Facing History and Ourselves
Fishbowl Discussion
Filter young teenagers' opinions and perspectives with a classic fishbowl discussion. Given any topic relevant to your curriculum, a group of class members engage in discussion for their peers to observe.
Prestwick House
The Catcher in the Rye
A 20-clue crossword puzzle tests reader's recall of events in J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye.
Prestwick House
The Crucible
Characters and events in The Crucible provide the clues for a crossword puzzle that asks readers to demonstrate their knowledge of Arthur Miller's allegorical play.
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Nanotechnology Invention and Design: Phase Changes, Energy, and Crystals
What does it take to be considered a smart material? Learners investigate the properties of Nitinol, a smart material, through a hands-on lab activity. They examine the crystal lattice structure and the conditions required for Nitinol to...
Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment
Victorian Historians
Take the class back in time to the Victorian Era! The resource provides a plethora of activities that create experiences for scholars in class. Some activities include a fun fair, viewing the starry-night painting, and even experiencing...
Curated OER
Reading Restaurant
Third graders complete book reports. They are given the following jobs; chef, who organizes them into genres; maître d', who calls students to share the menu; and waiters/waitresses, who take orders for books from customers, pass out...
Curated OER
Critical Pedagogy
Students read Ruthanne Lum McCunn's Thousand Pieces of Gold and as a class, discuss the Chinese practice of foot binding. They work in groups to read further about how women of different cultures attempt to conform. They write about...
Curated OER
George Orwell 1984: Fun Trivia Quiz
Tests readers' comprehension of the plot of George Orwell's famous novel 1984. Although most questions only require the test taker to recall information about the novel's plot, some questions ask for analysis. Instant feedback and...
Curated OER
Great Expectations: Fun Trivia Quiz
This Fun Trivia quiz focuses on the characters in Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations. A useful resource to check for understanding or completion of reading, this quiz can be used to test readers' ability to recall...
Curated OER
Novel Study Night of the Twisters
In this reading worksheet, learners use this graphic organizer to map the beginning, middle and end of The Night of the Twisters. Students use this "plot pie" to write a few sentences to summarize the story. The graphic organizer is...
Curated OER
Out of the Dust 1
Students review figurative languages terms and examples. They read the first entry in the book, Out of the Dust, and discuss the images created by the author. Then they create an autobiographical poem using figurative language.
Curated OER
Maniac Magee Lesson Plan
Fifth graders read Jerry Spinelli's, Maniac Magee, which focuses on homelessness, illiteracy, and racism. They research Jerry Spinelli's biography and other works using the Internet, and write an on-line book review of Maniac Magee.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust 3
Learners read the novel, Out of the Dust, and complete a cause and effect chart and a character chart. When the book is completed, they answer review questions.
Curated OER
Personality and Lord of the Flies
Students use the Internet to review personality types and to associate characters from Lord of the Flies with the personality types listed. They also write a theme comparing and contrasting the personalities of two characters in Lord of...
Curated OER
Reading Puzzle
Twelfth graders examine the elements of literature. They each read a chapter of a novel, sequentially list the main ideas, present a summary of the chapter to the class, sequence the events, and review the novel by summarizing the timeline.
Curated OER
House on Mango Street
Students complete a guided reading study and autobiographical essay for Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street. For this literary analysis lesson, students read the novel, complete novel response activities, book review worksheets, and...
Curated OER
Literature Study Contracts
Learners complete activities with a leveled chapter book. In this literature lesson, students read a novel and complete several graphic organizers and activities as they read. They focus on characters, settings, vocabulary, and plot.
Curated OER
Ponyboy, What's a Theme?
Third graders seek supporting proof of major conflicts and themes in the novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan which has them identify the conflict in each chapter of the book.
Curated OER
What Did I Just Read
Fourth graders write a summary for each chapter as they read a novel. They summarize the author's purpose and point of view after completing the novel. They also describe about how the author's point of view affected the novel.
Curated OER
One Pager
Students read the novel, Freak the Mighty and describe and illustrate the setting. They create a graphic organizer that demonstrates the major plot elements and character development.
Curated OER
Pirate Unit
Students complete a unit of lessons on pirates. They read and analyze the novel, 'The Stowaway: A Tale of California Pirates,' define key vocabulary terms, participate in a literature circle, and write a report on pirates.
Curated OER
Roll With The Punches: Crossroads to Where?
Third graders visualize and create a map to outline scenes from the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. They understands the importance of organizing information when making maps and giving directions.
Curated OER
What's Your Opinion
Students complete a questionnaire, formulating opinions on issues that be addressed in the novel, Sing Down the Moon. They make predictions about events that might occur in the novel based on the group discussion.
Curated OER
The Songcatcher
Pupils read Sharyn McCrumb's and Maggie Greenwald's versions of "Songcatcher" and use them as a springboard to explore the heritage and traditions of Appalachian folk music. They review Internet sources, conduct research and write reports.