Curated OER
Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream" Speech
Invite your class to investigate racism and civil rights by analyzing the great Dr. Martin Luther King's speech. Your learners will read the words from the "I Have a Dream" speech and analyze the political and racial overtones. They will...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify forms of...
Curated OER
What I Dream For:
Students investigate about the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., watching video clips from unitedstreaming. They identify ways that they can help make Martin Luther's dream of peace a reality. Pupils identify contributions that...
Curated OER
A Theme Is...
Colorful contemporary images contained in a PowerPoint presentation will capture the attention of class members and model for them the how to distinguish between the subject and the theme of a work. A great want to introduce this...
Curated OER
Dream Streets
Sixth graders conduct research on the internet to discover the principles of drawing using one and two point perspectives. After examining street scenes by Edward Hopper and postcards of Main Street USA in Disney, they write about and...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Theme of Hopes, Plans, and Dreams
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 4 short answer questions about themes from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Curated OER
Les Mis'rables
Young scholars read, understand, and enjoy Les Miserables. They improve their skills in literary analysis, writing, and listening. Through the study of biblical and historical allusions, symbols, metaphors, and other figurative language,...
K12 Reader
Elegy for Lincoln: Walt Whitman’s Poem
Walt Whitman's "O Captain! My Captain!" is one of the most famous and emotional tributes to Abraham Lincoln. Guide readers through the evocative elegy with a reading comprehension worksheet, complete with the poem's text and a photograph...
Curated OER
The Death of a Salesman Act I: the Lowman Family & their American/Capitalist Dreams
This thirty-slide presentation, designed to accompany a lecture on the first act of Arthur Miller's The Death of a Salesman, would be appropriate for a college-level American literature class or perhaps as a teacher resource.
Curated OER
Dream Killers
Third graders explore figurative language in Jacob Have I Loved and define what is a dream killer.
Curated OER
The Glass Menagerie
Rich in biographical information about Tenessee Williams, this PowerPoint is designed to accompany a lecture on The Glass Menagerie. Concepts covered include The Memory Play, the American Dream/American Nightmare, Modernism, and...
Curated OER
Exploring the Self
Students use different pieces of music and writings to explore the theme of self-reliance and individuality. After viewing a video clip, they discuss how the images made them feel. They keep a writing journal to evaluate their own...
Curated OER
When Worlds Collide
Learners explore the intersection between immigration and America's vision of itself. They examine how immigrant groups view themselves as Americans, and how the American 'mainstream' views these same immigrant groups.
Penguin Books
Teacher’s Guide: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
A 10-page guide to John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men includes a brief plot summary, information about preparing readers for the language in the novel, pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading questions, essay prompts, and project...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet and Plume Editions of the Screenplay Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun
Although they may be based on a novel, a screenplay is not a novel and is read differently. This teacher's guide to Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun teaches readers how to read a screenplay, analyze camera instructions, and...
Curated OER
From the Rise of the Absolute Monarchy to Democracy on the American Frontier
Students use a teacher-made museum guide with questions that allow them to analyze and compare the patron art of seventeenth-century France with portraits of later periods at the Joslyn Art Museum. Students also read The Little Prince...
Curated OER
Time Machine: Drive for the American Dream
Students view a documentary on automobiles. Americans have always been in love with automobiles. They are a definition of character, and a representation of social status. After viewing, students discuss what they saw and create an...
Curated OER
Imagery Lesson Plan
Learners are introduced to the term imagery. Individually, they read "The Dream Deferred" and note examples of imagery in the poem. To end the instructional activity, they write their own poem making sure to use the five components of...
Curated OER
A Year
Students examine an author's philosophical look at life through anecdotes he describes as a teacher in Uzbekistan. In this Uzbekistan lesson, students analyze a literary passage in order to identify, then practice using, similes,...
Curated OER
The Jungle: Study Questions and Essay Topics
In this The Jungle worksheet, learners discuss the theme, symbolism, and political views presented in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Students construct essays related to the Sinclair's depiction of capitalism and socialism.
Curated OER
Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes
A carefully crafted three-day instructional activity integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion: High Advanced
Even your best readers will be challenged by this activity that asks learners to pick the word that best completes each sentence. An answer sheet not only identifies the correct response but also details the strategies used to determine...
Curated OER
Setting Details in Of Mice and Men
After completing John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, groups are assigned a chapter to reread. Members list major conflicts and events and quote setting details. They then make observations about how the setting prepares the reader for the...
Prestwick House
The Great Gatsby
Here's a fresh twist on a comprehension quiz. Readers of The Great Gatsby use their answers to questions about the story to complete a crossword puzzle.