Have you ever felt trapped in your own body? That is likely how Melody in Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind feels. As scholars read to find out how Melody finally expresses herself, they complete sentences with new words, describe...

Students explore early 20th century steel making.  For this U.S. history steel making lesson, students view and describe a postcard and a picture depicting exaggerated aspects of the steel industry.  Students listen to a poem...

Use this comprehensive packet to accompany a study of Missing May by Cynthia Rylant. Starting out with a brief author biography and background information about the novel, this guide includes materials to use throughout the entire novel....

If the most terrifying teacher in the school was lost, would you try to find her? Well, when the toughest teacher in the school is lost on a field trip, Nick and Marta, characters in Scat, decide to go looking for her. Readers discover...

Students listen to Navajo poetry and create various responses to what they have heard. Students may create an illustration for the poems, create an original work of poetry, or write about how the poem relates to Native American culture.

Students explore language arts by analyzing a story with their classmates. In this poetry identification instructional activity, students read the book The Mittens and identify the characters, plot and settings in the story. Students...

Students read an example of a cinquain and look for patterns. In this cinquain activity, students repeat the process with another poem and then compare the two. Students will review the process and form of writing a cinquain as presented...

Students read a story and demonstrate their fluency and comprehension by retelling it to a partner. In this reading lesson plan, students follow a note taking sheet provided.

Students prepare for their service learning project by listening to a representative from the Lake Michigan Federation. They volunteer their time to clean up the coast line. They reflect on the event by writing a poem about their...

Fourth graders participate in reading and listening to poetry. They are exposed to a variety of poems and examine and identify basic elements of poetry. They write their own poems and recite a poem with enthusiasm, expression, and props.

Fourth graders locate the poetry section of the LMC. They produce a hand written transparency based on the poem Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Students illustrate a poem from their poetry section. It is a mystery to them what...

Students discover how to express their feeling poetically. In this poetry lesson, students discuss their feelings, descriptive language to describe these feelings, and create poems.

Get kids re-oriented to the computer lab for back-to-school. The constructivist approach in this session allows children to exert ownership of their behavior in the computer lab. Read aloud a few books about good and poor manners, as...

Students explore Aboriginal storytelling. In this literature lesson, students read Knots on a Counting Rope and then create a story line as they discuss the attributes of Aboriginal culture. Students retell the story in their own words.

Students read various poems by Robert Frost. In groups, they use the text of one poem to identify sight words that are new to them. As a class, they listen to a recording of the poem and then repeating it outloud practicing their...

Students practice using visualization to aid in their reading comprehension. While completing a read aloud of a selected poem, the instructor models visualizing images from the poem. Independently, students read a chapter from a...

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members...

Students participate in a reading skills lesson to improve reading comprehension. The skill of visualization is taught and practiced to help them better understand the plot of a story.

Students watch a video, view websites, and discuss the Chinese Exclusion Act that took place on Angel Island. For this Chinese exclusion act lesson plan, students discuss the interrogations that went on and fill out worksheets bout the...

Celebrate Black History Month with the help of 10 ideas that delve deep into the history, major events, contributions, famous African Americans, and sheds light on how scholars today can take a proactive stance on current civil rights...

Music can help us to access memories and events in a meaningful way, and Francis Scott Key used specific words to convey what he had seen and felt when writing what would become America's national anthem. Help your class connect to...

Flowering learners explore the concept of figurative language as it relates to poems, songs, or creative written expression. In this creative writing activity, they complete several phrases using similes, metaphors, and...

Students explore Colonial papermaking.  For this Colonial America U.S. history lesson, students analyze two poems written in the 1690s about the Rittenhouse paper mill to learn about papermaking.  Students produce their own...