This lesson introduces an activity to help students analyze some of the lesser characters from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Students search for quotations that characterize three minor characters before using those quotations as the starting point for an analytical essay about the book.
The month of May is an opportunity for reflection on and commemoration of all that AAPI individuals and organizations have accomplished and contributed to U.S. history and culture. This piece highlights NEH projects and classroom resources for teaching about these experiences in America.
This extended lesson offers students a unique way to explore new books and think about the education process. They first participate in a "blind date" with a book - a quick reading of one small part of a novel - after which they are asked to rate it. Eventually, students choose a book to read and go on to debate whether their book should be added to the curriculum.
This introductory lesson provides materials for teachers to use while reading Ray Bradbury's classic novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, consisting of powerpoint presentations with important quotes from the chapters of the book.
In this lesson, students create travel brochures to highlight some of the details from the novel "Lord of the Flies." Students review the setting of the text, then brainstorm a list of attractions to include in their brochure before writing and illustrating it.
This lesson introduces students to the classic true-crime novel, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. It contains two powerpoint presentations - one which gives just the facts of the crimes contained in the novel and another that tells the story through Capote's own words.
In this lesson, students take on the role of Victor Frankenstein and attempt to decide whether to create a mate for the horrible monster Victor created early in the novel. Students look at character goals, consider pros and cons of each decision, and write a persuasive essay explaining their decision.
Students will listen to a brief biography, view photographs of the March on Washington, hear a portion of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, and discuss what King's words mean to them.
This lesson connects The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier with several nonfiction texts, including the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights.
In this lesson plan, students create their own monster in the vein of the creation from Frankenstein and analyze the novel in any number of ways.
In this lesson, students compare the novel Something Wicked This Way Comes to an episode of the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled "Hush." Both texts feature mysterious, silent men who come into a town and create literal and figurative nightmares for its residents. Students complete a chart and take notes from a powerpoint on the similarities and differences between the two.
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.
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.
In this lesson, students are introduced to the book On The Road by Jack Kerouac. This page has information for teachers to help them decide what to focus on in the book, along with an introductory powerpoint and a test.
3 column notes on a novel
Students will use language with fluency and flexibility to provide, compare, and support multiple viewpoints and opinions by reading and discussing an article about Laura Esquivel. She is a Mexican author who is best known for her enormously popular 1989 novel, Like Water for Chocolate.
This lesson plan encourages students to examine point of view by writing an eyewitness account. This lesson plan can be used with any novel the students might happen to be reading - students choose a character from whose perspective they'd be interested in examining things.
In this lesson, students gain background information on the author of Lord of the Flies, William Golding. Students complete a webquest that has them research on the William Golding home page to learn about the novelist before they read.
This lesson introduces new teaching methods for a classic short story. Students and teachers have access to vocabulary terms, a quiz, a powerpoint with background information on the story, and a handout on how to compare the story to an engaging episode of the TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.