9th Grade Hands-On Activities

The Fall of the House of Usher Unit | Edgar Allan Poe Reading Guide & Quizzes

Created by
Plotting Something

Teaching “The Fall of the House of Usher” is difficult for one simple reason: students cannot analyze what they cannot follow. Poe’s prose is dense, the plot is strange, and the story’s best ideas only land when students know what is actually happening.This 8–9 day guided-reading unit gives students

9th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Reading

Also included in: Edgar Allan Poe Unit Bundle | Background, The Raven & House of Usher

Antigone Bundle | Greek Tragedy, Mythology, Context & Analysis

Created by
Plotting Something

Give students the background they actually need to enter Sophocles’ Antigone, then bring them back to the text for allusions and post-reading analysis.This four-resource bundle combines Greek theater and tragedy background, story-specific pre-reading context, a collaborative mythology/allusions proj

9th - 12th Literature, Writing, Drama

Edgar Allan Poe Unit Bundle | Background, The Raven & House of Usher

Created by
Plotting Something

Teach a complete Edgar Allan Poe sequence with three coordinated resources that move from author background into close reading of “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Raven.” Together, the resources provide approximately 2½–3 weeks of instruction for grades 9–12, depending on class length and h

9th - 12th Literature, Poetry, Short Stories

A Doll's House Pre-Reading Activity | Ethics & Moral Dilemmas | Ibsen

Created by
Plotting Something

Before students begin A Doll's House, give them a chance to wrestle with some of the ethical questions they will encounter in the play - without telling them how those questions connect to Nora.Students respond to eight short scenarios involving secrecy, forgery, debt, loyalty, control, marriage, re

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

Antigone Pre-Reading Activity | Law, Loyalty & Conscience | Ethics Scenarios

Created by
Plotting Something

Before students meet Antigone and Creon, give them a chance to decide what they think about family loyalty, public order, conscience, community, and personal safety.Students work through eight modern ethical scenarios, make a choice before discussion, record what mattered most, and return to those s

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

THE GREAT GATSBY PRE-READING ACTIVITY | SOCIAL CLASS, WEALTH & STATUS SIMULATION

Created by
Plotting Something

Before students meet Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, East Egg, or West Egg, give them a social system to navigate.In Who Gets In?, students take on one of six fictional social profiles. Each profile begins with a different mix of money, family name, connections, education, and reputation. Students may improve o

9th - 12th Literature, Novel Studies, Reading

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

JULIUS CAESAR PRE-READING ACTIVITY | LEADERSHIP, POWER & AMBITION SIMULATION

Created by
Plotting Something

Before students meet Caesar, Brutus, or Cassius, place them inside a republic trying to decide how much power one successful leader should be allowed to hold.In WHO SHOULD HOLD POWER?, students take on one of six civic positions in the fictional Republic of Valeria. A respected general, Cassian Varo

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

Lord of the Flies Reading Companion | Society Stability Tracker & Analysis

Created by
Plotting Something

Students can summarize what happens on the island. This companion asks them to do something more useful: track what happens to the boys' shared society as it weakens, fractures, and finally collapses.In CIVILIZATION UNDER PRESSURE, students return to the same five indicators at six points in Lord of

9th - 12th Literature, Novel Studies, Reading

KING LEAR PRE-READING ACTIVITY | POWER, SUCCESSION & LOYALTY SIMULATION

Created by
Plotting Something

Before students meet Lear, Cordelia, Goneril, and Regan, give them the problem first.WHO GETS THE KINGDOM? places students on the Royal Council of a fictional kingdom whose aging ruler wants to give away the work of governing while keeping the title, honor, household, influence, and treatment that c

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Also included in: Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

Literature Pre-Reading Simulations Bundle | Critical Thinking Activities

Created by
Plotting Something

Put students inside the problem before they meet it in the text.This six-resource bundle gives secondary ELA students a reason to think, argue, make decisions, and live with the consequences before plot knowledge tells them whom to support.Each activity is built around a different literary problem.

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Drama

Cursed Object Auction | Halloween ELA Activity | Gothic Creative Thinking Game

Created by
Plotting Something

Turn Halloween into an atmospheric estate auction where students bid on mysterious objects—then discover exactly what they brought home.The Cursed Object Auction is a one-class-period Halloween ELA experience for grades 9–12. Students work in teams with $600 in fictional money, inspect six estate-ca

9th - 12th Literature, Other (ELA)

Also included in: Halloween ELA Activities Bundle | 4 Gothic Games, Mysteries & Simulations

Would You Survive Gothic Literature? | Halloween ELA Activity | Gothic Game

Created by
Plotting Something

Turn Halloween into a Gothic survival game where every choice changes what students know - and how much the house has gotten inside their heads.Would You Survive Gothic Literature? is a one-class-period Halloween ELA activity for grades 9-12. Students work in teams as one fictional heir trapped insi

9th - 12th Literature, Other (ELA)

Also included in: Halloween ELA Activities Bundle | 4 Gothic Games, Mysteries & Simulations

The Last Broadcast | Halloween ELA Activity | Inference & Suspense Simulation

Created by
Plotting Something

Your students are monitoring a local emergency feed when the updates stop making sense.The Last Broadcast is a one-period Halloween ELA mystery simulation for grades 9–12. Students become the emergency relay team at a local radio station while an ordinary fog advisory turns into reports of motionles

9th - 12th Reading, Reading Strategies, Writing

Also included in: Halloween ELA Activities Bundle | 4 Gothic Games, Mysteries & Simulations

Partner Novel Study Project | Literature Circles, Journal, Discussions & Rubrics

Created by
Plotting Something

Give students a structured way to read one approved novel with a partner, talk about it across six checkpoints, and keep a record of their developing ideas.Developed and refined through more than a decade of classroom use, this six-week project is designed for high school literature classes and work

9th - 12th Literature, Reading, Writing

Literary Séance | Halloween ELA Activity | Character Inference & Writing Game

Created by
Plotting Something

Ten voices have arrived. None will tell your students its name.Literary Séance is a one-period Halloween ELA mystery that asks students to identify classic literary characters from a sequence of staged “manifestations” — then write one final message in character and challenge classmates to identify

9th - 12th Creative Writing, Literature

Also included in: Halloween ELA Activities Bundle | 4 Gothic Games, Mysteries & Simulations

The Haunted Palace by Edgar Allan Poe | Drawing & Extended Metaphor Activity

Created by
Plotting Something

Let students picture Poe's palace before they decide what it means. In this two-part lesson, students closely read and draw "The Haunted Palace," then return to the poem to trace its tonal shift, identify its human features, and discover how the palace becomes a picture of Roderick Usher's mind.FULL

8th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Poetry

Halloween ELA Activities Bundle | 4 Gothic Games, Mysteries & Simulations

Created by
Plotting Something

Want Halloween lessons that feel seasonal without turning the week into filler? This bundle gives you four complete, one-period ELA experiences for grades 9–12. Each resource uses a different setup - an auction, a Gothic survival game, an emergency broadcast mystery, and a literary-character inferen

9th - 12th Literature, Writing

Gothic Literature FREE Activity | Poe Close Reading & Gothic Elements

Created by
Plotting Something

Need a quick way to introduce Gothic literature without turning it into an elements checklist? This free Gothic literature activity pairs a student-friendly field guide with a continuous public-domain excerpt from Edgar Allan Poe's “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Students identify details that cre

8th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Reading

The Monkey's Paw Lesson | Gothic Suspense, Foreshadowing, Irony & Ambiguity

Created by
Plotting Something

KeKeep “The Monkey’s Paw” tense instead of turning it into a worksheet marathon. This two-day secondary ELA lesson uses a few deliberate reading stops, then asks students to go back and examine how W. W. Jacobs builds suspense through warning, irony, pacing, Gothic atmosphere, and ambiguity.“The Mon

8th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Short Stories

Video Games Perspective Art Workshop | Middle & High School | 3D Layout

Created by
Learn Art Today

Master perspective drawing through video game-inspired worlds. Explore one-point, two-point, isometric, cavalier, and atmospheric perspective while developing strong spatial and composition skills.⚡ FASTPerspective with Video Games — Visual Art Workshop (Ages 12–18+)Blend classical perspective with

8th - 12th Graphic Arts, Visual Arts

Also included in: Video Games & Tech Art Mega Collection | Middle & High School | 5 Art Workshops

Internet Memes Art Workshop | Middle & High School | Composition Art

Created by
Learn Art Today

Teach visual composition through internet meme culture and visual remixing. Explore balance, hierarchy, negative space, and visual storytelling through familiar digital references.⚡ FASTComposition with Internet Memes — Visual Art Workshop (Ages 12–18+)Teach classical composition through internet c...

8th - 12th Graphic Arts, Visual Arts

Also included in: Urban & Street Culture Mega Collection | Middle & High School | 5 Art Workshops

Graffiti Color Theory Art Workshop | Middle & High School | Urban Art

Created by
Learn Art Today

Explore color, light, and typographic design through graffiti and urban art. Learn how layering, contrast, and spray textures create powerful visual depth.⚡ FASTColor with Graffiti — Visual Art Workshop (Ages 12–18+)Teach color theory and light-shadow techniques through urban graffiti culture. Stop

8th - 12th Graphic Arts, Visual Arts

Also included in: Urban & Street Culture Mega Collection | Middle & High School | 5 Art Workshops

Manga Color Theory Art Workshop | Middle & High School | Anime Palettes

Created by
Learn Art Today

Explore color through anime and manga. Teach color theory by analyzing legendary palettes and inventing visual worlds.⚡ FASTColor with Manga — Visual Art Workshop (Ages 12–18+)Master color palettes through anime and manga culture. Stop ignoring visual storytelling students already love.Students exp...

8th - 12th Graphic Arts, Visual Arts

Also included in: Color Theory MAX Art Bundle | Middle & High School | ART TASK 7 + 2 Workshops

Web Design Composition Art Workshop | Middle & High School | UI Layout

Created by
Learn Art Today

Design with intention. Teach digital composition through web and social media design students use every day.⚡ FASTComposition with Web Design — Visual Art Workshop (Ages 12–18+)Master digital composition through web design and UI/UX principles. Stop letting design happen by accident — teach intenti...

8th - 12th Graphic Arts, Visual Arts

Also included in: Design & Visual Communication Mega Bundle | Middle High School | 5 Art Workshops