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.

Students will read scientific text about top predators in Arctic marine ecosystems and how they may be affected by global climate change. Students will work individually or collaboratively to write a report based on the scientific text they have read and participate in a large-group discussion session based on their analysis.

The graphic novel Persepolis is set in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Most students are unaware of the changes associated with the events during that time, but the repercussions of the revolution are still being felt throughout the world. In this lesson, students work in small groups to research a specific topic related to Iran, using a WebQuest to focus their research on relevant and reliable information. After the research is complete, students present their information to the class through a technology-enhanced presentation.

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 lesson, students consider whether the eponymous character in Toni Morrison's classic novel Beloved is a ghost. Students consider powerpoints with prompt questions about the book, discuss the novel, and create an argument about whether the novel should be considered a ghost story.

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

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 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 this lesson, students consider the importance of Howard Roark, an important character from Ayn Rand's seminal novel, The Fountainhead. Students discuss Roark after viewing a powerpoint presentation about him.

A teacher's guide to Thomas C. Foster's How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Includes common core aligned pre-reading promts, discussion questions, post-reading promts and writing activities.

Students will investigate the diversity of resources present within the cloud forest and how humans could benefit from this rich ecosystem. A debate structure is provided, through which students will discuss the role that humans should play in utilizing the cloud forest ecosystem of Monteverde, Costa Rica.

This lesson alerts students to the fallacies that surround them every day. In this lesson, students deconstruct fallacious images and messages in advertisements and demonstrate their understanding of the fallacies through multimedia presentations.

This resource provides a review lesson for the novel Catcher in the Rye. Students will spend time focusing on various technologies that were not available within the setting of the text. Students will create scenarios whereupon a given type of technology could have affected the story.

This lesson encourages students to participate in group and class discussions about the novella, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Students discuss vocabulary, themes, and the writing styles used in the story. They also explore the characters as part of the task.

This page contains useful information for students about to start reading the play Twelve Angry Men. A powerpoint and a handout with vocabulary ensure students are ready to begin the play.

In this lesson, students are given the basic critical reading skills they need to approach the novel 1984 by George Orwell. Students complete a quick think-pair-share about the novel before practicing a reading technique that uses an organizig grid to help question the text as the students read.

In this lesson, mature students are introduced to The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Students view a powerpoint presentation with background information about the book before beginning the reading. This lesson also has helpful notes for the teacher about addressing the mature themes of the novel before beginning to read.

Jigsaw is a strategy that emphasizes cooperative learning by providing students an opportunity to actively help each other build comprehension. Use this technique to assign students to reading groups composed of varying skill levels. Each group member is responsible for becoming an "expert" on one section of the assigned material and then "teaching" it to the other members of the team.