Area: Literature/Language Arts

History, Consequences, & Death

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, by Eleanor Coerr Plot Summary: This chapter book is based on a true story re-imagined by the author, Eleanor Coerr, and tells the tale of a young Japanese girl who ends up dying from leukemia. Her death is a result of the fallout from the atomic bombs dropped by History, Consequences, & Death

The Great Gatsby

Visualizing and Analyzing the American Dream through The Great Gatsby Facilitator: give students a full to half sheet of printer paper with a number on it (however many students are in class- for example, 15 students in class, put a number 1-15 on the sheets of paper. This keeps the students’ identity anonymous, and they The Great Gatsby

Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White

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

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle

Plot Summary: Meg Murry, her youngest brother Charles Wallace, and their new friend Calvin join forces with three intergalactic beings – Mrs. Which, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Who — to rescue Mr. Murry, Meg’s and Charles’ father, from IT, a source of evil and total mental control that devours individuality and self-perception. Discussion Questions:

The Real Thief, by William Steig

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

The Little Prince, Chapter One

Why do we sometimes see the same thing differently? Step 1 Depending on the age or grade level of the participants, either the facilitator or the participant/s read chapter one of The Little Prince.  Step 2 Facilitator introduces the prompt (Step 3) and poses the questions (listed below each image) for participants to consider, discuss, The Little Prince, Chapter One