Penguin Publishing
Penguin Random House: 'Dust' Teaching Guide [Pdf]
"Dust", a novel by Canadian author Arthur Slade, is set in a prairie town during the Depression. The story revolves around a mysterious man with a rainmaking machine who is somehow connected to the disappearance of children in the town....
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Literary Visions
A series of 24 instructional videos, each about 30 minutes in length, designed to teach literary analysis. Topics include Responding to Literature, The Elements of Short Fiction, Tone and Style in Short fiction, The Elements of Poetry,...
Varsity Tutors
Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Lois Duncan
What do you know about the life and work of Lois Duncan? This site features links to several of her books that contain lesson plans, teaching guides and more.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Developing Characterization in Carver?s ?A Small, Good Thing
Contains plans for three lessons that teach characterization using Raymond Carver's short story "A Small, Good Thing." In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to PDF handouts and sites used in the...
TES Global
Tes: Two Kinda Truth' by Farukh Dhondy
[Free Registration/Login Required] This site provides comprehension and theme-related activities to accompany Farukh Dhondy's short piece "Two Kinda Truth." False stereotypes and evidence of racism will be discussed in the lesson.
Teachnology
Teachnology: Lesson: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
In this lesson, students use the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day as a springboard for writing their own very-bad-day story.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Avoiding Debt
Young scholars read a short story and a handout to learn about excessive debt and ways to avoid or reduce debt.
Georgetown University
Georgetown University: Charlotte Perkins Gillman (1860 1935)
Issues, context and a bibliography of useful sources make this a good first stop when planning to teach Charlotte Perkins Gilman's famous short story.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Units: 11th Grade: Thematic Unit: Values and Beliefs
Complete teaching unit for 11th Grade Thematic Unit: "Values and Beliefs." Students will read 8 short stories that examine how values and beliefs are shaped. They will analyze these stories, and the short story form, while considering...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: A Character's Decalogue [Pdf]
In this activity students will write a personal decalogue for themselves, create a decalogue for an imaginary character and then, in the spirit of Because of Winn Dixie By Kate DiCamillo, they will write a short story where two...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Critical and Analytical Thinking About Literary Characters
Contains plans for four lessons that use the short story "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry to teach about characterization using word maps. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in...
TES Global
Tes: Character Profile
[Free Registration/Login Required] This site contains a downloadable worksheet for a character profile booklet.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Units: 5th Grade Author Study: Gary Soto
Complete teaching unit for 5th Grade Author Study: Gary Soto. Students will read 4 short stories and 2 poems by Gary Soto that examine romantic and family love. Students will analyze these texts while considering the essential question:...
Read Works
Read Works: Setting 3rd Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] This is series of two lesson plans designed to teach students to visualize the setting and determine its effect on characters in a fiction text. Lessons are based on two short texts and the book...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Introducing the Venn Diagram in the Kindergarten Classroom
Contains plans for short lessons that introduce the use of Venn Diagrams to kindergarten students. Uses interactive Venn Diagram exercises to make the concept easy to understand. In addition to objectives and standards, this...
Read Works
Read Works: Caught in a Lie
[Free Registration/Login Required] This short literary text passage shares the story of a girl who was caught in a lie. This passage is intended for guided practice and is designed to reinforce essential reading comprehension skills.
Curated OER
Mexican Culture Worksheet
This reading comprehension activity teaches Mexican culture and reinforces reading skills with a short essay followed by multichoice questions to check comprehension.