"I'll just wait for the movie version." How often have you heard that line? Transform passive viewers into active readers of visual images with an understanding of the three stages of the filmmaking process. This 28-packet packet is...

Musicals have been adapted from stage plays, novels, and movies. With The Lion King, Disney transforms its animated film into show-stopping, live-action musical theatre. The guide Disney provides to accompany a study...

There is nothing more exciting than allowing learners to express themselves through a creative medium. In groups, they write narrative stories, focusing on building a strong storyline and dialogue. Next, they transform their stories into...

Scholars meet in a drama circle to discuss what they remember from reading A Midsummer Night's Dream Act III, Scene 1 in the last activity. They then take turns reading the scene aloud, stopping to answer questions as they read. Learners...

After reading Elie Wiesel's Night, watching the movie Life is Beautiful, and researching World War II, class members write a comparison essay on the book and film. This includes a prior knowledge activity, discussion in whole and small...

"Now is the summer of our happiness/Made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!" Luke Skywalker meets Hamlet in a 10-instructional activity unit based on Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope. Using Star...

How does an author's choice of artistic medium influence an audience? What about how an author chooses to transform original source material? These are the questions class members grapple with as they compare scenes from episode IV...

Students critique the transition of "Holes" from a novel to screenplay and consider how the details in a book are brought to life in a movie. They then choose a scene in a book and transform it into an original script after brainstorming...

Students explore the world of love and magic in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Comparisons are made to the life experiences of the reader as love's portrayal in contemporary situations are analized.

Students retell a nursery rhyme updating it and create a video.  In this Movie Maker nursery rhyme lesson, students  use technology to update a nursery rhyme.  Students incorporate special effects, actions, and captured...

Students explore the function of verbs when considering tense. They read a story that is written in past tense and discuss how to change it to future tense. Students transform a news story from past to future tense.

Students write reviews of films they have seen over the Christmas holidays. They study what the ingredients of a film review are, and examine the difference between fact and opinion.

Kids consider revolution as a basis for creativity, art, and storytelling. After reading an excerpt from the book, Persepolis, learners choose one event from any world revolution to write about. They storyboard the event focusing on...

How do modern adaptations of Shakespearean plays relate to their original source material? Middle and high schoolers focus on Shakespeare's play Othello and its screen adaptation "O" to explore how modern film adaptations of Shakespeare...

Students read and analyze the story elements of the novel "Holes" by Louis Sachar. They play a "Holes" matching game, complete a timeline of story events, complete a Cause-and-Effect graphic organizer, conduct research on Louis Sachar's...

Proficient English language learners or native English speakers develop vocabulary with this five-page packet. The first page contains six fill-in-the-blank questions, and learners must decide which word or words best completes the...

Students create the basis for a fantasy story. They discuss what makes a story "fantasy" and identify which stories include something that could not happen in the real world. They determine what these fantasy stories have in common.

Fourth graders explore Indiana. For this Indiana history lesson, 4th graders discuss how Indiana has developed through the years. Students discuss Indiana agriculture and follow a recipe using ingredients from Indiana crops. Students...

Young scholars examine the art of makeup. Students work in pairs to create a costume and make-up that will evoke a chosen literary character. They perform a short scene for the class, revealing the character's unique qualities.

Students practice in constructing simple past tense forms and checking for subject verb agreement.

Students complete compare and contrast activities for two stories about racism and tolerance in the science fiction genre. In this literary analysis lesson, students read a Ray Bradbury short story and Walter Mosley poem, watch a related...

Students explore sound. In this "sound" science lesson, students define sound and explain how sound travels. Students experiment with paper cups and string to conclude how sound travels. Students research a chosen aspect of sound with a...