War affects much more than just soldiers. Lily and Albert in Lily's Crossing know that better than anyone as World War II affects both of them in different ways. Scholars use vocabulary words, answer questions, and work with literary...

J.M. Barrie's classic book Peter Pan is about an adventurous boy who never gets old. Scholars read the first two chapters about Peter and three young friends. They then complete worksheets by filling in sentences with vocabulary...

The greasers and Socs, both gangs in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders, came from opposite sides of the tracks, yet seemed to live in two different worlds. Scholars answer comprehension questions, create alliterations, and work with...

Young poets demonstrate their understanding of a character from Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street by crafting a biopoem that captures the essence of this person.

How would it feel to discover that you are not who you thought you were? For John Durbeyfield, in Tess of the D'Urbervilles, it likely felt better than his current situation. Readers delight as the story reveals turns and twists of John...

High school readers examine George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" for examples of symbolism, metaphor, connotation, and irony. They analyze how these literary tools convey the writer's main point and contribute to the persuasive...

This versatile graphic organizer could be used alongside any novel, poem, play, or story through which your class in studying character. Class members can get characters straight or describe particular characters in more detail with this...

As part of a study of figurative language Avi uses in his book, Crispin, individuals define the 10 terms listed on the activity and then locate severals examples of each in the text of the novel.

Kids can practice using vocabulary from The Scarlet Letter as they play a vocabulary memory game based on words and definitions taken from the novel. They click to match words to definitions. 

Using a constructivist approach and a graphic organizer, small groups work together to begin a paper, comparing and contrasting the novella Night and the movie Life is Beautiful. Assuming that your learners have studied both of these...

Family and friendship are two very important themes of the historical fiction novel The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff. From video clips and writing prompts to reader's theater and family interviews, this resource...

The incorporation and industrialization of America is covered in this image-rich slide show. While text is limited, there is no shortage of great images showing the progression and causes of American Industrialization. Perfect...

Eighth graders, after viewing a website on Civil War Time, explore and analyze the lifestyles of Civil War times as well as those of the soldiers through the writing of a composition of a narrative letter and story through the eyes of a...

Katherine Paterson’s young adult novel Lyddie is the foundation of a differentiated instruction unit that not only explores the rise of industrialization and labor but women’s rights issues as well. After learners read the novel, they...

Eighth graders study the Hispanic celebration known as the quinceanera. They research the quinceanera of two Hispanic cultures using print and digital resources. They compare the two celebrations and create a Power Point slide show to...

Students adopt tress on their school campus for scientific observation purposes. In this tree science instructional activity, students adopt a tree at their school, observe the season changes for the tree, and create a PowerPoint...

Seventh graders become familiar with the events of the Holocaust. They research information on the Holocaust using the Internet, novels, and videos. Students present case studies involving the Holocaust to the class. They develop and...

Extend a class reading of the novel The Sign of the Beaver across all subject areas with this literature unit guide. From basic discussion questions and writing prompts, to a research project about tracking animals, this...

Pupils begin the instructional activity by reading a novel about the diversity of geography in Africa. They are to create an oral report based on information they research. They also communicate with someone through email about the...

In this language arts activity, students examine the front cover of the novel and then write out some opinions pertaining to the meaning. Then students design their own cover.

Students practice their reading comprehension skills. In this reading skills lesson, students use the R.E.A.C.T.I.O.N. model to identify story elements in books that students elect to read independently.

Take a break from literature study to address some grammatical concerns. Using a text you've already read in your class, show how to analyze pronoun use. After watching the master, pairs analyze a short excerpt on their own, identifying...

Seventh graders identify ways people persevere in a difficult situation. In this character education lesson, 7th graders watch a video about a man with cerebral palsy and discuss ways he perseveres.

Students watch a video regarding persevering through difficult situations. In this character education lesson, students watch a video about perseverance and discuss the examples of perseverance.