Description
“The Treasure of Lemon Brown” by Walter Dean Myers is a powerful coming-of-age short story in which an adolescent boy learns an unexpected lesson about the value of family and personal legacy from an unlikely mentor. Set in an urban neighborhood in Harlem, New York, shortly after World War I, the story offers rich opportunities for literary analysis and meaningful reflection.
This lesson guides students through close reading and interpretation while helping them examine how setting, character interactions, and symbolism shape the story’s message. The activities are designed to build comprehension, encourage critical thinking, and support personal connections to the text.
Students begin with an activating strategy focused on making predictions, then work through a story mapping graphic organizer that emphasizes setting, conflict, theme, and character development. A dedicated figurative language analysis chart helps students examine hyperbole, simile, idiom, onomatopoeia, and personification as they appear in the text.
As students read, they complete short story analysis and reading comprehension questions that focus on inferences, imagery, character motivations, resolutions, and symbolism. The lesson concludes with a constructed response that asks students to reflect on the story’s message and connect it to their own personal experiences. Answer keys are included for all components.
This resource includes ready-to-print PDF files as well as editable Word documents, giving teachers flexibility to modify activities as needed. Walter Dean Myers, an influential African American author known for works such as Monster, provides an important voice in young adult literature, making this story especially well suited for Black History Month or units focused on identity and growth. The full text of the story is available online.
Perfect for middle school ELA, this lesson supports close reading, figurative language analysis, and thoughtful discussion while highlighting an essential work of contemporary literature.