celebration of Kwanzaa in which African-Americans remember their heritage and remind people of the importance of sharing with family and friends. They participate in a chant about the seven continents and...

Learners read and analyze William Faulkner's novel, 'As I Lay Dying.' They define Faulkner's place in American literary history, describe Faulkner's "South" in the context of the historical South and examine the Bundren family through...

Fourth graders research and write an author report on Roald Dahl, including books written by him, birthplace, family life, and other information on his writing. Students read aloud chapters in the book. Students create a newspaper...

Learners compare and contrast likenesses and differences to others by creating a life-size picture of themselves. For this character building lesson, students dictate a sentence about comments on sharing and display them with their...

Are you thinking of reading Any Small Goodness with your students? Engage them with these worksheets. Sharpen prediction and response skills, in addition to creating a character analysis map. Also included, are some thoughtfully-written...

Students discover characterization techniques and methods. In this characterization lesson plan, students choose favorite fiction characters and discuss what makes a character come alive. Students then describe a family member or a...

Anansi is a tricky character, but can he realize he's wrong and write an apology letter? Learners use Anansi and the Pot of Beans to practice writing, art, and figurative language. A series of activities are engaging for both...

Learners discuss which values are most important to them and their families. They read poetry and fairy tales to find a story that has the same value they find most important. They create a presentation and share it with the class.

Students investigate the character trait of perseverance and how it is used to help a girl gain independence in a fictional story. The story also has them think about the value of relationships and then write reflectively about...

Twelfth graders compare/contrast the Greek myth to explain an aspect of nature. They create an explanatory myth about some aspect of nature and design a mythological business card using Microsoft Word.

Students research a famous person, consider what character values make this person a good role model and write a personal vision statement that maps out how to build similar character traits in their own lives.

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members...

Plan on using Gone with the Wind as a reading selection? Here's a packet of prompts for activities and assessments.

Young scholars explore American history by reading biographical text in class. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson, young scholars research the famous inventor by reading assigned text and answering reading comprehension questions...

Students research how Ernie Pyle's descriptive narratives and "every man's" perspective of the war allow them to examine personal traits such as courage and heroism. The lesson can be extended to include more examples to teach character...

Challenge readers of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to test their knowledge of the tale by providing them with a crossword puzzle that asks them to recall characters and events.

Paul Fisher, the main character in Tangerine, comes to see that it's the choices in life that lead to the consequences that make all the difference. A unit study of Bloor's young adult novel leads readers down this same path. 

Students investigate the childhood of one of the greatest philosophers of our time, Gandhi.  In this biography lesson, students analyze the upbringing and events that finally shaped Mahatma Gandhi's life.  Students locate...

Students listen to stories about different philanthropic acts. They work together in groups to create a list of the needs of their community. They chose a service project which could be completed by their class.

Students explore the various societal and cultural "lenses" which color their perspectives and life experiences by reading the short story "What Means Switch" by Gish Jen. They discuss how the cultural ideas and beliefs affect the...

Sixth graders will learn about the influence of family expectations and religious values on the development of one's personal identity. Students will also learn how reading informational texts in coordination with literary texts can...