High School 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

College Essay Unit | Personal Statement Writing Lessons & Rubric

Created by
Plotting Something

Teaching the college essay can be frustrating. Students often think they need a dramatic story, choose a prompt before they have anything meaningful to say, or end up writing the same version of “this experience taught me to never give up.”This unit takes a different approach.The College Essay: Find

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays

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

College Essay Brainstorming Mini-Unit | Find Your Story

Created by
Plotting Something

Teaching the college essay often gets stuck before students ever begin drafting. They insist nothing important has happened to them, assume they need a dramatic life event, or grab the first familiar topic they can think of and immediately turn it into a generic life lesson.Find Your College Essay S

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays

College Essay Revision Workshop | Personal Statement Editing

Created by
Plotting Something

Your students have written the college essay. Now comes the part that is often harder to teach: real revision. This three-lesson workshop is designed for students who already have a complete or nearly complete personal statement. Instead of focusing only on proofreading, students look closely at wha

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays

College Essay Drafting Workshop | Personal Statement Voice & Structure

Created by
Plotting Something

Your students have a college essay idea. Now they have to turn it into an essay. This five-lesson workshop is designed for the middle of the college essay process: after brainstorming, but before final revision. Students work on reflection, natural voice, prompt choice, structure, and beginnings and

11th - 12th Writing, Writing Essays

For Use with Strawberry Spring by Stephen King | AP Lit Halloween Case File

Created by
Plotting Something

Bring a little fog into your AP Literature classroom. This two-day case-file lesson for Stephen King's “Strawberry Spring” asks students to investigate the evidence, commit to a theory, and reconsider what they thought they knew after the ending.The Halloween atmosphere gives students a reason to le

10th - 12th Close Reading, Literature, Short Stories

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

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

Sports Movement Art Workshop | Middle & High School | Dynamic Gesture

Created by
Learn Art Today

Capture energy on paper. Teach gesture drawing & kinetic storytelling through sports, dance, and action.⚡ FASTSports Movement — Visual Art Workshop (Ages 12–18+)Master dynamic gesture and kinetic energy through sports culture. Stop drawing static poses — capture action and motion.Students explo...

8th - 12th Graphic Arts, Visual Arts

Also included in: Nature, Body & Expression Mega Collection | Middle High School | 5 Art Workshop

Land Art Environmental Art Workshop | Middle & High School | Installation

Created by
Learn Art Today

Explore Land Art, environmental art, and site-specific sculpture through nature, found materials, and temporary installation. Develop skills in composition, planning, ecological observation, and visual documentation.⚡ FASTLand Art — Visual Art Workshop (Ages 12–18+)Master environmental installation

8th - 12th Graphic Arts, Visual Arts

Also included in: Nature, Body & Expression Mega Collection | Middle High School | 5 Art Workshop