Lesson Library

Use this 41 slide interactive power point to introduce or review a unit on poetry. The power- point covers poetry form, devices, rhyme scheme, figurative language, and how to read a poem. The presentation also includes examples of poems for each term or definition. The students enjoy taking turns reading the poems aloud as some of them are silly or strange. Download the FREE fill-in-the-blank graphic organizer called What is Poetry Graphic Organizer in my store that goes along with this power-po

This creative writing/ enrichment activity allows students to select the name of a passenger who really traveled on the Titanic and write a letter home from that person's point-of-view before the ship hit the iceberg. In the letter students describe what the ship is like, tell why they are traveling, who they might see on the ship, etc. . Before assigning this activity, students should already have a good knowledge of the events of the sinking of the Titanic, the ship accommodations, and the di

This bundle includes everything you need to teach "Casey at the Bat": a power point for building background knowledge, a worksheet for identifying figurative language, sound devices, and literary elements in the poem, a response to literature question, a sound devices chart, and a creative writing menu. I've included a "Casey at the Bat" Figurative language quiz as a bonus! Enjoy!

In this group activity, students will use their knowledge of the disaster on-board the Titanic and decide who is to blame for the accident. For the activity, students will play the role of lawyers and argue their case for who is to blame. Students should have a good knowledge of the story of the Titanic before completing this activity. the article "Exploring the Titanic" by Robert Ballard is a good one to use, or try accessing the information on historyonthenet.com/ titanic to gather backgro

This activity should be used in conjunction with the novel, The Outsiders, to identify or review figurative language. The worksheet includes 15 quotes from the novel and asks the students to identify which type of figurative language is being used: hyperbole, simile, metaphor, or personification. The worksheet also lists 10 quotes containing idioms and asks the students to underline the idiom. An answer key is included! Enjoy!

This powerpoint is designed to help students build background knowledge before reading the story Rikki Tikki Tavi. It begins with a 6 question True or False anticipation guide to see what the students think they know. Then there are several slides which reveal the answers. After the students read the story, the final slide instructs the students to complete a response to literature activity involving picturing the setting. Enjoy!

This power point is designed to use as an introduction to the poem Casey at the Bat. It contains a Baseball Quiz to access students' prior knowledge, information about the author and the history of the poem as well as a quick review of figurative language and idioms before students read. Enjoy!

In webquest fashion, this powerpoint guides students independently through the history, narrative elements, and use of poetic devices in the poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. The powerpoint also provides a link to a copy of the poem's words and a creative writing response activity that will keep students entertained while reviewing, researching, and writing! What a great activity for the last few days of school before Winter Break! Enjoy!

Great first day activity!This activity is an easy way to help students to get comfortable at the beginning of the year. Using the list of questions and a pair of dice per small group, students have a chance to ask each other questions. Perfect for helping students in a language arts classroom to get comfortable with small group discussion while the teacher has an opportunity to circulate and listen to her new students get to know one another. The questions can be changed to suit your needs.

This activity allows students to watch the Disney animated movie version of Hercules and answer 20 comprehension questions. Then students should be given the opportunity to read any other version of the story such as "The Twelve Tasks of Hercules" and write a constructed response comparing and contrasting the two versions. You could also allow students to watch a short video version of Hercules that you are familiar with and have them compare and contrast the two videos. This assignment is a fun

This 20 slide power point can be used as a way to introduce, teach, practice, or review patterns of organization such as compare/ contrast, spatial order, cause and effect. etc. The powerpoint explains what each pattern is and gives clues such as transition words to help students identify the author's purpose in reading. The powerpoint begins with a descriptive writing activity and also includes an activity called "Name that Structure" for students to practice identifying the patterns. An answer

This activity can be used before reading A Christmas Carol to help build background knowledge about the time period. The activity contains several brief paragraphs for students to read with information on the Victorian Christmas traditions and 10 short answer response questions. The text can easily be divided into sections which can be read in any order. Each section could be placed around the room for students to find the information in scavenger hunt fashion or divide the class into groups an

In this activity, the students will be playing the roles of different people in the community and working in groups to craft an argument for a debate on teenage Trick or Treating. This lesson can be used in conjunction with learning the elements of argumentative writing. I would suggest giving the students an argumentative essay graphic organizer for organizing their thoughts. The powerpoint links are to 3 short videos on the topic; however, you could find articles to use instead, and there are

Use the informational article "Exploring the Titanic" by Robert Ballard, to find answers to the following questions. The article can be found online or is in some textbooks. If you use the Language of Literature book for 7th grade, the article is on p. 659. There is also an online listening resource for the same text. I used this article to build background knowledge for a research unit on the Titanic. The 16 questions on this handout are easy to answer, but the article is quite long and will t

This assessment contains a matching section of 10 literary terms such as conflict, antagonist, protagonist, exposition, etc. ad their definitions. It also contains 10 multiple choice questions in which the student must apply knowledge of literary terms to the story Rikki Tikki Tavi. Finally, the test ends with an essay question in which students must identify the type of conflict in the story as well as give details to support their answer. An answer key is included. Enjoy! * You may want to

This bundle contains everything you need to teach the novel, The Outsiders. It includes 10 resources from a research activity to build background knowledge, several activities for identifying character types and characterization methods, a power point filled with response to literature activities, worksheets on theme and characterization, an analyzing poetry activity, a test review, 2 tests to choose from, and a bonus Movie Critic Worksheet. Lots to do! Enjoy!

This one-slide powerpoint presentation can be used to review or explain the parts of a plotline. It is animated and contains sound, so keep clicking to get the full effects! Fun to use or to keep on the screen for student reminder! Enjoy!

This creative writing activity is an excellent way for students to express their understanding, opinions, thoughts, etc. after reading a biography of Martin Luther King, Jr. or studying the Civil Rights Movement. I used the finished products to decorate the hall with around the MLK Holiday and was amazed at how thoughtful my students' responses were! Enjoy!

For this project, students will be writing their own Seuss-style story which teaches vocabulary from one of their classes. For example, they may choose a list of science or math words to incorporate into their Seuss-style story. Students may work individually or in groups and create a children's book either electronically or on paper. Students should have a good knowledge of Dr. Seuss and poetry devices in order to complete this activity. I enjoyed using this assignment towards the end of the ye

This power point is a fun way to introduce or review Dangling and Misplaced Modifiers. The slides contain definitions, several funny examples, and how to correct them. The power point also offers a creative cartoon activity at the end. My students loved this lesson and now bring me examples of misplaced and dangling modifiers they find all the time! Enjoy!