Curated OER
Poems that Tell a Story: Narrative and Persona in the Poetry of Robert Frost
Students read and discuss poems by Robert Frost. Students collaborate in small groups to draw inferences about speakers' character and motives and to gather evidence supporting those inferences.
Curated OER
WWII Homefront Roundtable
Young scholars play a role in a roundtable discussion after researching how the war impacted their character. Students play roles such as: African-American, American Indian, Japanese-American, German-American, Italian-American, Jewish...
Curated OER
Netsuke
Students identify different objects from Japanese culture and their purpose. They read Japanese folktales and discuss common themes. They create a sketch and clay sculpture of a character or animal in one of the folktales.
Curated OER
Projecting the Image -- What Can One Person Do?
Students research individuals who have received the Nobel Peace Prize. They identify the importance of their actions for the common good. They make note of their background, motivations and values.
Curated OER
Integrated Skills and Speaking
Students work in pairs to decode a message that uses character adjectives vocabulary and counting skills. They design an "ideal friend" by listing their top five desired character traits.
Curated OER
Making Connections to Text
Making connections to text is an important skill that students can practice in fun and motivating ways.
Curated OER
Collaborative Book Club Groups
Students participate in book club forums where they write descriptive, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, or inference essays. They take on the role of a character in their bok and publish a web page.
Curated OER
Everyday Heroes
High schoolers 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...
Curated OER
The Pocahontas Show
Eleventh graders complete background reading of Europeans and the Native American Indians. They work in groups and represent an area of European colonization and create a "character" to represent their colonists on a class talk show....
Curated OER
Ornaments for Nursing Home Tree
Students participate in an activity that will allow them to create a gift for a nursing home patient and give their gift to someone who needs a caring hand. In this community service lesson, students learn compassion, and also understand...
Curated OER
Story of Self
What a great beginning-of-the-year activity! Get your class to identify their values through a three-page worksheet (included). Each speaker will craft a two-minute description that includes their story and how they can help their...
Curated OER
Values-Emotion-Action Choosing to Participate
Reflect on your own personal values with this simple graphic. Values, emotion, and action are all linked; Do your emotions and actions support the values you hold? After learners brainstorm their own additions to this graphic, divide the...
Curated OER
Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi: Mixing Words and Pictures
Create meaningful illustrations to accompany stories in a web-based art and literacy lesson focused on "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling. The class takes a virtual art safari with the Museum of Modern Art and then discusses how...
Curated OER
Doing the Right Thing
Students consider the payoffs of doing the right thing. In this philanthropy lesson, students examine the virtue of courage in Jackie Robinson's life and in their own.
Orange County Department of Education
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
Fifth graders read the selection Black Cowboy, Wild Horses and identify characteristics of self-discipline shown by story's main character, Bob Lemmons. Students then identify some of their own traits of self-discipline and reflect upon...
Curated OER
Banking on Family
Students examine the meaning of a trust bank account. In this financial awareness lesson, students brainstorm ways they are trustworthy to their family and define the meaning of a trust bank account.
Curated OER
From Page to Stage
Students, utilizing video clips and Web sites, compare specific passages from original texts to moments in Broadway musicals on which they were based, analyzing similarities and differences between them. They adapt literature into a...
Curated OER
Anne Frank and Louisiana - There is a Connection!
How is Louisiana connected to the Holocaust? After reading The Diary of Anne Frank, eighth graders complete a research report about a survivor of the Holocaust who currently resides in Louisiana. Though the idea is a good way to...
Bright Hub Education
Teaching "Gone with the Wind" in High School: Ideas & Activities
Plan on using Gone with the Wind as a reading selection? Here's a packet of prompts for activities and assessments.
Curated OER
The Purpose and Power of Persuasion
Examine the power of persuasion and have learners consider how it influences events in their own lives. After reading and analyzing informational texts to understand the author's purpose, class members take a written test and craft a...
Curated OER
Examining Persuasive Literature
Examine persuasive literature and writing. In this persuasive literature instructional activity, pupils work through a variety of activities over the course of three weeks (each week is planned by day). The unit's purpose is to examine...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.1
Your students have mastered using textual evidence in literature, but what about using this skill in informational texts. Uh oh! That is right—they are not the same thing. Darn the Common Core! See options on how to differentiate...
Orange County Department of Education
Katie's Trunk
Fifth graders read the story of "Katie's Trunk". They identify the traits of integrity and fairness in the characters John Warren and Katie. Students explore how people can experience the same event but interpret it differently. They...
Curated OER
Oprah Winfrey
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning instructional activity, students read about the philanthropic works of Oprah Winfrey and her Angel Network. Students discuss issues that are important to them.