Novelinks
The Giver: Problematic Situation
What would you need to take care of yourself and a small baby? Using a situation inspired by Lois Lowry's The Giver, kids discuss which items they would need and which plan they would follow in order to flee from the Release.
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The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter: Anticipation Guide
Get readers thinking about issues raised by Chapter 5 of Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter with an anticipation guide. Individuals decide whether they agree or disagree with a series of statements and discuss their...
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The Little Prince: Biopoem Strategy
Learn about character traits with a biopoem activity. Based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, the activity prompts learners to fill in the blanks of a poem form to describe themselves.
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Walk Two Moons: Story Impressions
Story chains connect literary concepts, reinforce context clues, and even help learners predict what's coming next! Using words from the next chapter of Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons, middle schoolers craft story chains to...
Curated OER
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Graphic Organizer: Venn Diagram
Compare and contrast the characters in John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Using a Venn diagram, kids write in different traits to describe each person, and note their shared characteristics in the middle section.
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Running Out of Time: Picture Book Activity
Ease your class into reading Running Out of Time by first reading The Boy Who Stopped Time, a picture book with some similar concepts and themes. After a reading of the story, learners participate in a discussion and journaling exercise.
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The Pearl: Problematic Situation
Is money the root of all evil, or the answer to everyone's dreams? Analyze the role of money in John Steinbeck's The Pearl with a writing prompt where kids imagine that they have won the lottery, and must think about the ways it will...
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The Devil’s Arithmetic: Semantic Feature Analysis
Organize the characters in Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic according to their shared character traits. After listing character traits as a class, kids note which characters exhibit particular characteristics with a...
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The Grapes of Wrath: Vocabulary Activity
Readers locate unfamiliar words in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and teach these words and their meanings to class members.
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Vocabulary Development
Learners utilize various vocabulary strategies. They use vocabulary logs to record strategies they have been taught, such as the Frayer Model (definition, picture, examples, non-examples), writing their own definitions, and using...
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Parrot in the Oven: Request Strategy
Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida is used in an activity that models how to develop questions to aid in comprehension of a text.
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Lord of the Flies: Themes and Notetaking
William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a treasure trove of symbolism and literary themes. Help your kids note the richest passages in the book with a instructional activity and graphic organizer. The instructional activity prepares...
Curated OER
The Pearl: Directed Reading Thinking Activity
Guide readers to think about what they are reading with a comprehension activity. Using John Steinbeck's The Pearl, learners predict what is coming, verify and judge their predictions, and analyze what they are reading more closely.
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Hoot: Vocabulary: Magic Squares
Define words with numbers in a fun vocabulary activity. Using words from Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, learners use a grid to match words and their definitions, and to find the magic number that is the same when the numbers are added from...
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Hoot: List-Group-Label
Word association is a great way to explore vocabulary and new ideas. In a unit about Carl Hiassen's Hoot, kids think about the word environmentalist and come up with additional words that they associate with environmentalism on...
Novelinks
The Devil’s Arithmetic: Concept Analysis
A helpful guide to Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic for your literature unit. Use the sections on point-of-view, dramatic irony, and background knowledge, among others, to frame your lessons in an engaging and educational way.
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The Tale of Genji
Did you know that the world's first novel was written by a woman? Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji, was published in 1021. Class members research Eastern and Western cultures in the 10th and 11th centuries, view modern adaptations of...
Curated OER
Magazine Mania
Seventh graders examine the components and structure of magazines. In groups they develop a magazine based on the novel of their choice. Comic strips and promotional advertisements about the novels are included in the magazine. Students...
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Shiloh
In this literature worksheet, students read the novel Shiloh and then answer ten comprehension questions about the novel.
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Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
In this literature worksheet, students read the novel Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and then answer ten comprehension questions about the novel.
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Stormy, Misty's Foal by Marguerite Henry
In this literature worksheet, students read the novel Stormy, Misty’s Foal by Marguerite Henry and then answer ten reading comprehension questions regarding the novel.
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SOS Titanic by Eve Bunting
In this literature worksheet, learners read the novel SOS Titanic by Eve Bunting and then answer ten comprehension questions about the novel.
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Turn on the Light, Thomas Edison by Peter and Connie Roop
In this literature worksheet, 5th graders read the novel Turn on the Light, Thomas Edison by Peter and Connie Roop and then answer ten reading comprehension questions about the novel.
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Chapter 10
In this Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry comprehension check worksheet, students respond to 20 short answer questions pertaining to chapter 10 of the Mildred D. Taylor novel to better understand the novel and the author's craft.