Motifs Teacher Resources

The second interactive in a series of 10 introduces young scholars to character archetypes, archetypal plot patterns, and archetypal motifs, including the use of color. Learners read passages explaining the term and study examples from...

“What is the theme of this story?” Now there’s a question all pupils dread. Rather than encountering a sea of faces that look like they were painted by Edward Munch, face a classroom filled with smiles and confidence. Show your readers...

Students research leaves and their life cycle as well as their importance to the environment. After discussing photosynthesis, habitats, and nutrients for the soil, students collect and identify fallen leaves. Students use their...

A 16-slide PowerPoint presentation introduces readers to the themes, motifs, and literary devices used by Octavia E. Butler in her time-travel, first person slave narrative.

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is the anchor text for a lesson that teaches readers how to distinguish between a literary topic and a literary theme. Using the provided worksheets, groups first chart some themes and propose a...

In this oral tradition motif and variations worksheet, students answer several questions based on famous stories that cross cultural lines. Students examine similar story elements and motifs.

An exciting twist on the study of the classical hero and the heroic quest! Using film to explore modern-day tales of heroes, the resource contains complete, ready-to-use lesson plans for as many as twelve days of instruction. Throughout...

Students develop dances. In this movement lesson, students play action and stillness games and learn motif writing symbols that communicate dance moves. Students use locomotor and non-locomotor movement to create their own movement phrases.

In this types of folklife learning exercise, students define the varying types of folklife, their motifs, and any variants. Students are challenged by the cultural processes they must categorize.

Students, after researching various textile patterns, colors and motifs, explore and discover the vibrant colors and patterns of traditional African fabrics. Together they create an informative classroom textile quilt that illustrates...

Teach the importance of context and perspective with a unit focused on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. The first lesson considers the role of female characters and readers, including the gender expectations of the time. The...

An 11-page teacher's guide that focuses on Delia Owens' bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing is packed with discussion questions and activities. Text-dependent questions, activities, and writing prompts are also included. It's a valuable...

Are you thinking about incorporating a film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel in a study of The Great Gatsby? Check out a guide loaded with suggestions for how to supplement a reading of the novel with scenes from three film...

Avoid the horror of readers straining to recall details of Joseph Conrad's complex Heart of Darkness. Instead provide scholars with a frame for their note taking. As they read, class members record evidence to support their responses to...

Fangs, capes, pale skin, and beady eyes! High schoolers investigate the tropes associated with vampires by examining excerpts from stories and films. They then create a timeline that reveals how the depictions of vampires have evolved...

In this frieze pattern worksheet, students draw frieze patterns that can be constructed from a given motif. They perform translations, glide reflections, horizontal and vertical reflections and 180 degree rotations. This one-page...

In this days and months worksheet, students color and cut out poster pieces for the days of the week and months of the year. Each day or month name is on a rectangular piece with a heart motif. There are no directions for use.

In this telling time worksheet, 2nd graders draw the hands on 6 analog clock faces to the nearest 5 minutes. They see each clock decorated with a St. Patrick's day motif.

For this telling time worksheet, 2nd graders draw hands on 6 analog clock faces to show the time to the nearest 5 minutes. They see an Easter motif on each clock face.

In this telling time worksheet, students draw hands on 6 analog clock faces to show time to the half hour. They see an Easter motif on the face of each clock.

Streets and alleys is a cat and mouse game wherein the cat is chasing and trying to capture the mouse. The fun part of this game is that the streets can turn in to alleys and the alleys can turn in to streets. This can be at times...

Students explore how a bill becomes a law and the actions the President may take. They create a poster illustrating the steps.