Ease into informational text with the lesson suggested here. Part of a unit series, the lesson draws from previous lessons and acts as a natural moment to add in informational text. Class members read one section of My Librarian is a...

This second lesson in a larger unit is perfect for the beginning of the year because it explicitly teaches 3rd graders how to use close reading skills by identifying unfamiliar words, figuring out the gist, and defining important...

Let’s learn about frogs! Young readers are led through “Freaky Frogs,” a non-fiction article. Teach learners how to edit an article so there are fewer details to sift through. After talking through the article, they learn the six steps...

Determining a theme or central idea is greatly emphasized in the Common Core standards. Target that skill though big metaphors and central symbols in Pam Muñoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising. Help your class reach the standard through...

In this exercise, learners examine the difference between a theme, topic, and moral. After a class discussion on the definition of literary themes, the instructor reads The Cello of Mr. O by Jane Cutler. Next, individuals analyze the...

To underscore the importance of practicing good listening skills class members engage in a series of activities that model poor listening skills. In pairs and then as a whole group, class members enact different, more positive techniques...

Now that your class has read all of Esperanza Rising, take the time to tackle big metaphors and themes. Pupils will participate in an activity called Chalk Talk, in which they circulate around the room in small groups and add...

Investigate articles from the daily news and share opinions with classmates. Using current events, learners view a news program without sound and predict what news is being discussed by analyzing the visuals. Then they read news articles...

Learners name the main parts of the heart and what events occur there. They write a reaction that contains complete sentences, and uses proper spelling and grammar, after viewing a video. Students define the following terms: contraction,...

Puzzle your way through to a new understanding of area. Scholars learn about the area of polygons through equidecomposability, the idea that polygons that can be decomposed into the same set of pieces have the same area. By using...

Young scholars examine the culture and history of the Hmong. Using story cloths, they investigate how they were used as expressions of their culture. They discover the Hmong's economic conditions and how they were able to form a new...

Students discover early number concepts for numbers 1 through 5. In this number concepts instructional activity, students work in stations doing hands-on activities such as sorting colored blocks, stringing beads, and counting sticks....

How does community involvement make good citizens? Use all or a few of the included ideas to foster a better understanding of what it means to be a good citizen. Learners will brainstorm community issues, discuss how to get involved, and...

When it comes to the law, is justice always served? Teach scholars about how law sometimes enables prejudice of entire groups of people with a unit on World War II that includes a warm-up activity, analysis of primary sources,...

Young scholars inquire about the Holocaust. In this Holocaust lesson, students read books and discuss their thoughts. Young scholars also collect current event articles from newspapers. Students investigate ghettos, Pearl Harbor and...

Left-to-right, left-to-right, that's the way we read and write! Watch this short video clip and teach your young learners this chant before they start writing! 

Students explore and explain the role of vaccines in infectious disease, They emphasize immunological principles and viral/bacterial infection processes. Students explore the three main vaccine types: DNA vaccines ("gene gun"),...

Students are able to discuss the difference between a proton, a neutron and an electron. They also can explain the difference between an ionic and a covalent bond. Students know the main structure of atoms and molecules. Student are able...

Students inspire communication skills thru the lyrics of a song. Students watch and correlate the production of a fantasy film with speaking and listening skills. Students quote the themes from the video.

This scripted lesson suggests using the journalist’s five W’s (who, what, when, where, why) to teach readers how to summarize a story and to how to distinguish between significant and supporting details. A template and rubric are...

Students are able to explain the ecological importance of phytoplankton. They describe the components that influence a phytoplankton bloom. Students interpret satellite images in order to correlate buoy data.

Extend a class reading of the novel The Sign of the Beaver across all subject areas with this literature unit guide. From basic discussion questions and writing prompts, to a research project about tracking animals, this...

Students review the most recent vocabulary list of French words. Using literature by Victor Hugo and Guy de Maupassant, they discover the history and culture of France. Using a map and the text, they locate the cities and regions of...

Help your class transition as the setting in the novel Esperanza Rising, by Pam Muñoz Ryan, moves from Mexico to California. Beginning with prior knowledge, and moving into jigsaw research groups, class members add to and create posters...