Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 4
Class members have an opportunity to compare how a film and a play handle the same source material by viewing the opening chapters of George Lucas's Star Wars: A New Hope and acts I and II of Ian Doescher's play, William Shakespeare's...
Penguin Books
Gulliver's Travels Teacher's Notes
Who are "the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth”? Readers of Gulliver’s Travels will learn the answer, as the journey with Lemuel Gulliver to Lilliput,...
Curated OER
Values and Beliefs Book
In this values and beliefs worksheet, students create a three page booklet with personal answers to questions about life, family, heroes, special people and places and right and wrong.
Avi Writer
Crispin: The End of Time
Crispin: the End of Time is the core text for this teaching guide, a valuable resource for those who use Avi's trilogy as whole-class reading, in book circles, or as independent reading.
Curated OER
Forest Joe Lesson Plan: Outlaw or Hero?
Students become familiar with an American legend that is unfamiliar to many. Presented with the legend of Forest Joe, a runaway slave who, much like Robin Hood, stole from the rich to give to the poor, students draw comparisons and...
Curated OER
Benedict Arnold: Triumph and Treason
Pupils explore Benedict Arnold, and how his name is synonymous with treason, betrayal, and defection. Why did he turn on a young nation in its defining moment? BIOGRAPHY journeys back to the days of the colonies to solve the mystery.
Curated OER
Symmetry in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Students examine knightly virtues and will measure Gawain's strength in the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. For this poetry analysis lesson, students identify the bob-and-wheel poetic form and analyze symmetry in the poem. Students...
Curated OER
Greek Mythology
Middle schoolers try activities like this one: Assuming the role of your favourite mythological character, you will be leading a dangerous journey to capture the head of Medusa. Before you go, you must order the necessary supplies. ...
Curated OER
The Odyssey Word Puzzle
In this word puzzle, students identify fifty words related to The Odyssey in a word puzzle. Examples include Penelope, sea, and journey.
Curated OER
Coming Home from the life of Langston Hughes
In this Coming Home from the life of Langston Hughes worksheet, students read the book Coming Home from the life of Langston Hughes and answer short answer questions about it. Students complete 10 questions total.
Curated OER
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters
In this Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters activity, students read the book Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters and answer short answer questions about it. Students complete 8 questions total.
Curated OER
The Magic Peach
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students answer seven short answer questions based on the book The Magic Peach.
Curated OER
How To Demystify Mythology for Your Learners
Use visual aids and live performances to help connect ancient myths to human emotions.
Curated OER
The Antagonist's Point of View
Analyzing literary antagonists is a first step to creating memorable characters in student writing.
Amnesty International
Hotel Rwanda Teacher's Guide
Here is the comprehensive, official educator's guide for presenting Hotel Rwanda and the story of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 to a classroom environment. It includes a range of exceptional hands-on or discussion activities, as well as a...
Curated OER
National Craft Month
Incorporate National Craft Month into your daily lessons with these great ideas.
Curated OER
Romanticism 1800-1860
What do Roger Chillingworth, Dr. Heidegger, and Ethan Brand have in common? They are all American literature poster boys for Romanticism, advertising the dangers of valuing reason over feeling and intuition. Introduce your class to...
Novelinks
The Dark Is Rising: Problematic Situation Strategy
What items would you need to save the world from an evil wizard? Prior to reading Susan Cooper's young adult contemporary fantasy The Dark is Rising, and to generate interest in the tale, class groups must reach consensus on a list of...
McGraw Hill
Compare Themes and Topics Across Cultures
Compare and contrast folktales, myths, and fables in an interactive eBook. The interactive is broken up into three topics: myths, fables, and folktales. Each section includes a reading passage and a guided lesson on the theme, topic, and...
Prestwick House
Introducing Literary Theory – A Unit Wrap-Up
Literary theories are lenses through which a text may be analyzed. The question in this lesson plan is how a particular literary lens can influence the reader's view of the text.
Curated OER
The Stranger Redeemed: A Portrait of a Black Poet
Read and analyze poems by African-American authors. Using the text, they identify the various patterns, subjects, language and dialects used. Then team up to compare and contrast the various authors and define new vocabulary. The...
Curated OER
Epic Poetry: Literary Terms for Story Analysis
What do Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Odyssey have in common? Why, they are all epics, of course, and are presented here as examples of the literary term. If you are beginning a study of epics, consider previewing the terms included...
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed
Young scholars engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A viewing of Disney’s 1993 film of The Adventures of Huck Finn launches an examination of the events in and themes of Mark Twain’s story. Viewers respond to prompts on a film story worksheet, engage in full-class discussions, and select...