PBS MASTERPIECE celebrates their anniversary today.

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Dynamic Duo Text Talks: Examining the Content of Internet Sites

An Observation and Inquiry Sheet guides students as they analyze and compare their reactions to the value, engagement, and credibility of three websites related to Anne Frank and the Holocaust.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Investigating Genre: The Case of the Classic Detective Story

After critiquing a list of conventions for the genre, students read, view, or listen to a classic
mystery, and then produce a mystery of their own, reflecting on the purposeful ways in which
they adhered to or altered the genre conventions.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Using Microblogging and Social Networking to Explore Characterization and Style

Students use social networking sites to trace the development of characters by assuming the persona of a character on the class Ning and sending a set number of tweets, or status updates.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Unit

Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party

Students attend a 19th Century Victorian party to celebrate Scrooge's new outlook on life. They research characters from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and assume those personas for the party.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Exploring Setting: Constructing Character, Point of View, Atmosphere, and Theme

Students read texts by Dybek, Dickens, Poe, and Morrison to explore how authors use language to create setting and, in turn, how setting constructs other elements in a literary work.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

There Are No Small Parts: Minor Characters in David Copperfield

This lesson capitalizes on students’ interest in social networking by asking students to build an online profile for a minor character in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Book Report Alternative: Characters for Hire! Studying Character in Drama

In this alternative to the traditional book report, students respond to a play they have read by creating a resume for one of its characters.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Recurring Lesson

Choosing, Chatting, and Collecting: Vocabulary Self-Collection Strategy

Students identify interesting words from Shakespeare's plays and add them to a classroom vocabulary collection.

 

Grades   7 – 10  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

The Blog of Anne Frank?: Taking on Social Roles through Online Writing

Anne Frank shared her experiences through a private diary that became public as a book. In this lesson, students will consider how writing creates social identities as they blog about a political issue.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

A Tale of a Few Text Messages: A Character Study of A Tale of Two Cities

Students use A Tale of Two Cities to explore relationships, plot points, character traits, and background by writing text messages between characters within the novel.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Dialect Detectives: Exploring Dialect in Great Expectations

Great Expectations is rich in dialogue and in the dialect of the working class and the poor of Victorian England. What does Dickens reveal about his characters using dialect?

 

Grades   6 – 9  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Writing for Audience: The Revision Process in The Diary of Anne Frank

After reading or viewing The Diary of Anne Frank, students will make connections between audience and purpose and revise a journal entry with an outside audience in mind.