Reluctant Reader Books

All of the sixteen stories for these lesson plans can be downloaded from our website for free in a reader-friendly PDF that we've created. Or check out our massive middle/high school bundle of 28 stories which combines our two bestselling resources at 20% off. Lesson plans are for the following stories: The Most Dangerous Game by Richard ConnellThe Monkey's Paw by WW JacobsThe Black Cat by Edgar Allan PoeThe Hitch-Hiker by Lucille FletcherThe Lottery by Shirley JacksonLamb to the Slaughter by

Our in-depth poetry unit is designed to be a simple, fun introduction to different poetic forms that appeal to middle school students, basic concepts such as rhythm and meter, and straightforward aspects of how to write poetry. Not included here, you can also download our Free PDF of 77 Poems for Middle School, which includes a wide variety of poems that appeal to kids. Our belief is that poetry should be fun for middle school kids. It should aim to make poetry accessible and engaging, and sho

Included are full sets of lesson plans for 16 fantastic stories for high school. Each story includes six different lesson plans. Or check out our massive middle/high school bundle of 28 stories which combines our two bestselling resources at 20% off. Lesson plans are for the following stories: The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan PoeThe Murder by John SteinbeckGuests of the Nation by Frank O’ConnorThe Little Room by Madeline Yale WynneAn Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose BierceA Good Man

This bundle brings together our outstanding lesson plan compilations for both middle school and high school. Every English teacher knows there are stories that work at both levels, and bundling these resources together allows teachers to get access to all 28 stories at a lower price. Lesson plans are included for the following stories: The Most Dangerous Game by Richard ConnellThe Monkey's Paw by WW JacobsThe Black Cat by Edgar Allan PoeThe Hitch-Hiker by Lucille FletcherThe Lottery by Shirley

This lesson plan covers the short story "A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor. It is also included in our compilation of The Best Short Stories for High School. You can download a copy of the story here. Our lesson plans are divided into the following sections: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was first published and where. Story in ContextBrief background is provided for certain con

In conjunction with our free PDF of the Best Christmas Stories for Middle & High School ( found on our website), we have created a complete set of lesson plans for all six stories. Lesson plans are for the following stories: A Christmas Memory by Truman CapoteA Klondike Christmas by Jack LondonThe Polar Express by Chris Van AllsburgThe Gift of the Magi by O HenryThe Kit-Bag by Algernon BlackwoodThe Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara RobinsonStories are not included in lesson plans but can

With 1029 writing prompts for middle school, this is the last writing prompt resource you'll ever need. This massive compilation includes 20 categories and over 100 pages of fun, engaging and innovative writing prompts that will challenge your middle school students and push them to become better writers. If you're tired of the same old ho-hum writing prompts that cause your students to roll their eyes and groan, then this is the resource you've been looking for. It runs the gamut from the hu

Included here are six highly-engaging writing lessons for Henry Slesar's "Examination Day". The story is not included, but you can find it here. Our lessons are divided as follows: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was first published and where. Story in ContextBrief background is provided for certain concepts that students may be unfamiliar with. Enough to encourage class discussion, but not enou

This lesson plan covers the short story "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. The story itself can be downloaded for free here. This set of lesson plans is also included in our Best Short Stories for Middle School compilation of plans for 16 different classic stories, available for only $12.99. Our lesson plans are divided into the following sections: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was

Included here are six highly-engaging writing lessons for Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian". You can download the story for free here. This set of lesson plans is also included in our Best Short Stories for Middle School compilation of plans for 16 different classic stories, available for only $12.99. Our lessons are divided as follows: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was first published and wher

Included here are six highly-engaging writing lessons for Lynn Venable's classic story "Time Enough at Last" which was turned into one of the most memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone. The story is included with this lesson. Our lessons are divided as follows: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was first published and where. Story in ContextBrief background is provided for certain concepts that s

This Ultimate Guide to Creative Writing Prompts includes 100 different prompts across a range of genres, as well as writing advice from 9 different award-winning middle grade writers including Lois Lowry, Sherman Alexie and Rebecca Stead. Genre PromptsThis guide includes specific prompts for each of the following genres: Mystery Story StartersSci-Fi Story StartersFantasy Story StartersHorror Story StartersHistorical Fiction Story StartersEach genre includes 10 prompts plus story-building mate

This lesson plan covers the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl. The story itself can be downloaded for free here. This set of lesson plans is also included in our Best Short Stories for Middle School compilation of plans for 16 different classic stories. Our lesson plans are divided into the following sections: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was first published and where. Story

This lesson plan covers the short story "The Monkey's Paw" by WW Jacobs. The short story is included in a reader-friendly format as part of this PDF. This set of lesson plans is also included in our Best Short Stories for Middle School compilation of plans for 16 different classic stories, available for only $12.99. Our lesson plans are divided into the following sections: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history

Included here are six highly-engaging writing lessons for Roald Dahl's "The Landlady". This set of lesson plans is also included in our Best Short Stories for Middle School compilation of plans for 16 different classic stories, available for only $12.99. Our lessons are divided as follows: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was first published and where. Story in ContextBrief background is provided

This creative writing unit on How to Write Spooky Stories is designed to provide a flexible framework with a wide variety of individual, group and full-class lessons. The unit can be taught in four to six weeks depending upon the amount of class time available. This unit includes 115 pages of materials, including five full short stories that correspond with particular lessons. The unit is broken down as follows: IdeasWhere do we get good ideas for stories? Because students often struggle with i

This lesson plan covers the short story "The Storm" by McKnight Malmar. The story itself is not included but can be downloaded on our website for free as part of our compilation of the Best Short Stories for High School. That compilation of best stories has its own companion collection of lesson plans, which includes activities, writing assignments and lessons for eight fantastic short stories (including "The Storm"). You can find it here. Our lesson plans are divided into the following sectio

Our Guide to Haiku for Middle and High School includes a variety of different writing and art activities designed to introduce the form of haiku and engage students with poetry. The resource includes simple intro materials, grading rubrics for a number of activities, syllable breakdown practice, simple instructions for how to do each activity, and handouts for students to guide them through the activities. These activities allow teachers to plug them into larger poetry units or dive deep into

This lesson plan covers the short story "The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury. You can download the story for free here. This set of lesson plans is also included in our Best Short Stories for Middle School compilation of plans for 16 different classic stories, available for only $12.99. Our lesson plans are divided into the following sections: IntroEach of our lesson plans begins with a short intro page giving a brief review of the story and its publication history: when it was first published and wher

We have compiled lesson plans for the best love stories for middle and high school: tales of romance and relationships, perfect for Valentine's Day or any time of the year really. Some are highly romantic. Others are tales about love gone wrong. The stories included are: The Chaser by John CollierA Gift of the Magi by O HenryThe Lake by Ray BradburyThe Necklace by Guy de MaupassantThe Captain's Last Love by Wilkie CollinsDeath Constant Beyond Love by Gabriel Garcia MarquezLamb to the Slaughter b