Learning about the Pilgrims and their journey to America is important to understanding the founding of our country and the history of the United States. The Pilgrims’ voyage on the Mayflower was full of hardships. Today, a replica named the Mayflower II sits in Plymouth Bay, where the Pilgrims eventually… Continue reading
Edgar Allen Poe was an American author and poet, and a master of the scary tale. Around Halloween, Poe’s stories are a great way to introduce older students to writing techniques like tone, perspective, and setting. Keep in mind that many of Poe’s stories might be too scary for younger… Continue reading
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is a picture book written by Charles M. Shultz, based on the comic strip Peanuts. You can read the book with your class or watch the video and be sure that you’ll have a fine seasonal experience without any scary moments. Here are three lesson… Continue reading
The Emperor’s Cool Clothes is a cool new take on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor’s New Clothes. In it, a penguin who has always wanted to be cool and his counselors, who are very proud of how cool they are, are taken in by a couple of tricksters. The idea… Continue reading
Los tres cabritos is Eric Kimmel’s Tex-Mex take on the traditional story of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. In this story, Chupacabra, the “goat sucker,” a monster traditionally found in Puerto Rico but also part of folklore in other Hispanic communities, lives under the bridge across the Rio Grande which… Continue reading
Those of us who teach Shakespeare can easily be overwhelmed by the — literally — millions of online resources on Shakespeare. You don’t have to spend hours clicking around looking for the best ones, because we already did it for you. First, the plays: The Complete Works: all the words… Continue reading
Othello is a tale of love, jealousy, murder, war, and betrayal. It’s a great story, with enough action to motivate students who find the language difficult to struggle through it, and poetry that makes reading the play a pleasure. In the play, Othello, a war hero visiting Venice, falls… Continue reading
Jeff Rivera’s books paint a picture of what happens when things go down the toilet that can make a fun introduction to the idea of wastewater treatment. Here are our favorite lesson plans for Um, Mommy, I Think I Flushed My Brother Down the Toilet and Um, Mommy, I… Continue reading
Enjoy some imaginative learning fun with Trout Fishing in America’s song “Big Trouble,” a song expressing the trepidation a kid feels when he thinks about his parents coming home and finding the mayhem caused when “the monsters came to my house to play.” The monsters may be fantasy and fiction,… Continue reading
Once you have something to say, it’s time to organize the information and get it written down. Use the Pirate Writing Organization Sheet top explore several different ways of organizing information: Chronological order makes sense when you’re telling a story or describing events that happened in time. Smithsonian’s story… Continue reading
