Here are two great lessons that work together and are inspired by the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. Young writers and actors will retell the story of "The Frog Prince" through games, improvisational script writing, and...

Young scholars explore conflict resolution.  In this character development lesson, students decorate paper plates to use as puppets. Young scholars role play scenarios in which classroom problem solving is practiced.

Middle schoolers read a story and retell it to the class by role-playing one of the characters. In groups, they use the correct facial expressions along with body language and voice to convince the others in their group that they are...

Students identify bullying behaviors through this cross curricular music and character education lesson. Learners read the story Cinderella and discuss how the stepsisters demonstrated bully behavior. Students create a new ending for the...

Students research a person who had a role in the Lewis and Clark expedition. They work together to create and perform a skit showing the person they researched role. They write their own journal entries to end the instructional activity.

Students explore tangrams. In this tangrams lesson, students read Three Pigs, One Wolf, and Seven Magic Shapes and then complete a WebQuest on tangrams. Students explore shapes and rotation during the WebQuest and create a new character...

Students read the play The Yellow Boat then have a town hall meeting to discuss the matter.  In this character lesson students discuss whether or not a child with AIDS should be allowed in public schools.

Second graders investigate self- and teacher-selected literature (e.g., picture books, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, poems, legends) from a variety of cultures. They re-enact and retell stories, songs, poems, plays, and other literary...

Review myths and the characters therein, connecting them to vocabulary words in the English language today. Begin by searching online for myths and character names. With at least ten names that are familiar English words, students use...

Young scholars examine the contributions of African American soldiers during the Civil War. In pairs, they complete Civil War timeline worksheets. They use character cards to assume the identities of African Americans and determine...

High school learners examine primary source materials on history and the supernatural which relate to Julius Caesar. They then act out a scene based on different historical understandings and identify facts, theories, and similarities in...

Learn about mysteries with your readers. They will investigate plot, basic elements of mystery, famous characters, and become familiar with genre vocabulary. Bring in props and mystery books to begin and then have learners create story...

Students use their research skills to determine the famous person given in clues. Using a character recently dicussed in their classroom, they discuss how they would create a costume for them. They write sentences to be used as dialogue...

What makes story telling special? Young readers demonstrate how to tell a story to others. Kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders read biographies of "Building Blocks" characters and tell a story about a character to their...

Second graders design and share care and consideration banner. Students listen to stories about caring and considering others.

Learners explore language arts by participating in a story analysis activity. In this story structure lesson, students read three short stories in class and identify the characters, conflicts and settings. Learners complete a...

Students explore how to become better observers, demonstrate point of view as a literary and human function, and learn an important lesson about how to explain differing perspectives in the same situation.

Fifth graders examine excerpts from a diary of a Confederate soldier and his experiences in a Union prison camp. After receiving character cards, they write diary entries from the perspectives of their Civil War identity. As an...

Second graders use play quarters to "purchase" items. They discuss how these are choices the character in the story they will read has to make. Students read the book "Monkey for Sale." They discuss the choices Luzolo makes and how she...

Students discover how historical events led to the stories of King Arthur and his Court. Students read stories about chivalry and the Round Table, discuss the Holy Grail's symbolism, and role-play an Arthurian character.

Students complete Perseverance, Courage, and Caring lessons from Get into the Game: Beyond Winning to properly prepare students for cooperative group learning and create a class climate conducive for a successful unit. They create a...

Students inquire about the lives of the First Ladies in our country. In this First Ladies lesson, students build knowledge about the contributions of First Ladies and how their childhood made them the person they are. Students do a play...

Learners write a first-person narrative from the perspective of a runaway slave, or a historical character of the period, and present their story orally.

Students work in groups to imagine, research and simulate a dinner party involving an author, a fictional character, and a significant historical figure as dinner guests. The activity uses Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and the time...