What happens what comedy and controversy collide? What happens when mythology butts head with the American experience? What happens when teachers ask students to explore these wide-ranging ideas?

In this unit on Stephen Vincent Benét’s "Sobbin' Women," students will uncover the myth of the Sabine women and explore the surprising connection between this myth and the idea of Manifest Destiny. Students will also investigate how gender expectations in the Wild West were eerily consistent with those of Ancient Rome.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase FIVE lesson plans related to this fantastic text: one pre-reading activity, one final project, and three during-reading activities!

Do you love this classic story by Ambrose Bierce? Or maybe you teach the Civil War, and you're looking for a way to make the struggles of that war come to life for your students?

Then consider incorporating Bierce's classic short story "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" into your curriculum. Not only is this text iconic, but it also features a jaw-dropping twist ending that will keep your students talking - in a good way! - for days!

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase FIVE lesson plans related to this fantastic text: one pre-reading activity, one final project, and three during-reading activities!

Do your students love a good competition? How about a bad competition? Do your students know the difference? And what happens when a good sport is forced to compete with a bad sport?

Perhaps no story better illustrates the line between good and evil - as seen (in this case) in the competitive sport of hunting - quite as well as "The Most Dangerous Game," an incredibly disturbing, but incredibly moving, tale by Richard Connell.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase FIVE lesson plans related to this fantastic text: one pre-reading activity, one final project, and three during-reading activities!

If you could have anything, what would you want - and what might it cost you? Bring the classic story "The Monkey's Paw" to life with a set of lessons designed to explore that age-old adage to "be careful what you wish for."

Each 50-minute lesson includes step-by-step plans, interactive activities, and printable materials designed to spark curiosity and deep thinking. Perfect for grades 9–12, this bundle helps you turn a short story into an unforgettable learning experience.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase FIVE lesson plans related to this fantastic text: one pre-reading activity, one final project, and three during-reading activities!

Do you love fairy tales as much as I do? Are you looking for a way to incorporate these wonderful stories into your curriculum? 

This resource contains worksheets and tests for five different fairy tales PLUS viewing guides for five applicable movies. And - bonus! - I've also added a viewing guide/assessment for the pilot episode of the fairy tale-themed television series Once Upon a Time as well as the 2014 fairy tale-themed musical film Into the Woods!

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

Do you LOVE a good story? Do you want to show your students what happens when a good story is brought to life on film?

Look no further than these resources for two Best Original Screenplay winners: The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and My Girl. The stories are markedly different: one is comedic while the other is dramatic; one is from the forties while the other is from the nineties.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

Does the Disney animated classic The Lion King hold a special place in your heart - like it does mine? Did you know that this wonderful film is based on Shakespeare's Hamlet?

Use these resources to teach the Edith Nesbitt version of Hamlet (which can be found here) alongside The Lion King. (NOTE: the best thing about Nesbitt's adaptation is that it's a simple short story - one that can make Hamlet accessible to everyone.)

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

If you're teaching a film class - or a unit focused on the suspense genre - then incorporating a little Hitchcock into the curriculum is a MUST! Why not begin with one of his most iconic movies: the 1954 classic Rear Window starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly?

The resources available here will allow you to connect the Hitchcock film with the short story that inspired it: "It Had to Be Murder" by Cornell Woolrich. Even better - at least, in my experience - both this story and the film are a real hit with the kids!

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion, especially for high school students who are preparing to head out into the real world before long! Why not tap into those feelings by revisiting a childhood classic?

Use these resources to connect the legendary children's book "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" with BOTH the recent (2018) film adaptation of it as well as the author, Beatrix Potter, who first brought Peter's world to life more than a hundred years ago.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store, where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

I don't know about you, but I am a sucker for movie musicals - especially when those movie musicals are modeled after the MGM classics and feature the talents of Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya!

Unfortunately, while 2017's The Greatest Showman is undoubtedly a fantastic throwback of a movie musical, the heartwarming story that it tells takes great liberties with historical truth. Use these resources to compare the real life of PT Barnum with the story now immortalized on screen.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

Twenty years ago, the idea of a Congressional filibuster seemed almost fantastical, but in the past decade, two separate filibusters have been launched in the US Senate - the most recent of which only ended in April of 2025.

Use these resources to introduce your students to the historical legacy of the filibuster through a viewing of the Frank Capra film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. This film, which features Hollywood legend Jimmy Stewart in an early Oscar-nominated performance, is both entertaining and educational - a perfect combo for the classroom!

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

Did you grow up watching the classic MGM musicals? I did - and one of my favorites has always been Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. But for a long time, I did not know that this beloved musical is based on the Stephen Vincent Benét short story "The Sobbin' Women."

Use these resources to connect Benét's original short story - which is markedly different from its silver screen counterpart - with the legendary film starring Golden Age icons Howard Keel and Jane Powell.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

Did you grow up hearing about King Arthur and his legendary Round Table? Or maybe you loved the story of his magical ascendancy to Camelot's throne - his rise from a poor orphan to history's greatest ruler.

Use these resources to teach the legend of the Sword in the Stone (available here) - and to connect this legend to the animated Disney adaptation as well as the two-episode adaptation featured in the television series Merlin (season four, episodes 12-13).

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

I LOVE Disney - and I love all of the classic Disney princesses. But even I know that, when Mulan joined the lineup in 1998, she completely changed the game by becoming the group's first female Asian warrior.

Use these resources to explore Mulan's story through both a reading of the epic Chinese poem "The Ballad of Mulan" and a viewing of the Disney animation. Students will enjoy comparing and contrasting the two portrayals of this boundary-breaking character!

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store where you can purchase any or all of these resources!

Are you looking for a way to bring the Christmas spirit into your classroom in a manner that is both entertaining and educational? Then look no further than this unit centered on the holiday classic It's a Wonderful Life.

Based on the Philip Van Doren Stern short story, "The Greatest Gift," this classic film has been warming hearts for decades. Use these resources to connect the film to the text that inspired it - and to learn, as George Bailey does, the real meaning of Christmas.

The link below will take you to my Teachers Pay Teachers store where you can purchase any or all of these resources!