Students explain how individual elements (e.g., plot, theme, character, conflict, etc.) comprise the structure of a play. They write an original one-act play with developed characters, specific setting, conflict, and resolution.

If you need a simple way to introduce your young readers to Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, use a coloring worksheet for learners of all ages. A great cover for a book report, addition to a reading unit, or even a contemplative way...

Pupils can write down all of the major plot elements of My Antonia by Willa Cather on this straightforward worksheet. Learners note down themes, characters, the chain of events, and more.

Learners explore story-grammar. They discuss story-grammar and read That Mean Man. A story map is created and a Venn Diagram is used to compare and contrast concepts within the story. They retell the story and use a story pyramid to...

Often these Fun Trivia quizzes are low-quality and have questionable educational merit. However, this interactive online worksheet provides a clever way to test understanding of setting in various Edgar Allan Poe stories.

Motivate your learners with this instructional activity about the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. They listen to a story about the butterfly and then follow directions to color pictures. This is a simple, but effective instructional...

Groups of learners get together and are given copies of the state quarter reverses from the 2002 US Mint issue. Each pupil makes up a story that's based on the scene that appears on the reverse side of the quarter. The goal is for all...

If your ESL pupils love talking about movies, here is an activity ideal for providing practice with both informational reading and elements of a story. Given fictional movie posters, they decipher the information and put it into a...

Here’s an all-purpose story map template that readers can use to keep track of books read for class, of independent reading, and even for stories planned. Users identify the title, author, major characters, setting, and events from the...

Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. For this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...

Students listen to tango music and research the country it came from. In this music activity, students find that tango music comes from Argentina. They listen and dance to the music and then write stories. 

Students complete writing activities for fiction. In this fiction writing lesson, students complete four sets of activities in a writer's workshop format to practice reading and writing in a fiction style. Students develop plot outlines,...

Arm your writers with an arsenal of literary terms. With definitions of everything from plot structure and figurative language to point-of-view and types of irony, learners will gain an understanding of elements in stories and be able to...

A character map worksheeth as this would be handy for your class to support characterization study for any text. It is completely adaptable: your learners choose a character, write three traits in ovals and identify two instances that...

Youngsters read the story of Rapunzel and go over vocabulary and answer discussion questions. They also list qualities of characters, discuss settings, make a diorama, and more.

In this comparing data sets practice instructional activity, students sharpen their problem solving skills as they solve 6 story problems.

Use this writing prompt and brainstorming page to help your pupils prepare to write their own myths. Individuals must choose a natural event to explain, come up with a protagonist and an antagonist, determine a setting, and think of a...

Mix music into your literature class! After reading a novel (either in class or as outside reading), your mix masters create a soundtrack of 10 songs to accompany their reading. What does each song add to the story? A fun activity for...

Identify main events in a text. Readers will read The Kissing Hand and discuss the main events of the story. They will use sentences strips to write down events and place them in order. Alternative books are suggested.

Considering including Tatyana Kleyn's Immigration: The Ultimate Teen Guide as part of your course? Check out this curriculum guide designed for use with her book. The activities help learners understand the complexity of the...

Ring in the spring with a set of picture word cards. Eight pages of cards introduce animals such as rabbits and chicks, as well as spring items such as umbrellas and blossoms.

A 25-slide presentation teaches viewers how to identify the source of stories in newspapers and online news sites. The slides show how to locate the byline where either the reporter's name or the wire service that provided the story can...

The Dubliners contains 15 short stories all bound in one book. The stories begin with narration by young children, and as they progress, so do the ages of the narrators. The author, James Joyce, focuses most stories on characters that...

Explore the folklore of Asia and the South Pacific with this language arts lesson series. Complementing a reading of Catching the Sun: Tales from Asia by Jan M. Mike, this resource supports learners with understanding cause and...