High School Book Lesson Plans

1. ABC Book Publication- Research ABC books in your library. Study the format of the books. Choose a topic of interest and research it. Find out information about your topic from A - Z.
2. Advertising Age: Using the Internet- Using Advertising Age's website to discover the field of advertising.
3. All Quiet on the Western Front- Works of art about war can call up strong emotions in readers. The writing process can be applied to writing poems.
4. Amelia Bedelia- After reading Amelia Bedelia, have the students brainstorm all the options Mr.& Mrs. Rogers have when they come home and see that Amelia has misunderstood their instuctions and has ruined their towels and sofa.
5. Amy Lepore- I ask them to compare the tone, purpose, point of view, etc. of these pieces/people. Then we stage a debate where half the class represents the Native Americans and half represent the settlers.
6. Analysis of Frost's poem The Road Not Taken- Over the next few days, we are going to concentrate on analyzing a poem by Robert Frost that deals with decision making.
7. Analyzing Huck Finn: A Cooperative Learning Lesson- As a group, discuss the following question. You will present the answers and quotes to the class. The answers will be helpful to you on the test at the end of the novel.
8. Animal Farm: The Complete Project- Gathering Inoformation, Making Connections.
9. Anne Frank intro- Although it is history, I wanted to "ease" my fragile 8th graders into the subject of the Holocaust.
10. Another Perspective on Events in the Annex- Have students write a diary entry of at least 250 words reflecting on or describing one of the main events of the diary/play from the perspective of another person in hiding with Anne
11. Beowulf- This is a great team lesson (History & English). Using notes on the time period, discuss the function of the written word at the time that Beowulf was finally recorded.
12. Blooming Tree- Students draw and cut a tree out of the construction paper. The tree should have many branches and be large.
13. Catch-22- Active readers apply the ideas of a novel to contexts outside the novel.
14. Chaucer- After reading and discussing Chaucer's use of direct and indirect characterization in "The Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales, discuss the professions today that might be included by someone who was part of a group of travelers stranded or together for a long period of time.
15. "Dan the Flying Man"- Teach the class to fold paper airplanes. Take them outside and fly them.
16. Darwin’s Origin of Species- Darwin presented a theory of evolution in 1859 that has been accepted but also debated over the years.
17. Differences Between Fiction and Non-Fiction In the Library- Talk to the students about what they know about kangaroos. Write these facts inside the outline of the Kangaroo. Then ask children to use their imaginations and imagine they would have a pet kangaroo.
18. Don Quixote- Metaphors help us see with new eyes.
19. Dracula- Working on a product such as a game often demands a collaborative effort.
20. Edgar Allan Poe: An Author Unit- High school students studying American Literature sometimes are curious about the puzzles and mysteries of the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe.
21. Elements of a story- Following the lesson on the elements of the story, grade three students will be able to identify, list, recite, recognize, and verbally explain each of the elements of a story with 100% accuracy.
22. Emersonian Jelly Beans- I hand out a jelly bean to all the students, and ask them to write in their journals for 5 minutes how a jelly bean is like an idea.
23. Exploring the Sonnet- The student will increase knowledge of and analyze the elements of the sonnet form. (e.g., rhyme scheme, meter, content)
24. Final project for unit on Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun"
25. Frankenstein: The Making of a Monster- Active readers interpret a novel—its characters, plot, setting, and theme—in different ways.
26. Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams- Freud argued that our dreams contain clues to our hopes, fears, and fantasies.
27. Great Expectations- A writer of a story considers theme, plot, characters, setting, and point of view
28. Great Gatsby, The- Adapting part of a novel into a dramatic reading makes students more intimate with the author’s intentions and craft.
29. Gulliver’s Travels- Jonathan Swift comments on undesirable outcomes of advances in science.
30. Hamlet- The unit affords practice in analyzing and discussing major characters in a written composition.
31. Huck Finn- Identifying and thinking about a key quotation or symbol in a novel can help a reader extract greater meaning from the work.
32. Interpreting quotes in Romeo and Juliet- As a review of an act or even of the whole play, copy certain major quotes from the play on a transparency or on the board and put blanks in them.
33. Introduction to "Julius Caesar"- To get my students prepared for the political ideas and basic plot in "Julius Caesar," I discuss with my students the American form of government, including our freedoms according to the Constituion.
34. Introduction to American Romanticism- The difference between the Age of Reason and the Age of Romance.
35. Introduction to Lord of the Flies- A great intro!
36. Introuducing Huckleberry Finn- Let them write their own monologue, scenario, etc. of appropriate school satire.
37. Julius Caesar- Understanding the play, the politics and the supersitions.
38. Life Size Characters- Students will focus on a character's appearance and represent them in a life size (or almost life size) picture of the character.
39. Lord of the Flies- On a symbolic level, Lord of the Flies investigates what happens to civilized people when the structures of civilization disappear.
40. Lord of the Flies Introduction- We end up having a very good discussion about peer pressure and "why good people do bad things."
41. Lord of the Flies: Law and Order- Writing a legal "script".
42. Novel challenge- Appreciating literature.
43. Odyssey, The- Adapters of a literary work into drama must consider dialogue and stage directions.
44. Of Mice and Men- Encourages quick thinking skills.
45. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest- A critical review may compare and contrast a work in one medium to the same work in another medium.
46. Our Town- "Our Town" is all about what is most important in life, the little things in life.
47. Persona- Creating a literary persona.
48. Pride and Prejudice- Austen’s writing has been updated and dramatized and, most likely, will continue to be.
49. Prince, The- Leaders and followers may differ in what they identify as the qualities of a good leader.
50. Romeo and Juliet Newspaper- Creating a newspaper based on reading a play.
51. Scarlet Letter, The- Readers may imagine characters living out their lives beyond the ending that the author gives to a novel.
52. Short Stories and Sitcoms- Comparing literature to modern day fascinations like the TV will hopefully bring the topic home to students.
53. Short Story Framework- From this you give them ideas to start them off and get them writing their intros. They need to think about character, relationship, and setting, and must try to show rather than tell, to reveal the above through dialogue and action.
54. Short Story Motivator- I've found that my students are motivated more through visual learning than the typical lecturing and reading a short story aloud.
55. Sonnets- This lesson introduces students to the sonnet form and contrasts it with the modern poetry that they are used to reading.
56. "Sonnets from Hester"- Analysis of characters.
57. Story Boards- Understanding sequence and main events in a story.
58. Story Wheels- Story Wheel is a reading activity designed to help students practice sequencing skills, summarizing a novel, visualizing story elements, and recognizing story structure.
59. Symbolism and Aphorisms- Symbolism and words to live by; imaginative creation and application of knowledge of literary symbol.
60. Symbolism in Lord of the Flies- Students complete a graphic organizer, finding the references indicated by the given page numbers.
61. The Birds: exploring story and film- Compare the end of the story to the end of the film: again, what effect does this kind of suspense have on the viewer?
62. The Crucible- It is a three day lesson.
63. "The First Seven Years" Letter Writing- Ask students to write a short note to Feld from his daughter Miriam, discussing her own dreams and plans.
64. The Giver- During these lessons, students will explore our history via the Library of Congress and create a chart personalizing the history of 3 days.
65. "The Giving Tree"- Go over the moral of the story. As the story goes along, have children guess if the man is really happy.
66. The Great Gatsby- A complete unit.
67. The Odyssey- Includes 4 activities.
68. The Odyssey- For the Odyssey I give my 9th graders a project. They are to plan their own 'odyssey".
69. The Pigman- The Pigman depicts the themes of family, relationships, friendships and responsibility.
70. The Scarlet Letter: Projects- Design a model that replicates a scene from The Scarlet Letter. You model should include some miniature characters.
71. Themes in "Romeo and Juliet"- Once we begin reading Romeo and Juliet in class I ask them to really start listening to their music and decide if any of the themes in their music reflect any of the themes in Romeo and Juliet.
72. Using Superman to teach the epic hero in The Odyssey- After reading the Odyssey and discussing the characteristics of an epic and an epic hero, I have the students watch Superman, the movie.
73. Venn diagrams with the Pain and The Great One- Using a Venn diagram, the student will understand the skill of comparing and contrasting.
74. Walden- Both philosophies have had notable adherents.
75. War of the Worlds- Literature originally created in one medium is often adapted to another medium.
76. What a Character!- After reading a novel, students should have a thorough understanding of characters' personality. Since characterization is crucial to understanding fiction, it is necessary for the students to be able to analyze the characters.
77. Year of Impossible Goodbyes- The student then must go around to classmates and ask questions to find out who he/she is. For example: "Am I a god or goddess?" "Do I have special powers?" "Am I a mortal?"