Curated OER
Do You Want to Be My Friend?
Learners participate in a variety of emergent and early-literacy activities based on a "friendship" theme. Learners listen to the book Do You Want to Be My Friend by Eric Carle, then echo read, choral read, and independently read...
Curated OER
Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War...
Curated OER
Esperanza Rising - Anticipation Guide
Learn about Mexican culture while simultaneously strengthening reading, writing and computer skills. In order to get the most out of Esperanza Rising, pupils should have prior knowledge of Mexican culture. Therefore, there are links to a...
Curated OER
Comparing Similar Themes in Art And Literature
Students view examples of Rembrandt's artistic works that include beggars and the unfortunate. They also read The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischmann. They use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the themes shared by each.
Curated OER
Major Holocaust Themes in Elie Wiesel's Memoir, Night
Students read accounts of children during the Holocaust and read Elie Wiesel's "Night". Using the internet, they share ideas and discuss topics with peers across the nation. They examine the role of the individual in the Holocaust and...
Curated OER
Individual vs. Social Responsibility: From Camus to the Cure
Students explore the individual's role in society. In this social responsibility lesson, students analyze Camus's The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus as well as Borges's "Rosendo's Tale." Students compare the themes of the pieces to...
Film Foundation
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: What Is a Movie?
Watching is not the same as seeing. Transform viewers from passive watchers to active students of film with this 34-page packet, filled with lessons and activities that use Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to examine the technology, the...
Curated OER
Rules and Responsibilities Was It the Pied Piper's Fault?
Students read or listen to a piece of literature to find the connections between people and their responsibilities. They participate in a variety of activities after experiencing the literature.
Curated OER
The Night Before Thanksgiving
Natasha Wing's story The Night Before Thanksgiving is a great way to incorporate rhyme and literature into the Thanksgiving season. Learners make text-to-self connections, recall main events, and choose post-reading activities...
Curated OER
American Literature Unit Four
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes twelve lessons from the American Literature, Regionalism and Realism: 1865-1910 series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and...
Maryland Department of Education
A Raisin in the Sun and Dreams Deferred
To conclude a study of A Raisin in the Sun and to prepare for a visit to the Lewis Museum, class members analyze Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem." Learners then draw connections to characters in the play and to their own experiences...
Curated OER
Winter Wonderland: Internet Literature Project
Students, using the Internet, communicate with peers around the world about winter-themed books. They study authors, write book reviews, re-write endings, interview book characters, create scene dioramas, paint murals, and write...
Curated OER
Holocaust Literature Circle Discussion
Seventh graders participate in a literature circle regarding various novels of Holocaust literature. They read their selected novel and write a journal entry in response to the reading, and in small groups participate in a group...
Curated OER
Generations: An Exploration of our Families Through Literature
Students complete a unit of lessons on families. They read and analyze various stories, label a map, assemble sentences, write letters to grandparents, analyze character traits, and write and illustrate a sheet for a class book.
Curated OER
Personal Response to the European Ghetto
Students examine the characteristics of the ghettos during the Holocaust. Reading various texts on the subject, they gather important information related to the event. They create a visual project of the ghettos and shares them with...
Curated OER
Friendly Neighbors
Learners review the days of the week and the meaning of unconditional kindness. In this days of the week and kindness lesson, students participate in a reading of Libba Moore Gray's Miss Tizzy. They talk about the days of the week and...
Curated OER
The Piano
Second graders read The Piano and become familiar with racial discrimination. In this racial discrimination book lesson, 2nd graders answer comprehension question to focus on the importance of the book. Students discuss the...
Curated OER
When This World Was New
Second graders participate in a guided reading activity and read about and immigrant family. In this guided reading lesson, 2nd graders answer questions that focus on their new homeland. Students write a response to literature.
Curated OER
What's In a Name?
Students explore the relationship between names and certain cultures and locations. In this identity activity, students create family migration or immigration maps. Students read excerpts from When My Name was Keoko and Lost Names:...
Curated OER
Greek Mythology
Sixth graders investigate the concept of Greek Mythology and conduct research using a variety of resources. They read literature pieces and then write responses to the readings. Students also view a video in order to create the context...
Curated OER
Holocaust Theme
Students complete a unit of lessons on the events of the Holocaust during WWII. They write daily journal entries, create a collage, view and discuss videos, read and analyze novels and poetry, and complete a novel project.
Curated OER
Philanthropy in A Christmas Carol
Students explore philanthropy in literature. In this cross curriculum literacy and character development lesson plan, students read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and note charitable acts described in the story. Students relate...
Listening Library
The Sign of the Beaver
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...