Curated OER
Patriots v. Loyalists
Students consider how colonial citizens chose sides in the American Revolution. In this Revolutionary War lesson plan, students role play Loyalists, Patriots, and undecideds in a classroom simulation. Students research their positions so...
Curated OER
Dude, I'm Interviewing the President
Student define issues and questions they would discuss with a president. Students read "Bill and Leo's Excellent Encounter". Students choose famous personalities, research their celebrity, and create a mock interview with them.
Curated OER
Color My World
Fourth graders write poems using color to describe their feelings and environment. After viewing a sample student poem imbedded in this plan, 4th graders utilize The Student Writing Center educational software program to type their poem.
Curated OER
Silent Spring
Students read background information about Rachel Carson found on the listed website links. They analyze and answer questions about her work and how it is linked to science then they research pesticide usage and alternative methods.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Science Fiction
This slideshow introduces the genre of science fiction. It presents background information, common elements, common themes, pop movies (from books) showing diverse examples, and three specific examples: "Time Machine," "I, Robot," and...
Other
America Dept. Of State: Outline of American Literature [Pdf]
This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Elements of Literature: Guide to the Sign of the Beaver [Pdf]
This Holt Literature guide in .pdf format, offers some background on the novel, a chapter-by-chapter summary, and some post-reading suggestions.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Book Report Alternative: The Elements of Fiction
Analyzing a book takes the form of creating their own when learners complete this activity. The stated goal is to help students "Read like writers." Includes link to a template for student use.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Popular Culture: What Makes a Book Popular?
This lesson focuses on the elements that makes a book popular and provides links to lists of Goodreads popular books and NPR's "Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels."
Utah Education Network
Uen: Create a Book (Grade 3 6)
Students will illustrate and write their own story.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Book Files: My Side of the Mountain
"My Side of the Mountain", is a Newbery Honor, by Jean Craighead George. This book is about Sam Gribley's adventure in the Catskill Mountains. The novel's themes are nature, independence, survival, and adventure. Make the smart choice by...
Harold D. Underdown
Writing Young Adult and Children's Fiction and Fantasy
A great article concerning writing children's literature, especially in the area of fantasy or science fiction. The author provides information concerning how to develop characters, creating literary elements, and discusses some pitfalls...
Read Works
Read Works: Plot 1st Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of three lesson plans designed to teach students to identify problems and solutions in fiction text and to retell a story's problem and solution in sequence. Students learn to identify the plot...
The Best Notes
The Best Notes: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
This is an online study guide/notes for the non-fiction book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer including author information, literary elements, chapter-by-chapter summaries/notes, study questions, and analysis. The book retraces the steps of...
The Best Notes
The Best Notes: Hiroshima by John Hersey
This is an online study guide/notes for the non-fiction book Hiroshima by John Hersey including author information, literary elements, chapter-by-chapter summaries/notes, study questions, and analysis. The book tells the stories of six...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: 103 Things to Do Before/during/after Reading
The highly-respected Reading Rockets program offers both teachers and students a toolkit of ways to connect more actively with the materials they read. Some of these techniques are specifically for fiction-reading, others are designed...
Read Works
Read Works: Plot 3rd Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of four lesson plans designed to teach students to predict problems and solutions in fiction text and to identify the relationship between problems and character conflicts within a story....
Other
Literature Unit: "A Day No Pigs Would Die"
This site features questions for each of the chapters in Robert Newton Peck's "A Day No Pigs Would Die."
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Black Ear, Blond Ear
In this online book from the International Children's Digital Library, relations between the blonde cats and the black cats, who live on different sides of the river, learn about each other when they exchange ears.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Blue Sky
In this online book from the International Children's Digital Library, a sad and lonely little girl dreams of seeing her mother again as she watches the clouds in the sky.