Curated OER
African-American History and Culture in the English Classroom
Ninth graders identify and recognize characteristics of nonfiction in literary works, explore language and culture of Gullah people, compare and contrast purposes of spirituals and quilts in terms of their relationships to escape from...
Vanderbilt University
Stories from the Panama Canal
The stories of the Silver People, the West Indies immigrants hired to work on the Panama Canal, come to life in a lesson about the building of the Panama Canal. Groups research why the canal was built, how it was build, the working...
Indiana University
World Literature: "One Evening in the Rainy Season" Shi Zhecun
Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...
Curated OER
Edgar Allen Poe And The Art Of Composition
High schoolers evaluate several works by Edgar Allen Poe based on the criteria in his essay, "The Philosophy of Composotion" Their analysis is documented using a graphic organizer. Learners begin the pre-writing process for their own...
Curated OER
Floppy And the Puppies
Fifth graders reinforce and focus on the meaning derived from the text as a whole and identify and describe the main characters, events and settings in a fiction piece of writing. They incorporate a wide-range of adventurous vocabulary...
Curated OER
Transcendentalism and Epiphany in Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine
Twelfth graders examine the characteristics of transcendentalism. In this transcendentalism lesson, 12th graders determine what this type of writing entails before reading a passage from, Ray Bradbury's, Dandelion Wine. They cite three...
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
Goldilocks and the Real Bears
Students participate in a comparison instructional activity where they compare fictional bears to real life bears. In this science/language arts instructional activity, students read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Students...
Curated OER
Historical Background of Nightjohn Lesson Plan
Eighth graders use first-hand slave narratives that show conditions of slavery. They paste text into Appleworks and publish with a picture clipped from web sites. They create a group account of life during slavery to prepare for reading...
Curated OER
Solar System Adventure
Learners study the solar system and our galaxy, then write a science fiction story based on what they discover. They utilize worksheets and access websites imbedded in this plan to gain ideas for their stories.
Curated OER
Greek Origins and Character Development
Seventh graders examine words of Greek origin and discuss character development in fiction. They read a list of Greek word parts and create words on a worksheet. Students then read and discuss an informational handout about character...
Curated OER
Mountain Magic: Identifying the Basic Physical Characteristics of Mountains
Students read about and identify on maps the physical characteristics of mountains. In this mountains lesson plan, students also write about the characteristics using personification.
Curated OER
Come On, Rain!
Students read and analyze the story. In this language arts instructional activity, students read Come on, Rain! and examine how mood and tone are created, the use of figurative language and the characteristics of the genre. Students...
Curated OER
Most Wanted Villians
Learners review the characteristics of various characters in fairytales. As a class, they review the story details and create a concept map using a software program. They create their own wanted poster of the villians in the fairytale to...
Curated OER
Tall Tale Introduction
Students explore folk tales by completing a graphic organizer with classmates. For this tall tale lesson, students read the famous story Paul Bunyan and identify the many characteristics of a fictional tall tale story. Students complete...
Curated OER
Skateboard Renegade
Students read the novel, "Skateboard Renegade." Reading pairs read the novel with an eye out for characteristics of responsibility. They add to a responsibility chart as they find examples. They also read to identify vocabulary, cause...
Curated OER
"I am determined to prove a villain" Richard III, Shakespeare, and the Creation of Villains
Pupils create a list of historical and fictional figures to identify their villainous behaviors and qualities. In this Shakespeare lesson, students discuss historical and fictional villains and their common characteristics. Pupils read...
Curated OER
Language Arts: What Makes an Individual
Third graders listen to the teacher read "The Sneetches" prior to creating charts about their individual characteristics. After numerous examples of individuality, they compile them on chart paper. As an extension, 3rd graders write...
Curated OER
Famous Peacemakers ~ Creating a Declaration of Peace
Students read about famous peacemakers and identify their characteristics. They reseach a peacemaker they are interested in. They create a Declaration of Peace to share with the community.
Curated OER
Research Project
Students learn the characteristics of arachnids by researching the arachnid of their choice and producing a 4 to 5 paragraph research paper.
Curated OER
Native Americans
First graders explore the lifestyles of several North American tribes. They investigate about the homes, food, transportation, and daily living habits of each tribe. Pupils use a map to locate several Native American tribes in North...
Curated OER
Farm Animals
First graders conduct research about farm animals and what it is like to live on a farm. They explore a variety of websites and complete an online WebQuest. They select a farm animal, and write a report about their animal's...
Curated OER
Out of the Dust -- Part II
Eighth graders discover that literature can be a great way to gather information about the past. Using various types of text, they research its historical data and determine if it is correct. They write two papers to respond to the...
Curated OER
Understanding Genres
Young scholars identify genres of literature. For this literature instructional activity, young scholars read definitions of the various genres. Young scholars choose books and list clues in the texts that help them identify the...