Curated OER
Story of Self-Choosing to Participate
Everyone has a story; help your writers develop their own with this prewriting packet. Designed for upstanders to share their story and encourage others to be upstanders, this set of questions helps writers craft and structure a story to...
Curated OER
Write It, Read It, Solve It
Writers create an original mystery and have a chance to put it into movie format. The classic elements of a mystery must be present: the crime, the suspects, the motive, the solution and clues. Use iPhoto and Quicktime Movie to integrate...
Curated OER
A Sailing We Will Go!
Fifth graders investigate the journey that Magellan took around the world. Small groups conduct research on a ship that went on Magellan's voyage, write the story of their ship, and create a class dance that demonstrates the route taken...
Curated OER
Spooky Analysis
Focus on building suspense as well as evaluating web sites through creative writing. After introducing the idea of suspense and holding a discussion, class members complete a WebQuest, during which they find inspiration for their own...
Syracuse City School District
Reading Comprehension Unit Plan
A unit plan uses short texts to teach literary elements such as theme and characterization. Included are passages by authors such as Walter Dean Myers and Sandra Cisneros. Activities include quick writes, filling in graphic organizers,...
Teaching English
Fairy Tales; Not Just for Kids
"Once upon a time . . ." Language learners examine the key elements of well-known fairy tales and then craft their own.
Curated OER
Semiotics and Set: Year 9
Drama enthusiasts explore the importance of set and action in conveying dramatic tension. They act out a polished dramatic piece using the set as a key component of their story. This should be connected to setting as it is also used in...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 8: Setting and Mood
What mood does this story evoke? How are setting and mood linked? Young novelists explore the different emotions brought about by writing, starting by journaling things that inspire their own feelings. Examine the word mood, looking into...
Penguin Books
Gulliver's Travels Teacher's Notes
Who are "the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth”? Readers of Gulliver’s Travels will learn the answer, as the journey with Lemuel Gulliver to Lilliput,...
Curated OER
Build Mastery: Main Idea
Use a graphic organizer to get readers thinking about main ideas as they record the who, what, where, when, and why of a story. Consider modeling this process completely before kids do this independently. They fill in five boxes charting...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Drawing Conclusions Based on Literary Elements
Students compare versions of Cinderella and draw conclusions based on the story elements identified. In this literacy comprehension and story elements lesson plan, students read several versions of Cinderella, complete a "Comparing...
Curated OER
Implicit Setting
Students draw the setting of a story. In this setting and context clues lesson, students learn how to use textual clues to determine and visualize the setting of stories. Students discuss the context clues they use to...
Curated OER
Lesson 2: Using Setting to Make Predictions about Characters
Fourth graders look at the importance of setting in a story. In this setting lesson, 4th graders see how the setting of a story affects the actions of the characters and how you can predict these actions based on the setting. They read...
Curated OER
Travel-Tracer-Literature Circles
In this travel tracer literature circle worksheet, students track where the action of a story takes place by recording where the action begins, where key events happened, and where the events ended. They describe the settings in detail...
Curated OER
What a Character!
Students look at the role of characters in a story. In this character lesson, students discuss how different types of characters change the plot of the story. They see how storytellers use their body, face, and voice to tell stories.
Curated OER
Writing a Letter to a Friend
First graders practice their letter writing skills by writing to a fictional character. In this formal writing lesson, 1st graders read the books The Jolly Postman and Frog and Toad are Friends to examine the different parts of a...
Curated OER
What is the Risk?
Learners investigate the 1950's pollution tragedy in Minamata, Japan. The elements of dose, response, individual susceptibility, potency, and threshold of toxicology are explored in this instructional activity.
Curated OER
The Gift of Alex Haley’s "Roots"
Historical novels, such as "Roots" by Alex Haley, can make the past come alive.
Curated OER
Journey to the Center of the Earth I
Students identify the elements of science fiction and write their own example. In this Journey to the Center of the Earth lesson plan students complete several activities about science fiction, authors and novels.
Curated OER
Reading Puzzle
Twelfth graders examine the elements of literature. They each read a chapter of a novel, sequentially list the main ideas, present a summary of the chapter to the class, sequence the events, and review the novel by summarizing the timeline.
Curated OER
Map Making
Young scholars examine a variety of strategies to identify the structure of a story. They listen to the book Where the Wild Things Are and, as a class, complete a story element chart. Students independently read a passage from...
Curated OER
Atomic Structure: The Heart of Matter
Students study the particles of which atoms are made. They define the electron, proton, and neutron and their attributes.
Curated OER
Story Map
In this story map worksheet, 7th graders identify and record the elements a story, including setting, problem, plan, and resolution.
Curated OER
Elements of a Short Story
Students analyze elements of a short story by working together. In this literature lesson, students analyze short stories. They use the TI Navigator Application to write their findings.