Curated OER
Identifying Theme
What's theme, and can texts of every length have one? Explore the themes of fives short reading passages with your middle school class. Encourage them to highlight specific places in the text where they recognized the theme.
Curated OER
Dr. Seuss and Universal Themes
Discover some of the themes of Dr. Seuss's major books. They see that despite being written for young people, Dr. Seuss' books contain powerful messages and important themes.
Curated OER
Animal Farm: Symbolism and Theme
If you want some help with teaching themes and symbols in Animal Farm, this may be beneficial. After a class discussion about possible themes, class members write a paragraph explaining which they believe is the most important. Next,...
Novelinks
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 lesson and graphic organizer. The lesson prepares kids to come up with a thesis...
Curated OER
All the King's Men Theme of Politics
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 4 short answer and essay questions based on the theme of politics in All the King's Men. Students may also complete their choice of 3 reading activities suggested.
Curated OER
Agamemnon Theme of Politics
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 4 short answer and essay questions based on themes in Agamemnon. Students may also complete their choice of 3 reading activities suggested.
Curated OER
Literary Newspaper: Candide
Prejudice? Religious intolerance? Political sedition? Class distinction? Plight of women? Voltaire satire, anyone? A literary newspaper offers an opportunity for readers of Candide to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections as...
Curated OER
All the King's Men: Themes Quiz
In this online interactive reading comprehension instructional activity, students respond to 5 multiple choice questions based on the themes of All the King's Men. Students may submit their answers to be scored on this timed quiz.
Museum of the Moving Image
Political Ads in Historical Context
Campaign ads target both timely issues and general themes. Presidential campaign ads from 1952 and 1988 provide class members an opportunity to compare how the topics ads choose to address can dramatically influence election outcomes.
Curated OER
Civil War Research Project
Give your WWI study collaborative energy using a group research project. Groups are assigned one of the six main themes (included). Each group has an outline to guide research but will need an assignment guide. Consider supplementing the...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Timely vs. Timeless
In this historical events activity, students analyze a political cartoon about bank failure and respond to 2 talking point questions.
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Drawing on Everyday Themes
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about social issues and respond to 3 talking point questions.
Curated OER
Make a Theme Song
Students listen to music and the different messages it sends and then they make a theme song for a campaign. In this theme song lesson plan, students learn about propaganda and the importance of music.
Curated OER
Lesson: Mixing Metaphors across Current Events and Literature
Expression, current events, and art can go hand-in-hand. After analyzing a multi-media piece entitled, Trade Canoe for Don Quixote, the class explores their own expressive process. They create collages that show a current event or issue...
Teaching Tolerance
Consuming and Creating Political Art
A picture is worth a thousand words, but political art may be worth even more! After examining examples of political cartoons, murals, and other forms of public art, class members create their own pieces to reflect their ideals and...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: 9/11 Revisited
Political cartoons about the September 11 terrorist attacks provide an opportunity for class members to analyze the inferences embedded in the drawings.
Curated OER
Understanding Modern Vietnam Through the Five Themes of Geography
Middle schoolers explore Vietnam and prepare a studenT book about Vietnam using the five themes of Geography. These books be used to teach a younger classroom about Vietnam, as part of a service-learning project in our school.
Curated OER
English Literature: An Overview
Relate literary works and authors to the major themes of English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the 20th century. Working in groups, high schoolers will evaluate period philosophy, religion, and politics that influenced...
Curated OER
Pond Theme Unit
In this pond theme instructional activity learners research facts on pond life. Students complete comprehension questions, crosswords, word search, and math puzzles. Learners write a short report.
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare's King Lear
King Lear is a powerful and complex tragedy that looks deeply into political power and family dynamics, loyalty, betrayal, aging, and madness. This teaching guide includes scene-by-scene plot summaries, information about the elements of...
Curated OER
Presidential Sweepstakes
Fifth graders visit the National Gallery of Art and are introduced to portraiture as well as politics and presidents. They use these themes to form political parties and carry out their own "election".
Curated OER
The Media and Social Justice in the United States
Students investigate why the hip hop is sometimes called the CNN of black youth. They explore the political themes in American hip hop. Students examine the connection between art, media and social justice in hip hop.
Livaudais-Baker English Classroom
Lord of the Flies: William Golding's Masterpiece
Spoiler Alert! An 18-slide presentation includes information about author William Golding, his experiences reflected in Lord of the Flies, a summary of the story, the political and religious allegorical levels of the novel, and the themes.
US Holocaust Museum
The Art and Politics of Arthur Szyk
Have you ever listened to a song that had a deeper political meaning to it? Every examined a work of art with layers of meaning? Pupils analyze the drawings of Arthur Szyk. They research the deeper meaning of several artistic cartoons...