Three installments of "Classic of the Month," a regular feature of the National Council of Teachers of English publication, "Notes Plus," are presented in this compilation. Each installment of this feature is intended to provide teaching ideas related to a "classic" novel. The first article offers a variety of activities based on "The Red Badge of Courage" by Stephen Crane. Included are questions for class discussion and suggestions for preliminary small-group activities, library projects, writing assignments, and follow-up small-group activities. The second article describes a 12-day unit on Ernest Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea." Instructions are given for each day of the unit as well as a list of topics for student position papers based on the novel. The final article presents activities related to "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens. Questions for class discussion are given along with ideas for writing assignments, class projects, and small-group or individual projects. (DC)