Fifth graders explore the Adventures of Don Quixote in a four-week language arts unit. Scholars listen to and discuss a new chapter each day as well as examine vocabulary and practice word work including suffixes, subject-verb agreement,...

Fourth graders focus on fluency by reading the book Charlotte's Web. In this reading strategies lesson, 4th graders partner read, do guided reading, and independent reading to increase fluency. Students use Venn Diagrams, discuss...

Students, after reading Chapter 1 in the book, "The Southern Colonies: Quest for Prosperity,"begin to analyze the motivation behind European colonization. They convey the setting of the scene into a writing piece to illustrate the...

Students create a character map of the main characters in The Tale of Despereaux. After reading the text, students create a character chart based on information they gleaned from the story. They use this information to write a letter...

Fifth graders recall the major plot points of a chapter book. After reading the chapter book "Stone Fox," they students describe the plot framework through use of a worksheet. Students are then divided into group to act out selected...

Young scholars investigate the Nebraska Golden Sower Award and nominated titles for the current year. They explore the Nebraska Golden Sower website, read a chapter from a Golden Sower book using the jigsaw method, and create a concept...

Young scholars read and discuss the book, Who Am I Without Him? In this fluency lesson, students practice reading with expression and making text to self connections. Young scholars practice writing expressively in their journals.

Students participate in pre-reading activities, journal keeping, vocabulary lists and other reading comprehension boosters. These activities can be applied to many genres.

Students explore the plot of mystery books. In this genre study lesson plan, students read the book, Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy and listen to a read aloud of a chapter from the text. Students fill in a graphic organizer that...

Kids consider revolution as a basis for creativity, art, and storytelling. After reading an excerpt from the book, Persepolis, learners choose one event from any world revolution to write about. They storyboard the event focusing on...

Are you working on an Outsiders unit? Use this list of activities to deepen your middle schoolers' understanding of the novel. After reading S.E. Hinton's novel, young readers work on three required activities, including participating in...

Young scholars read a book with each student having a specific job for the class.  In this literature lesson, students read Sarah, Plain and Tall over 10 days, dividing up responsibilities for each student to make sure everyone...

Introduce readers to Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry with a lesson plan that sets the context for the novel. Class members research the bigotry in Mississippi during the Great Depression and identify examples in the story...

Sixth graders develop metacognitive skills while reading Esperanza Rising. In this comprehension strategies lesson plan, 6th graders read a chapter from the book and discuss questions with a small group. Students share with their...

Learners read independently each day of the week and record difficult words and phrases. They fill out a literature log, retell the story and participate in word work based on the language of the book. They free write in journals each week.

Students read the novel Stone Fox and review economic concepts including income, goods, and services. They define the following terms: capital, credit, credit risk and summarize their reading by reading several chapters at a time. They...

Learners summarize a selected piece of fiction text. After reviewing the correct way to read silently, students read a chapter in the novel they are currently reading. They write a chapter summary using a story map and the process...

Students read one of the following books: Minn of the Mississippi, Paddle-to-the-Sea, or Seabird, all by Holling C. Holling, and identify the five themes of geography as well as make a literature journal with chapter field notes. They...

Students investigate storytelling by creating their own dialogue. In this writing development lesson plan, students read the story Jeremy Thatch, Dragon Hatcher in class and discuss their own magical object they wish to write a story...

Sixth graders research and examine the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America. They sequence events significant to this time period, read and discuss text, and in small groups prepare and present the...

Students discover story analysis by discussing a book the class reads together.  In this reading comprehension lesson, students read the book The Keeping Quilt and discuss the different characters and plot points among the...

Fifth graders examine how to respond to literature. In this literature response lesson, 5th graders discuss how to respond to literature. They write a response in a literature log each night based on their reading and the connections...

Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...

Fifth graders read the novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." They discuss the various characters in the book, and the different types of conflict that take place within the book. They also research owls and rats to make comparisons...