Curated OER
The Best Main Idea
What is the main idea? Interest your young readers with this fun introductory lesson! After selecting several items from a paper bag, the teacher leads learners to determine the big idea for those items. This concept is then applied to...
For the Teachers
Main Idea Outline
Find the main idea in an informational text with a versatile lesson. Three levels of differentiation help you implement the strategy in any age or class level, based on the ability and objectives of your learners.
Curated OER
A Better Class of Journal-ists
Young academics create a current events journal by skimming newspapers for articles that fit defined guidelines for informational texts. After cutting out two articles each week to add to their journals, they write a brief description of...
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Using Details From The Text
Begin this expository writing activity by reading a non-fiction book of your choice and modeling expository writing. The plan suggests The Trip of a Drip by Vicki Cobb but notes that other texts will work. Learners then choose a...
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What's in a Main Idea?
Second graders read newspaper articles. In this language arts lesson, 2nd graders identify the main ideas found in the articles by highlighting them. The entire class selects one interesting article from the sports section to discuss.
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
Mummies in the Morning Egyptian pyramids, hieroglyphics
Visit the Magic Treehouse and take your class on a trip through time with a reading of the children's book Mummies in the Morning. Using the story to spark an investigation into Egyptian culture, this literature unit engages...
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Counting Money Activity
Second graders explore commerce by practicing monetary transactions. In this consumer math lesson, 2nd graders practice using math functions to add and subtract different amounts of money. Students identify the different monetary units...
Scholastic
Quick as a Cricket Lesson Plan
Teaching young learners about similes is easy as pie with this primary grade language arts activity. Following a class reading of the children's book, Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood, young readers learn the definition of a simile as...
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
In this story structure lesson, learners read the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and identify the characters, setting and main themes of the book. They answer a list of study questions about the book.
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Finding the Friendship Dolls, A True Story: How Children Can Create World Peace
Students listen to the book Finding the Friendship Dolls, A True Story: How Children Can Help Create World Peace through Toys. In this world peace lesson, students choose events in the story to create a timeline of those events. Students...
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Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Second graders explore weather. In this weather lesson, 2nd graders read Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and participate in four supplemental science activities. Students participate in Internet research, create weather maps,...
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Build Masters: Identifying Details
Find key details in books using this note card strategy. Each reader gets six cards with the classic who, what, where, when, why, and how detail prompts. After they read the book, they choose a card and locate a key detail answering the...
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Freckle Juice
Students analyze a chapter from the assigned book they are reading. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read chapter four from Freckle Juice by Judy Blume, and discuss the main character, Andrew. Students...
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Inspector Readers: The 002 Book Club
This unit introduces book clubs/literature circles to lower elementary classes, but could be adapted to higher grades. It outlines the anticipatory activity that includes a WebQuest, a discussion to clarify questions about the unit,...
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Keepers
What are some things you think are special enough to keep? Discussing special things launches young learners into reading Keepers. They investigate related vocabulary and practice before, during, and after reading comprehension...
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Gingerbread Baby's Point of View #8
Read the story Gingerbread Baby and use these various activities to connect to grammar, art, and point of view. In one activity, learners create character masks. They practice writing verbs on the back of the masks to tell what each...
Curated OER
Reading Strategies for Elementary Students
Pupils practice using strategies to help them read. They participate in activities that help them sound out words and determining the main idea. They also examine good and bad reading habits.
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Capitalization
Students investigate the concept of capitalization by reading relevant text and finding supporting details and facts. In this capitalization lesson, students read chapter seven in Working With Words and share predictions about the...
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Miss Nelson Is Missing/Miss Nelson Is Back- Lesson 4
Young scholars compare two stories. In this compare and contrast lesson, students read Miss Nelson is Missing and Miss Nelson is Back. Young scholars brainstorm similarities and differences in the two stories, use a Venn Diagram to...
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Maggie, Maggie
Students read Maggie, Maggie by Beverly Cleary. In this Maggie, Maggie lesson students develop strategies for understanding vocabulary in the story. Students survey the number of left and right handed students. Students write and...
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Miss Nelson is Missing
Students examine the story elements in the book, Miss Nelson is Missing. In this literary elements lesson, students listen to the story and identify the sequence of events in the test. Students also use an online dictionary to define the...
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Animals in Inspiration
Students research information on a specific animal. In this animal lesson, students use books to find information about an animals diet, habitat, appearance, and any other interesting facts. Students will use this information to create a...
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Muggie Maggie - Lesson 5
Students complete activities with the book Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary. In this literature lesson, students discuss new vocabulary words and definitions for Ch. 5. They read Ch. 5 and find synonyms and antonyms for their vocabulary...
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Because of Winn-Dixie
Students make connections with the book Because of Winn-Dixie through writing. In this writing instructional activity, students pretend to be the main character and write a letter to her mother, using very descriptive language. ...