Bring a little excitement to your next poetry analysis lesson. Using the highly energetic poem "Walking With My Iguana," learners consider poem structure and rhyme. They listen to the poem, discuss the rhythm and tone with their...

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is a literary masterpiece as well as a timestamp of the formative mid-nineteenth century in America. Using a primary source set of photographs, letters, and portraits, readers discuss the ways...

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...

“What’s in a name?” Just about everything. Barack Obama, Vincent van Gogh, Justin Bieber. Famous names evoke a multitude of reactions and poets often use the names of famous people in their works precisely because names carry...

Emerging writers identify allusion in poetry by listening to recorded poems, like Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town. They also discuss what makes writing satirical and how writers use allusions to make satirical points.  

Students explore language arts by writing their own poems. For this haiku lesson, students investigate the Japanese culture and their beautiful music, poetry and art. Students count the syllables in every line of a haiku poem and write...

Students investigate poetry by incorporating images into the words of a poem.  In this language arts lesson, students discuss poetry writing devices and self expression with their classmates.  Students create a film about the...

High schoolers analyze lyrics of their favorite songs as examples of alliteration, metaphor, Onomatopoeia, personification, rhyme, and simile to determine the purpose of these devices in poetry. They use their analysis to create a...

Young scholars explore language arts by viewing movie clips in class. In this poetry analysis lesson, students view scenes from the movie "In Her Shoes" and define what poetry is. Young scholars read the poem "One Art" and identify its...

Students are introduced to the elements of poetry. As a class, they practice the correct way to read a poem and determine the author's audience. They identify similies and metaphors and determine the rhyme and meter. To end the...

Second graders explore language arts by analyzing poems in their class. In this word play lesson, 2nd graders define the terms rhyme, rhythm and alliteration and identify their uses. Students utilize class word lists to write their own...

Fourth graders explore language arts by analyzing poetry styles. In this writing analysis lesson, 4th graders read several sample poems in class and identify similes, metaphors and other figurative language within them. Students analyze...

Fifth graders focus on their self-esteem and strengths while reading poetry. In groups, they research the contributions and achievements of African-Americans and discuss how they overcame obstacles. They are read a poem, define new...

Students participate in culminating activities for a winter weather unit. They discuss what they have learned about winter weather, and write a diamante poem using winter vocabulary words. Students also construct a pinwheel and explore...

Learners write and listen to rap songs. They discover how common themes in rap are indicative of the problems, as well as the empowerments, that can be seen in our urban cultures today. They discover how rap is actually an evolution of...

Young scholars explore their feelings about rain through art, music, and poetry. They listen to music as they think about rain and determine how they feel about rain. Students create either poetry or artwork about as they listen to music...

Students investigate the prejudice and racism that has existed in the U.S. for centuries by attending a field trip.  In this equality lesson, students visit the Tolerance Museum and discuss the history of the U.S.  Students...

When is a staple remover a fanged monster? In your ELA classroom when you're teaching this fun figurative language activity, of course! Get your young writers using figurative language by making a game of it. Give groups a paper bag full...

Double click that mouse because you just found an amazing lesson! This cross-curricular Ornithology lesson incorporates literature, writing, reading informational text, data collection, scientific inquiry, Internet research, art, and...

Students explore crystals through the story Snowflake Bentley and then create crystal pictures of their own. For this interdisciplinary lesson, they create a crystal web chart on chart paper, design artificial snowflakes, and write poems...

Students have an appreciation of Langston Hughe's poetry and his use of jazz rhythms, have the ability to read poetry closely, and freewrite to gain a fresh perspective on music and literature.

Students apply their knowledge of math by rewriting word problems using equations. In this word problem instructional activity, students build upon previous knowledge as they set up the correct steps to solve word problems. This...

Students explore color, light, refraction and reflection.  In this light lesson students measure solar position and compare it to time.

Learners discover literature by conducting a free writing experiment. In this sonnet lesson, students read the sonnet "The Parting" and compare it to modern-day songs about breaking up. Learners listen to pop music in class and...