Good questions can help focus readers' attention on the elements writers use to add depth to their stories. The questions on this worksheet do just that and encourage readers to think critically about a story and author's purpose.

Before you begin reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, read over this comprehensive handout that gives you a plethora of information regarding the story's summary, organizational structure, central...

Historically, Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis has been difficult for many readers to grasp. From the difficult translation issues to the complex plot and themes, the novel's message and story can be lost when learners...

Eliminate the hard work of creating an entire literature unit with this reading guide for the novel Sarah, Plain and Tall. From background information about the author and her motivation for writing the story to...

If you're looking to start a unit based around narrative writing, make sure to consider this resource while you're planning. This book covers five topics: writing personal narratives, writing narratives about others, writing...

Visit the Magic Treehouse and take your class on a trip through time with a reading of the children's book Mummies in the Morning. Using the story to spark an investigation into Egyptian culture, this literature unit engages...

Considering using Robert Cormier's young adult novel, Tunes for Bears to Dance to for book circles or as a whole-class anchor text? Check out this overview of the key concepts and issues raised by the novel.

Introduce "The Inn of Lost Time" by Lensey Namioka to your middle schoolers with a reader's resource page. It includes links to different activities, including a creative writing prompt about losing fifty years of your life, and a...

Teach your young readers how to summarize a text using a strategy called Somebody Wanted But So. Kids identify the character (Somebody), the motivation (Wanted), the conflict (But), and the resolution (So). The resource comes with...

The London Bridge should not have fallen down. And here's why. After a brief history of bridges and the three main types, class members are introduce to the concepts of tension and compression, the two main forces acting upon bridges. 

Here is a beautiful handout through which learners can explore the history of California, from the earliest Europeans to visit the Golden State up through its experiences during the Great Depression and position in the modern...

Work on your map skills with a packet of activities about the river basins in the Democratic Republic on Congo. Learners study the maps provided before answering the geography questions and writing an acrostic poem about the region.

Everyone has the right to a smokefree workplace, but those who work in casinos are exposed to so much secondhand smoke that they can suffer the same ailments as heavy smokers themselves. Learn more about the effects of secondhand smoke,...

Each day, this site provides a different biography or interesting story about a great book or day in literary history. Many of the archived articles are available in full; others are available only in summary for free access. Authors run...

A brief summary of the design of Washington D.C. by Pierre-Charles L'Enfant. View the capital building with a bird's eye view from present day and from 1871, with the painting and photo on this site.

Brief summary and commentary of the short story "The Enemy," by Pearl S. Buck.

New York University offers a summary of and commentary on the short story by R.K. Narayan, "The Doctor's Word."

This Bibliomania website features the full text of Lewis Carroll's famous children's book, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." A summary note explains the context of the novel and introducing its characters and major plot elements.

This New York University offers a summary of and commentary on "An Astrologer's Day" by R.K. Narayan.

This site, part of one on medicine and the humanities from New York University, provides links to discussions of four of O'Connor's stories. The discussions included summaries of and commentaries on the stories.

Presents a biographical summary of the life of conductor, composer, and pianist Leonard Bernstein. He composed music not only for symphonies, but also for Broadway (West Side Story) and operas.

This encyclopedia article provides a summary of J.D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye. The plot, themes, and characters of the book are given an overview. There is also a paragraph about the controversy surrounding the story and...

This resource features a booklist for Tomie dePaola. There is a summary and a picture of each book.

A short summary of the life of the famous Mexican outlaw, Pancho Villa.