In this lesson, students complete two assessment tasks for The Catcher in the Rye. Students complete an essay test on the novel with a choice of prompts, assessing student knowledge of both the novel and informational writing.

Students are introduced to Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" by reading "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss. After reading the picture book, students discuss the historical allusions as a class and identify its main satirical theme. Students then work in small groups to find additional background information and present it to the class. They chart details from the book and link each one to the historical information they have discovered. Students then repeat this process with "Gulliver's Travels," eventually discovering the overall message that the text communicates about society.

This lesson has students compare the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's to the novella of the same name by Truman Capote. Students are introduced to the movie, watch it, compare the two, and test their knowledge of the content of the film.

This video contains a series of videos from Shakespeare Uncovered that highlight commonly held beliefs regarding gender roles and identity in society. As you view the videos and complete the activities, examine the ways in which women and men are presented in the plays and think about what motivates their actions--is it their individualism or their gender?

In this extensive, 79 page unit, students will explore modern art pieces and poetry.

This resource provides a lesson pertaining to characterization. Students are tasked with charting the development of significant characters within the novel The Great Gatsby. Afterwards, students will view the 1974 film adaptation to complete a new chart based solely on the same characters and their development in the film. Afterwards, students will complete a Venn-Diagram to examine the similarties and differences in characterization provided by both mediums.

In this lesson, students complete a project as a group, creating videotaped news segments that give them a glimpse into the social, political, literary, and musical climate of the Roaring Twenties. Students create scripts before recording and editing their projects together using iMovie or a similar film editing software.

This lesson sensitizes students to the similarities and differences between cultures by comparing Shakespearean and Bunraku/Kabuki dramas. The focus of this comparison is the complex nature of revenge explored in The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and Chushingura, or the Treasury of the Loyal Retainers.

This lesson seeks to sensitize students to the complex nature of revenge as it is portrayed in Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Students learn how the play interprets Elizabethan attitudes towards revenge as reflected in the structure of the Elizabethan revenge tragedy. Students will analyze the use of language and actions to motivate the avengers in the play; recognize Elizabethan theatrical conventions and their impact; and compare the text with a modern film interpretation.

This lesson examines Jay Gatsby from a different perspective than students are probably used to - as opposed to the loving protagonist, they will view him as the law-breaking criminal he is. Students learn about the prohibition-era setting of the novel and read several op-ed pieces related to the text.

In the TED Ed lesson focused on Dracula and vampires, students will explore the evolution of the vampire over time, from a symbol of disease in its original conception, to Bram Stoker's Dracula, and its incarnations in current pop culture. Students will discuss and consider why the vampire is important as a symbol today. Discussion questions and additional resources available in the sidebar.

Students will learn about the impact of enjambment in Gwendolyn Brooks' short but far-reaching poem "We Real Cool." One element of this lesson plan that is bound to draw students in is a compelling video of working-class Bostonian John Ulrich reciting the poem.

In this lesson, students will explore poetry both visually--through a provided video--and orally--through reading the poem "Gate A-4" by Naomi Shihab Nye aloud. Pre-reading/viewing activity will utilize small group tableaux as a way of physically visualizing issues within the poem. Post reading/viewing tableaux will reflect new ideas based on learning, and an optional essay on community furthers student exploration of empathy.

In this lesson, students will explore the poem "Pursuit" by listening to the author read it and reading it themselves. Students will explore structure and the turn in the poem, as well as identify how the poet creates meaning through word choice and imagery.

In this lesson, students will listen to a Native American song (included), view a video (included), and read Joy Harjo's poem, "Remember" in order to evaluate and compare visually, quantitatively, and orally the structures and content of a spoken and written poem to those in a Native American song. Activities include small group work and class discussion.

In this lesson, students will explore poetry both visually--through a provided video--and orally--through reading the poem "Translation for Mama" aloud. Pre-reading/viewing activity will utilize short writing and discussion as a class. Post reading activities involve writing poetry modeled on the poem.

In this lesson, students will analyze and interpret the short story "The Gift of the Magi" and write a poem (using the traditional call-and-response blues structure) that reflects their understanding of one of its themes. Then, students will act out their poems and present them to the class, as well as create a graphic organizer that synthesizes and summarizes information from varied sources. The final project will be a mural that demonstrates a multimedia, cross format understanding of the literary themes.

In this lesson, students will predict plot through the analysis of a book cover, as well as focus on understanding both the meaning and use of allusion. Additionally, students will analyze the significance, theme, tone, symbolism, and color used in art and its relation to the novel. Final assessment involves designing a new cover for the novel, based on their own interpretation.

In this lesson, students will work to investigate photographs, explore their own memories and experiences, and the poem, "El Florida Room."

Students will read, critically analyze and write about a series of poems dealing with love.