Students read the poem Bluebottle and discuss the use of the simile in the poem.  In this Bluebottle poetry instructional activity, students analyze the use of verbs and the energy created by that use.  Students text mark all...

In this writing worksheet, students learn that authors create books aimed at a particular audience of a certain age and interest. Learners read the names of 10 kinds of books and write the name of someone they think would enjoy it, and why.

For this reading comprehension worksheet about Tupac Shakur, students read a short article about his life and death. Students answer 5 questions. There are mature themes in this article.

For this poetry worksheet, middle schoolers read the poem "Mabel," underline precise words that help paint a picture of the subject in their mind and then draw a picture of Mabel in the box provided. Middle schoolers answer four...

In this literature unit activity, students read the book Sweet Magnolia and answer seven short answer questions based upon the text.

Students interpret poetry though movement. In this poetry lesson students take a poem they've previously read and discussed in class and work in pairs to develop gestures for each line.

Examine the contributions of African-Americans in the worlds of art and literature. Over the course of a few days, young scholars will read and analyze a poem, a short story, and a piece of art. They complete a range of...

Scholars learn all about the Puritans in the third installment of a 16-part lesson series. After watching a video, they read and discuss biographies of Puritans and Quakers from American history, write journal entries and poetry, and...

In this poetry worksheet, students read If by Rudyard Kipling and study the verse by verse paraphrasing. Students answer 2 comprehension multiple choice questions about the poem.

In this poetry comprehension activity, students read part of a poem by Tennyson called "In Memoriam." Students answer 5 multiple choice and essay questions about the poem.

Students investigate historical context by reading poetry.  In this language arts lesson, students discover the work of Michael Longley and examine his poem "Ceasefire."  Students identify the sonnets used in the piece and...

Students read a short fiction book and demostrate comprehension by identifying the main characters, setting, conflict, theme, and summarizing the main points. They organize the information in Inspiration and create a powerpoint to show...

Your class can participate in a writing program involving four building blocks. By exploring words, sentences, writing forms, and story organization, they improve their creative writing skills throughout this year-long unit. Early in the...

Sixth graders look at poetry in music. In this language arts instructional activity, 6th graders listen to and read the lyrics of songs to find the poetic aspects of them. They focus on similes and metaphors and write their own songs...

Students analyze lyrics and narration by reading poetry.  In this language arts lesson, students read and examine the poem Belfast Confetti.  Students discuss the topics and questions asked by the author Ciaran Carson.

Building on the previous activity in this series of lesson seeds, this plan focuses on the use of dialect in Theodore Taylor's novel, The Cay. Class members examine specific lines of text, use their reading journals to respond to the...

The Great Depression was a devastating period in American history that lasted for an entire decade. Using an enlightening novel study, scholars uncover additional facts about the era. They also write quatrain poems focusing on themes...

The perfect plan can easily backfire. Jack, in The Janitor's Boy, thinks he has the perfect plan to get back at his father. Little did he know he would end up being sentenced to help his father. Scholars read about Jack and his...

Scholars read about the unlucky events that continue to fall on the children in A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket. A set of worksheet activities include completing sentences with vocabulary...

What doesn't break you makes you stronger. Katy, in What Katy Did, learns this lesson the hard way. After a terrible accident and a long recovery, Katy becomes what she always wanted to be—good and kind. Scholars learn about Katy's...

Scholars read about Hollis, an orphan in Pictures of Hollis Woods, and complete worksheet activities. Activities include using vocabulary words to complete sentences, answering comprehension questions, and writing poetry.

"Make new friends but keep the old" is a wise saying. However, True Son, a main character in The Light in the Forest, struggles doing just that. Once living among the white people, he was taken into an Indian tribe for several years....

Home is where the heart is. Saroo, a main character in Lion: A Long Way Home, desperately wants to be home. However, he is lost in a train station and has no way to contact family or get back to his home. Scholars learn new vocabulary,...

Fathers and daughters often create a bond of great strength. Is Meg's bond strong enough to save her father? A Wrinkle In Time follows Meg and her friends as they find themselves in a supernatural world; Meg just hopes she finds her...