Curated OER
Recognizing Similies: Fast as a Whip
Learners review what they have already learned about similies and begin to engage with similies on a deeper and more abstract level as they create their own.
Curated OER
Pizzeria (reading Encouragement)
Students create a pizzeria atmosphere in the classroom with Italian music, pizza menus and checkered table cloths. They compare their different tastes in pizza toppings to different tastes in reading. Then they use a reading menu to...
Curated OER
Poetic Expression
Ninth graders evaluate the effectiveness of literary techniques including figurative language.
They demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas, events, or themes of a variety of novels, stories, poetry, other print material, and...
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Myths and Folk Tales
Seventh graders perform research in order to appreciate stories taken from the genre of myths and fables. The examples of the stories create a context for students to create their own myths.
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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...
Curated OER
A Courtly Love Poem
Students engage in a writing assignment to produce a thirteenth century Italian Courtly Poem. They imitate the literary patterns of writing to produce a unique poem using a model for example. Students review the basic terminology for...
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Graphic Novel/Comics with Josh Elder
Students read about graphic novels and complete related activities. In this graphic novels lesson, students read about the genre and author Josh Elder. Students complete novel analysis activities for the lesson.
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Fairytale Cake
Students recreate characters from the story, "The Fairytale Cake." In this fairy tale characterization instructional activity, students first listen to fairy tales read aloud. They then use play dough and plastic bowls as pretend "cakes...
Appalachian State University
What Are Graphic Novels?
To do this engaging and pleasurable activity, your learners should have already read a graphic novel, and produced a piece of writing that can be reproduced into the format of a graphic novel. This exercise provides a script that...
Curated OER
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Sixth graders demonstrate the ability to process and evaluate content from a variety of sources and apply comprehension skills to the material read. They organize information for practical use and design and develop an informational...
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Adapting a Musical
Students transform literature into musical productions. In this integrated arts lesson, students discuss how musicals are written and produced. Students then select literature they are familiar with to adapt into musical productions.
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Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions about Flaubert's Madame Bovary. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
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Social and Cultural Issues in the Civil Rights Movement
Middle schoolers watch videos, listen to speeches and analyze the information that is presented about the civil rights movement. They examine visual art of the period.
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Personalized Poetry Portfolio
Eighth graders create their own poetry portfolio containing poems that relate to Students' lives and families. The portfolio consist of the following types of poems: acrostic, diamante`, haiku, cinquain, and free verse.
Curated OER
The Poetics of Hip Hop
The Bard, Nikki Giovanni, Mos Def? “Sonnet 18,” Ego Tripping,” and “Black on Both Sides”? Sure! It’s the poetics. Class members compare the lyrics, rhythm, and rhyme in classic poetry to hip-hop in a richly detailed resource that...
Curated OER
Post-Colonial Writers Unit
How do cultural and historical background impact thought? To explore this essential question, class members view of portion of the film, The Passage to India, read an excerpt from The Magician’s Nephew, and Nissim Ezekiel’s poem, "In...
Curated OER
Regarding the Fountain: A KWHL Strategy
A KWHL strategy prepares young readers for the different type of writing found in Kate Klise's story of the Dry Creek Middle School drinking fountain. Step-by-step directions, student and teacher copies of the KWHL template, and...
Curated OER
Introduction to Ludwig van Beethoven
"Ode to la Tortilla" and "Ode to Joy"? Sure! Use Gary Soto's poem to introduce learners to the ode format. After examining the descriptive words Soto uses, class members study a poster of Ludwig van Beethoven, suggest words that describe...
Curated OER
Developing Writing Skills Through Japanese Folk Music
Students listen to Japanese folk songs to get inspired to create a writing piece about Japan. In this writing lesson, students use primary and secondary sources to add information about Japan.
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Express Yourself Lesson Seed 14: Dedication
Connect Martin Luther King Jr's famous speech, "I Have a Dream," to The Cay by Theodore Taylor. Taylor refers to the speech in his dedication, which creates a natural segue into talking about the speech and how it relates to the novel....
Curated OER
Western Medieval European Poetry and Literature
One of the Common Core standards requires learners to make connections between literature or media of the past and the present. Provided here, are key elements found in medieval poetry and literature that are connected to several more...
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Twenty-one Balloons
Fifth graders determine what the Newbery Award is and why it is importance. They examine a number of Newbery Award winning books and listen to a book talk about William Pene DuBois', Twenty-One Balloons while watching a PowerPoint...
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Fictional Biographies
Students read and discuss the fictional biography, "Strega Nona: Her Own Story" by Tomie dePaola. They compare the characters of the story to other fictional characters then choose their own favorite fictional character to write a...
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Contemporary Fairy Tales
Eighth graders listen Steven Kellog's, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Raymond Briggs, Jim and the Beanstalk. They use a Venn diagram to compare the two elements of the two stories. They write and publish an original contemporary fairy tale...