Take a deep breath and have your class construct working models of a lung! Using 500ml plastic bottles as the chest cavity, and balloons for the lung and the diaphragm, learners work in groups to make a model. The models help them to...

Help your youngsters find meaning in the text they read with this series of five intervention lessons. Offering explicit, step-by-step instructions for walking children through shared readings of leveled books, these...

Learners complete activities with the book The Birthday Swap by Loretta Lopez. In this literature instructional activity, students answer pre-reading questions, locate new vocabulary, and read the story. They answer comprehension...

Students write poetry in response to Rembrandt's landscapes and portraits. They create accompanying illustrations based on interpretations of Rembrandt's work and present them along with the poems in book format.

Third graders identify and list five problems presented in The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. They relate these problems to current environmental issues and debate how to make a difference then participate in different activities to improve their...

Students discover the meaning of patriotism through literature, songs, and poetry. They also identify patriotic symbols and activities such as the flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner, the bald eagle, and monuments.

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students explore literature in order to understand the flora and fauna of the rain forest. Students investigate how stewardship is necessary to retain natural...

Students read a book from the Dear America series and contrast different points of view. They respond to the book either by participating in a literature circle or completing a journal entry. They compare and contrast two books or a...

Students learn to use prediction to think more deeply about literature. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students chart predictions in order to more fully understand text.

Students discuss and define what folk and fairy tales are. In this literature lesson, students construct their own working definitions for folk and fairy tales. Students choose to work as a class or in cooperative groups. Then students...

Give your class a colorful and tasty representation of the components of the mixture that we call air. Pop a few batches of popcorn in four different colors, one to represent each gas: nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and carbon dioxide. The...

Learners write a story.  In this writing style and illustration lesson, students review elements of Dr. Seuss' writing and illustration style and read a few more books written by him, examining the writing style.  Learners work...

Students identify the cause and effect in the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. In this cause and effect lesson plan, students listen to the story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and discuss what the cause and effect is. As a follow-up,...

Sometimes it's necessary to view the whole picture before making a judgment about a small part. Read a short story about five blind men who try to identify an elephant by feeling different parts and coming to their own conclusions....

Students read and response to the book, Abuela's Weave. In this African-American literature instructional activity, students discuss pre-reading questions, that focus on family traditions and make predictions about the text. Students...

Observe the National Day of Service and Remembrance with a service learning lesson plan. After discussing the events of September 11, 2001, learners plan and implement their own service learning project in honor of American...

Third graders identify the three major parts of a story. After reading the book "Stellaluna," students discuss the beginning, middle and end of the story. They write a short story depicting the events that would happen if the story...

Students discuss ways the stories were alike and different. The teacher demonstrate how to draw a Venn diagram using Microsoft Word. They label the two circles and enter the likenesses and differences on the diagram.

Students work to develop comprehension strategies. Through modeling and guided practice they develop a series of questions as they read Where the Wild Things Are. They apply these questions to find answers about the text and make...

Students observe and demonstrate the process of summarization using the book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. They silently read the story, and as a class discuss the five W's. Students then write a short summary of...

Students practice techniques and strategies for understanding the parts of a story to help them remember what they've read. They review and analyze the elements of a story and how to find them first in a paragraph and then in a book.

Third graders listen to the teacher read "The Sneetches" prior to creating charts about their individual characteristics. After numerous examples of individuality, they compile them on chart paper. As an extension, 3rd graders write...

Students read "The Great Kapok Tree" by Lynne Cherry while listening to Tropical Rainforest music. They name all the speaking animals in the book and list each of the reasons the animals gave for not cutting down the tree. They then...