John Updike Teacher Resources

Expand your pupils' understanding of the short story genre with a study of John Updike and his story "A&P." This activity, the fourth in a series of fourteen, invites learners to examine literary terms and read and discuss the story....

Students read a poem and use the TPCASTT strategy for analysis. In this poetry analysis instructional activity, students journal about their future goals and read John Updike's "Ex-Basketball Player." Students discuss the purpose of the...

First graders discuss the importance of traditions in families. In groups, they share their traditions at certain times of the year. As a class, they read "When This Box is Full" and create a box representing the different seasons. ...

A biography of John Updike, one of America's most esteemed and prolific writers. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for his fiction, as well as other major awards. Includes a profile, videos, and a photo gallery.

Poets.org provides a brief biographical overview of John Updike including information on his life and links to selected poems. A column of links to additional reading information on Updike is also provided.

Two short stories and a novel excerpt are read here by the author. There are three different audio file formats available.

This 1998 Harvard Gazette article recounts Updike's Harvard years and his Harvard Arts Medal.

This lesson plan uses John Updike's poem, "Ex-Basketball Player," to combine poetry writing with the pressures of change. Included in the lesson plan is an overview, practice, objectives, resources, preparation, and more.

An image of John Updike.

An image of John Updike.

A collection of descriptive and metaphorical poems about baseball, including poems by Mae Swenson, John Updike, and William Carlos Williams, and, of course, "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer.

A collection of poems about basketball in its many facets, and, as a bonus, an article by renowned coach John Wooden about how he used poetry in his coaching.

From a mental institution, where he is receiving treatment, Holden Caulfield recounts the two day period after he is kicked out of school. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 8-12) to pair with "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D....