Scholastic
Midnight Magic Discussion Guide
This discussion guide accompanies the fiction book Midnight Magic written by Avi, enforces story elements, inferences, and theme/plot. Have the class work on it over time, it will engage even your reluctant readers.
Curated OER
In Cold Blood: A During Reading Activity
Following the method used by Truman Capote, class members research a major character from his novel, In Cold Blood, and then conduct an interview with that character. The resulting research is used to craft a newspaper article about the...
Curated OER
Literacy Lesson: Guided Reading
Here is a wonderful lesson designed for young scholars with special needs. This well-thought-out lesson uses Big Books, familiar stories, and has a lot of review learning built into it. The book, The Keeping Quilt is used in the main...
Curated OER
Personal Narrative Paragraphs: Class Quilt
Begin this activity by asking third graders to bring from home pieces of cloth that represent something important to them. (Have extras for students who need them.) They reflect on important events in their lives, compose narrative...
Curated OER
How to Write an Essay: Secondary ed.
Whether introducing the structure of expository essays or reviewing the format with your high schoolers, take the time to check out this resource. Examples of seven common forms of introductory paragraphs and six types of conclusions, as...
Curated OER
Haunting Music
Students discover music that was inspired by the spooky and bizarre. In this music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens lesson, students identify elements of music and listen to the Symphonie Fantastique and Danse Macabre....
Curated OER
Real-Life History
Students collect artifacts which are part of their family/community history. They gather at home and share in the classroom at a specified time when extra care and supervision might be provided.
Curated OER
The Poetics of Hip Hop
High schoolers consider the role of rhythm, form, diction, and sound in poetry. In this integrated arts lesson, students discuss the attributes of poetry as they analyze Shakespearean sonnets, hip hop music lyrics, and poems by...
Curated OER
???The Hell of Mirrors??? by Edogawa Rampo
Learners read and analyze the story "The Hell of Mirrors," by Edogawa Rampo. They watch a video excerpt, answer discussion questions, construct a periscope, complete handouts, define key vocabulary terms, take a quiz, and write a book...
Curated OER
Wrapped in Mystery
Sixth graders can identify five basic elements that most mysteries contain. They put the elements of mystery into a graphic organizer they can follow. They construct meaning after reading Poe's short story and identify or infer the...
Curated OER
It's a Mystery to Me
Middle schoolers read a variety of mysteries to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Using a worksheet, they define and practice using new vocabulary. In groups, they read stories from Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and write...
Curated OER
Chocolate and Ice Cream Across the Curriculum
Sixth graders in a special education class discuss excerpts of two stories and read biographical information on the authors. In groups, they read the full text of both stories and try to solve the mystery as they read. They practice...
Curated OER
Jason's Gold: Chapter 9
Students collect details from chapter 9 of the book Jason's Gold and connect them back to the author's purpose of the book. In this details lesson plan, students listen to a read aloud where they discuss the details with the teacher as...
Curated OER
Congressional Scenarios
In this U.S. government worksheet, students read 12 scenarios pertaining to government intervention and determine what to do as lawmakers in response to each of the scenarios.
Curated OER
Storytellers: The Dixie Chicks
Pupils compare/contrast compositional devises. They describe events occurring within a musical example. Students explain the roles of creators, performers, and others involved in music productions and presentations.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Expository Escapade: Detective's Handbook
Working on higher-level thinking skills with your readers is made easier with this lesson. You will have your learners connect with and analyze a mystery story at their grade-appropriate level. Lesson plan, printable worksheets, and...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Gothic Undercurrents: Edgar Allan Poe
This biography features Edgar Allan Poe who introduced the genre of horror and mystery to literature in the nineteenth century with stories such as "The Raven."
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Hound of the Baskervilles 1: Meet Sherlock Holmes
Students investigate the iconic and much-beloved character of Sherlock Holmes, as well as the mystery genre, in this excerpt from Masterpiece's 2002 version of The Hound of the Baskervilles. As students are introduced to Holmes, they use...
American Movie Classics Company
The Film Site: Film Noir
Crime and gangster movies, detective mysteries and more -- all are of the film noir genre. Get to know the history behind this style of films.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Hound of the Baskervilles
This is a collection of three media galleries from MASTERPIECE: "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Arthur Conan Doyle. It introduces the famous character of Sherlock Holmes and the mystery/horror genre.
Read Works
Read Works: Case of the Missing Cheese
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about a mouse detective named Mike who searches for clues about the missing cheese. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Georgetown University
Georgetown University: Edgar Allan Poe (1809 1849)
This site is a professor's guide for students. This guide features information on how to distinguish between Poe and his narrators in his stories.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Sinking of the u.s.s. Indianapolis
Through flashback, L.D.Cox tells how he survived the sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis during World War II in this segment from History Detectives.
Other
Mystery Net: Edgar Allan Poe
Biography and analysis of the writing of Edgar Allan Poe. Examines Poe's contribution to the mystery genre. Also provides the text of several of Poe's writings.