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Use these lesson plans, created by teachers for teachers, to explore literature and poetry.

1900 America: Historical Voices, Poetic Visions (Grades 10-12) Students work in groups to express themselves creatively through a multi-media epic poem.

America Dreams (Grades 4-12) Students complete an interdisciplinary WebQuest to learn the story of a decade in American history, as they help define the American Dream. In this lesson, students can take the role of a poet.

The Civil War through A Child's Eye (Grades 6-8) Students use literature and photographs to view the Civil War from a child's perspective.

Enhancing a Poetry Unit (Grades 7-9) Students create poetry based on the language found in Depression Era oral histories.

Figuring Somepin 'Bout the Great Depression (Grades 9-12) Students create a scrapbook from the point of view of a migrant worker. This lesson can be used in connection with a unit on The Grapes of Wrath.

The Grapes of Wrath Scrapbooks and Artifacts (Grades 9-12) Students conduct ethnographic research to show how cultural artifacts from The Grapes of Wrath support one of the book's many themes.

Jacob Have I Loved (Grades 6-8) Students use visual images as an introduction to Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson.

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Marco Paul's Travels on the Erie Canal (Grades 3-5, Grades 6-8) Students trace Marco Paul's 1840s journey through the Erie Canal.

Murder and Mayhem The Great Gatsby: Facts Behind the Fiction (Grade 11) Students create newspapers recording significant events and attitudes of the 1920s related to The Great Gatsby.

Nothing to Fear (Grades 5-8) Students learn what the World War II experience was like for Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. This lesson includes a poetry activity.

Recreation Yesterday and Today (Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12) Students research entertainment and recreation in the early 20th century and then compare the rural experience for this time period to the national experience and to their own experience. This lesson features excerpts from From the Hidewood: Memories of a Dakota Neighborhood, a book by Robert Amerson reflecting life in Deuel County, South Dakota, during the late 1920s and 1930s.

Sea Changes: A Study of a New England Industry (Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12) Students study photographs, maps and interviews with two New England fishermen of the early 20th century, construct "found poetry", and research in Thomas to understand legislation restricting the fishing industry.

Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making a Case For a National Library (Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12) Students examine a Thomas Jefferson letter and identify techniques he used to persuade Congress to purchase his personal library. Students then consider a selection of those books and write their own persuasive letters urging the books' purchase.

To Kill a Mockingbird (Grades 7-12) Students are guided on a journey through the Depression Era South in the 1930s. They become familiar with Southern experiences through the study of To Kill a Mockingbird and the examination of primary sources.

Twain's Hannibal (Grades 9-12) Using both primary source documents and print materials, students analyze life around Hannibal, Missouri, during the latter half of the 19th century to determine what effects this location had on the writings of Mark Twain. This information is integrated with the reading of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Visions in the Dust (Grades 5-8) Students gain an understanding of Dust Bowl history through the eyes of a child, using Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust.

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Last Updated: 06/29/2009