Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Miss Nelson Is Missing Key Details
Where did Miss Nelson go? We look at the key details in the text to determine what is happening throughout the story. Students will locate and record key details about story elements (characters, setting, problem, solution, and theme) in...
Caro Clarke
Historical Fiction: Who Rules?
This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?
Yale University
Yale University: Elements of the Short Story
This unit from the Yale University on elements of the short story is designed to develop student comprehension skills, particularly making inferences and generalizing. It also involves students in reading a number of short stories to...
Read Works
Read Works: It's Opening Day
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about a boy named Matthew and his experience at opening day with his favorite baseball team. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Stop the Rock!
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about animals that work together to help each other. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Other
America Dept. Of State: Outline of American Literature [Pdf]
This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of...
Other
Literature Unit: "A Day No Pigs Would Die"
This site features questions for each of the chapters in Robert Newton Peck's "A Day No Pigs Would Die."
Scholastic
Scholastic: Book Files: Sounder
Newbery Award Winner, "Sounder", by William H. Armstrong, is about a sharecropping family and their hunting dog, Sounder. Overarching themes of this novel are courage, family, racial injustice, the importance of education, and hope. Make...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Book Files: My Side of the Mountain
"My Side of the Mountain", is a Newbery Honor, by Jean Craighead George. This book is about Sam Gribley's adventure in the Catskill Mountains. The novel's themes are nature, independence, survival, and adventure. Make the smart choice by...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Book Files: The Giver
Lois Lowry's, "The Giver", is an Newbery Award novel. Themes of "The Giver" are diversity, freedom, connections, choice, individuality, honesty, and family. Make the smart choice by reading the novel with a BookFiles reading guide. The...