The following lesson plans were generously created by classroom teachers for selected stories on The Moonlit Road. They are organized alphabetically by story title. Additional educational resources, including background articles on Southern folklore, legends, and history, are available in our Schoolhouse section.
If you have lesson plans or other learning materials you’d like to share with your fellow teachers, please send them themoonlitroadfeedback@gmail.com and we’d be happy to post (with full credit, of course)!
A Christmas Haunting
Subject: English – Listening Comprehension
Grade: 3rd-4th
Teacher: James Walker
School: Buenos Aires, Argentina
DOWNLOAD WORKSHEET (Word doc)
The Black Dog
Subject: English Language
Publisher: Eric Cohen Books Ltd. (on behalf of Burlington Education Ltd)
Country: Israel
Used by Permission
Eric Cohen Books Ltd. adapted The Black Dog for their upcoming textbook teaching English as a foreign language. Beautiful illustrations accompany the story and lesson plans.
DOWNLOAD LESSON PLAN (PDF)
I Don’t Feel Dead Yet
Subject: English – Reading Comprehension/Vocabulary
Teacher: Danelle Sperling
School: Warren County Middle School, Front Royal, VA
You can view Danelle Sperling’s lesson plans by downloading the documents below (Word docs).
The Journey of Alysis
Subject: Reading Comprehension
Grade: 6th
Teacher: Sara Popp
Sara is a student at Michigan State University – an Elementary Education major with an emphasis in Language Arts.
Knock Knock Who’s There?
Subject: Reading Comprehension
Grade: 7th
Teacher: Marilyn Donigan
School: Dumas Junior High School, Dumas, AR
Marilyn created a thorough questionnaire to test reading comprehension for this story.
DOWNLOAD LESSON PLAN (Word doc)
A Mother’s Love
Subject: English – Reading Comprehension/Vocabulary
Teacher: Danelle Sperling
School: Warren County Middle School, Front Royal, VA
Danelle developed a Context Clues game to teach students new vocabulary words (Word docs):
CONTEXT CLUES GAME – DIRECTIONS
CONTEXT CLUES GAME WORKSHEET
CONTEXT CLUES – WORDS IN THE STORYThe students were also asked to predict what the story might be about by using a series of images fom the story (Word doc):
A MOTHER’S LOVE PICTURE PREDICTIONS
Number Ninety
Subject: English
Grade: 10th
Teacher: Cynthia Miller
School: Summerville High School, Summerville, SC
Prior to giving the actual writing assignment, we read the story on the website, “Number Ninety” and discussed it. Then I had the students explore your website and read any stories that they liked; many of them have been going back to read other stories for leisure reading on the site as well. I told them to write a ghost story about anything and to try and make it the best story that they had ever written. I told them to base it on true stories that had experienced or someone else whom they knew had experienced and that they could embellish it if they wished. I only asked a few student who had good stories to submit them. So it is a great honor for them for you to consider placing their stories on your website. They are sooo excited.
Patin’s Punkin Patch
Subject: Reading Comprehension
Grade: 8th
Teacher: B.J. Gallegos
School: Dayton, Texas
B.J. “I have attached some questions that I came up with to one of your stories, Patin’s Punkin Patch. Feel free to add them to your website.”
DOWNLOAD LESSON PLAN (Word doc)
Sleepyhead
Subject: Reading Comprehension
Grade: 5th
Teacher: Jamie Dusing
School: Warren County Middle School, Front Royal, VA
Here is something I use with Sleepyhead for reading comprehension. Enjoy!
Subject: English – Listening Comprehension
Grade: 3rd-4th
Teacher: James Walker
School: Buenos Aires, Argentina
DOWNLOAD WORKSHEET (Word doc)
James: “My 5th and 6th grade Argentine students are learning English as a second language. So my exercises are not difficult, maybe suited for a 3rd or 4th grader in the States. Before they listen to the story I write vocabulary words on the blackboard and discuss the meanings. Then I read the story to them, because I can use a little body language that helps them a lot, digging for example. Also I slow down the pace of the story and even stop and explain sometimes, especially at the beginning of the stories when I see too many confused faces. I also change some words or phrases if they are too complicated, but I like to teach them southern words (I’m from NY) like “folks” or why the black Americans say “sister” jones.
The attached worksheet contains the four types of activities that I use;
Multiple Choice
Review Questions
Sequence of Events
Plot Points
The White Dress
Subject: Reading Comprehension
Grade: 7th
Teacher: Marilyn Donigan
School: Dumas Junior High School, Dumas, AR
Marilyn created a thorough questionnaire to test reading comprehension for this story.
DOWNLOAD LESSON PLAN (Word doc)
