Plot Summary: Maggie admires and likes her biology teacher, but she is against dissection and refuses to dissect a worm, declaring to the class that killing is wrong. Some of her classmates support her and some don’t, and her best friend agrees with her but doesn’t stand up to the teacher herself. Maggie finds that … Standing Up to Mr. O., Claudia Mills
This lesson plan is available as a PDF attachment in the link above. It is best suited for high school classrooms, but can be used in some middle school settings. This lesson plan can be split up in multiple ways, including picking which of the offered discussion prompts or exercises you would like to do. … Plato’s Ring of Gyges
Plot Summary: Charlotte’s Web opens at the Arable family farm. A sow has just given birth to piglets and Mr. Arable is preparing to slaughter the runt. His daughter, Fern, pleads for her father to let the small piglet live. She claims it would be an injustice to kill him simply for being small. Mr. … Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White
Lesson Plan: The Real Thief raises questions about friendship and loyalty, as well as the meaning of justice. The book also includes an argument that students can analyze. In the story, Gawain, a goose and the Chief Guard of the Royal Treasury, is blamed when jewels from the Royal Treasury go missing. The Prime Minister, … The Real Thief, by William Steig
Unmasking Political Persuasion: Logical Fallacies in Government Campaigns Materials Needed Video clips of political campaign commercials, Logical Fallacies Definitions Handout, Graphic organizer for commercial analysis. Steps Involved Fallacy Breakdown (15 minutes): Pick segments from these videos to explore different fallacies: Fallacies: Discuss real-world examples of each fallacy. Application to Political Commercials (30–45 minutes): Show political … Unmasking Political Persuasion
Book Summary Tuck Everlasting tells the story of the Tuck family, a family of 4 who, years ago, discovered a spring of water which, they realized after they all drank from it, makes you immortal. Winnie Foster, a 10-year-old girl who has stumbled upon the well, makes friends with Jesse Tuck (who appears to be … Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbit (1975)
Book Summary In The Hundred Dresses (1944), a new girl at school, Wanda, wears the same faded blue dress every day, Yet Wanda tells the other students that she has one hundred beautiful dresses at home, “all lined up.” The other girls don’t believe it, and when Peggy starts a daily game of teasing Wanda … The Hundred Dresses, Eleanor Estes
Book Summary: In My Friend the Monster (1980), Prince Hal’s parents are disappointed in him because he is “ordinary.” They won’t let him play with the other children around the castle because they claim those children are “beneath” Prince Hal. Prince Hal makes friends with a girl, who gives him a book about the monsters … My Friend the Monster, Clyde Bulla
In You Can’t Say You Can’t Play (Paley, 1992), MacArthur Prize-winning educator Vivien Paley describes her introduction of a new rule — “You can’t say you can’t play” — in her kindergarten classroom. The book raises questions about friendship, exclusion and inclusion, and what is necessary for a rule to be a good one. Preview … You Can’t Say You Can’t Play
Lesson Plan: The Book Thief portrays everyday life in an extraordinarily terrible time, and depicts the small choices made by ordinary people that carry great ethical weight. Liesel Meminger is a child growing up in Nazi Germany, living in a town near Munich with foster parents Hans and Rosa Huberman. The narrator of The Book … The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak
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