In this problem-based learning unit, the Class will discuss what it means to be empathetic. Then, situations in which empathy is necessary will be role played. Students will then roll 2 dice, one die will determine their audience and the other die will determine the task they are to create a solution to. Sample audience and tasks include creating a tool to access an out of reach object for a child, vision impaired, or person in a wheelchair. Students will hand draw prototypes and then utilize a free online 3D modeling application to design their solutions for sharing.

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.

In this TED Ed lesson focused on humor in writing, students will explore techniques and strategies for adding humor to their writing. Discussion questions and additional resources available in the sidebar.

In the TED Ed lesson focused on dystopian literature, students will explore the popularity of modern dystopian fiction and discuss what it might tell us about the preoccupations of our society. Discussion questions and additional resouce links included in the sidebar.

In the TED Ed lesson focused on rhetoric, students will explore the fundamentals of deliberative rhetoric and discover some tips for appealing to an audience’s ethos, logos, and pathos. Discussion questions and additional resources are linked in the sidebar.

In this TED Ed lesson focused on writing, students will explore tips for using language to make fiction really come alive. Discussion questions and additional resources available in the sidebar.

This lesson helps students move to nonfiction. Students will begin to think about how they can collect information from different types of texts.

In this lesson, students will learn that characters in the book "A Chair for My Mother" are human resources who save part of the income they earn. Students will identify other human resources and state how the mental and physical work of those human resources allows them to earn an income. Finally, students name strategies to reach a savings goal.

A teachers guide for I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, including discussion questions, deeper subject-based prompts, and ways to related themes to other aspects of education.

In this lesson, students will identify how Common's rap song "A Dream" and Walter Dean Myers's short story "Monkeyman" reinterpret Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of nonviolence. Students will delve into a text-based discussion on characterization and conflict, as well as compose an essay on the Six Principles of Nonviolence (rubric available).

In this lesson on the Spanish American War from Historical Thinking Matters, students will explore sources, webquests, and activities designed to help in answering the following essay question: "The explosion of the U.S.S. Maine caused the United States to invade Cuba in 1898. Use the documents provided and your own knowledge to evaluate this statement. Do you agree with this explanation of the causes of the Spanish American War? Why or why not? Use and cite evidence from the documents to support your analysis of this statement.”

A teachers guide for I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne Greenberg, including questions for following along with the novel, questions for class discussion, prompts for deeper understanding, and an extensive list of vocabulary words.

This resource is a series of questions for students to answer after reading I, Robot by Isaac Asimov to provoke discussion of culturual and societal issues and how their effects in the book reflect in daily life.

This teachers guide includes summaries of each part of the book I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov, as well as discussion questions for students and suggested activities.

In this lesson, students will identify the literary elements of plot, theme, and character in a work and use indirect characterization and psychoanalytic criticism to analyze a character and explain how the character contributes to plot and theme. Final assessment inclues an analytical essay.

In this video resource from PBS Learning Media, students will explore the types of humor that exist, such as Irony, Satire, Farce, and Parody. They will research and find examples of humor that appeal to them. Next, they will choose a passage written by Mark Twain and analyze it to determine what type of humor is used.

This worksheet uses 26 quotes from Lord of the Flies by William Golding to teach students to identify simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole.

This worksheet contains 23 examples of figurative language from O. Henry's short stories for students to identify and explain.

In this lesson, students identify the main message of lesson of a story using key details from the text and follow class norms when participating in a conversation.

In this lesson, students identify the main message or lesson of a story using key details from the text and effectively participate in a conversation with peers and adults.