This inquiry provides students with an opportunity to explore how words affect public opinion through an examination of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Students will investigate historical sources related to the novel and reactions of people in the North and South in order to address the compelling question "Can words lead to war?" The final summative assessment asks the to make an argument about the impact of the words in Uncle Tom's Cabin.

In this problem-based learning module, students will use their knowledge of the ancient Roman Empire and will work to analyze critical theories historians agree contributed to the fall of Rome. Students will then work to compare the problems faced by the Romans with problems citizens of the United States still largely face today. Through this investigation, students should recognize how modern technology, government agencies, laws and resources help to solve societal problems that could have once destroyed an empire. With this new understanding, students should work to present a solution to a major problem that plagued the Roman Empire during the years leading up to its collapse.

In this Penguin Classics guide to Voltaire's Candide, students will learn the background of the book as well as the author, and deepen their understanding of the text through indepth discussion questions.

This page has a set of discussion questions for the General Prologue and the Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

This Random House for High School Teachers reader's guide includes questions, discussion topics, and an author biography designed to aid students in exploring Sandra Cisneros' novel, Caramelo--an all-embracing epic of family history, Mexican history, the immigrant experience, and a young Mexican-American woman’s road to adulthood.

In this Penguin Classics guide to William Gaddis's experimental novel Carpenter's Gothic, students will learn the background of the book as well as the author, and deepen their understanding of the text through indepth discussion questions. Suggested supplemental readings are included.

This Random House for High School Teachers reader's guide includes questions, discussion topics, and an author biography designed to aid students in exploring The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein by Peter Ackroyd, a brilliant re-imagination of the classic tale that has enthralled readers for nearly two centuries.

This resource outlines activities that can be used to reinforce students' understanding of cause and effect relationships.

In this lesson, students will see that the Civil War did not have clearly defined moral and political lines and that, like every war, there were multiple sides to the story. By the end of this lesson, students will be able to analyze primary source Civil War letters in order to determine whether or not the Civil War was about slavery prior to the Emancipation Proclamation by completing a BCR (Brief Constructed Response - a single paragraph essay).

Students research the three tenets of cell theory and describe the scientific evidence that supports this theory. After students complete their research, they will engage in all steps of the writing process, including prewriting, outlining, revising, and editing. At the conclusion of the lesson, students will create a three-paragraph argumentative essay to examine the cell theory and the scientific evidence that supports this theory.

In this Penguin Classics guide to Leslie Marmon Silko's novel Ceremony, students will learn the background of the book as well as the author, and deepen their understanding of the text through indepth discussion questions.

These questions can be used to discuss the following economic concepts in the book A Chair for My Mother: human resources, income, saving, and savings goal.

In this lesson, students will confirm, negate, and build information about the nation’s changing demographic using an organizational chart; write a letter to respond to a viewpoint offered in the central text; and talk about their own multiple identities in relation to those around them.

In this lesson, students will review information comparing Mars and Earth and a timeline outlining the study of Mars and the possibility of life on Mars. Students will develop questions on the topic and then research and investigate answers to their questions.

In this slide share presentation based on Chinua Achebe's book, Things Fall Apart, students will learn how to effectively set up a character analysis essay through viewing examples and tips. However, this lesson could be adapted for other novels as well.

This resource includes lessons to accompany a reading of The Crucible. Students will spend time reading closely in order to make interpretations pertaining to character development throughout the play.

In this activity, students will divide into two teams to conduct a mock trial based on The Ransom of Redchief by O. Henry.

This Random House for High School Teachers reader's guide includes questions to help students explore Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks, a historical fiction that revolves around a young Scottish woman's war-time odyssey as she becomes involved with an RAF pilot whose plane is lost over France during World War II.

This resource, Character Perspective Charting, is an instructional method designed to reflect the actual complexity of many stories and is a practical instructional alternative to story mapping. This strategy delineates the multiple points of view, goals, and intentions of different characters within the same story. By engaging in Character Perspective Charting, students can better understand, interpret, and appreciate the stories they read.

In this lesson students plan, write, illustrate, and publish their own children's picture books. First, students review illustrated children’s books to gain an understanding of the creative process and the elements that help make a children's book successful. Next, students use graphic organizers, peer feedback, and storyboards to brainstorm and create the relationship between the illustrations and text, as well as formalize character, setting, and conflict. Finally, students use a variety of methods to bind their books in an attractive manner and present their books to their peers.