The memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, is the focus of a unit designed for fourth graders. Scholars begin each lesson with a warm-up, then listen to a read-aloud of a section of the book. Pupils complete word work,...

Lois Lowry's The Giver is one of the most engaging and thought-provoking works of literature in the middle school curriculum. Round out your novel unit with a collection of reading activities, comprehension questions, memoir and...

What were the driving forces behind American expansion in the nineteenth century, and what were its effects? Scholars watch a video, read biographies, engage in discussion, write journals and poetry, draw, and create a multimedia...

Discover how writers express identity in their writing. Learners explore how issues of identity surface in the literature of minority writers. Scholars watch a video, read and discuss biographies, conduct research, engage in creative...

This is a book review and activity for the picture book "Three Truths and a Lie" by Carlalyn Buchner, a story about an older cousin who bullies his younger cousin with outrageous truths and lies. The activity suggests students write...

Selected (7) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair with the memoir "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Wakatsuki. [Free account registration required for specific tools.]

This is a book review for Marley and Me by John Grogan in which he details events, both good and bad, in his life with his dog Marley. The activity focuses on having students remember and write down experiences in their lives (both good...

Maya Angelou recounts her coming of age story as a mature but apprehensive girl in the American South and California during the Jim Crow era. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 7-10) to pair with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by...

This lesson focuses on the book Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom about the time he spent with his sociology professor who was dying from Lou Gehrig's disease. It features links to Mitch Albom's website, a Wikipedia article about...

Maxine Hong Kingston is featured in this biography for her literary contributions which explore her personal heritage as a Chinese American woman. See "Maxine Hong Kingston Activities" for related materials.