The letter a produces so many sounds! Increase your class's awareness of concepts related to reading and spelling. They identify the digraphs /ea/ and /ai/ in spoken language and spelling as a long vowel sound. After a brief discussion,...

This resource is made up of a series of reading passages with accompanying questions. On the first page, learners read the definitions of both fiction and non-fiction. They examine four short selections before writing either fiction or...

Looking for a new way to have your students complete book reports? Then, this lesson plan is for you! Young learners read literature of their choice and complete diorama, filmstrip maker, costume and letter, or puppet making activities...

Practice spelling words by experimenting with colors with young pupils. They will practice spelling different words by writing with 3-5 colors per word. Then they analyze the colors of a rainbow and utilize colored pencils or crayons to...

In this instructional activity, writers respond to three short-answer questions. Explain what is funny in the story, how the story makes them feel, and whether they liked the story. This is a great resource to send home for independent...

Ready, set, go! Practice irregular words by playing a relay race game. Start by dividing your class into two teams of four or five kids. They line up in front of their team's bucket of words and pick out a word from the bucket and...

Utilize your learners' spare time by having a "password" that learners must recite before they enter or leave the classroom. As suggested here, provide an irregular word that your first graders are trying to develop. How efficient! 

Children in first grade listen and read along with the teacher to practice main idea identification. They use the provided reading passages to read, locate the main idea and supporting details. This is a fully scripted lesson which means...

As your youngsters begin to recognize the letters of the alphabet and their correponsding sounds, there are some they will be more familiar with than others. Cement their letter associations using this quick strategy, shown here with the...

Once kindergartners have learned the letter m they are ready for this sound correspondence activity. Start with a stack of letter cards including mostly m and a few other letters they haven't learned yet....

Young writers identify and generate words using the strategies of phonics on the Making Words computer program. Words are typed instead of having to use tiles or paper. Extension activities such as playing the memory game, drawing...

A simple activity for young readers, this introduces the idea of author purpose. Learners analyze various types of texts (newspaper articles, magazines, books, advertisements, etc.) and determine if the author's purpose for writing was...

Reading with fluency and expression is an important skill for beginning readers to develop. They discuss what it means to read with expression and observe the teacher reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears without any interest...

Diversify your young readers' at-home reading habits with this activity. This handout consists of a list of 24 different types of reading materials from newspapers and how-to books to science fiction and poetry. The goal is for learners...

Read the story Amelia the Pigeon and discuss perspective. Since Amelia is a pigeon with a bird's eye view, use aerial photography to enhance your learners' understanding. Have fun connecting art and literature while talking about...

Students create an art project and write a process paper  as a response to literature.  In this literature response lesson, students listen to Lynn Ehlert's, Snowballs before decorating a construction paper snowman. They write...

Help your learners discover empathy and understanding by investigating two sides of a situation. In this humanities lesson, pupils examine different pairs of shoes and hypothesize about who may have worn them. Discuss real life...

Explore words by building and decoding three-letter words. Real or nonsense words can be formed with the alphabet tiles. Practice fluency and blending sounds with CVC patterns.

When scholars re-tell a story, do they boil it down to important details in a logical order? Practice summarizing narratives using this think-aloud strategy, which is scripted here for your convenience. After explaining why this is an...

After you've begun identifying the cause and effect relationship within literature, it's time to give scholars some independent practice. Review the concept before handing out this graphic organizer. Learners use the book they are...

A Taste of Honey offers learners a chance to practice with unknown words and context clues. Choose several vocabulary words to focus on as you read the picture book, or use the ones provided here. Pre-teach the words and have...

Fact or opinion? That is the challenge facing learners who must record statements from a passage in either the fact or opinion column on a one-page template. 

Looking for a simple way to connect with each of your pupils about a book they've read? While the rest of your class is engaged in SSR, each learner comes to you for a one-on-one session. Great for formative assessment or just a good...

How do you make a story exciting? Teach young readers how to change your pitch, tone, and mood as you read. After modeling the various ways you can change your expression, have small pairs or groups work together to give it a shot!