Could you go without your cell phone for 48 hours? Pose this question to your class and then read the article provided here. Pupils mark the text and and complete a graphic organizer that requires the use of textual evidence.

The main characters in Bridge to Terabithia do no quite live up to their gender expectations. Explore this idea with a reading passage called  "Boys vs. Girls: It's Not Just in Your Head." Included in the plan are detailed...

Five short answer questions follow an informational reading passage that details the three different types of rocks—sedimentary, igneous, metamorphic—and their rock cycle.

Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This instructional activity includes examining a poster's...

Get the most out of your guided reading lessons with this collection of literacy materials. Offering a system for using color-coded tags to mark pages while reading books, as well as an assortment of comprehension and grammar...

Use text marking and highlighting to explore the structure of a poem. After listening to Allan Ahlberg read "Please Mrs. Butler," learners locate stanzas and patterns on their copy of the poem using the text marking technique. Class...

Reinforce reading comprehension skills with a two-page worksheet offering a story about a young girl, her dog, and an important life lesson. Scholars read the text then show what they know through four short-answer questions. 

How does gravity affect the life cycle of a butterfly? Learn first-hand what types of investigations astronauts perform in space by following along with one of NASA's experiments. Create butterfly habitats in the classroom with specific...

Elementary learners practice reading with expression to understand text better. They identify punctuation marks to see how each sentence is to be expressed with a certain emotion. Then they practice their new skills by working through...

It takes some work to ensure you have a balanced diet, but once you know the types of foods that are good for you, it becomes second nature. In the sixth of seven lessons about energy and nutrition, learners create a healthy eating plan...

Young scholars in order to become a fluent reader need to read often and repeat what they read over and over. Repeated reading helps students gain better knowledge of text. Fluent readers recognize words automatically and with this...

Students explore the American cattle industry history. In this United States history and reading comprehension cross curriculum lesson, students read an article about the history of longhorn cattle, then answer comprehension questions on...

Students improve fluency through drills to increase quickness and smoothness. In pairs, they practice reading sentences out loud, each time increasing their fluency. Finally, students play a game of timed readings using a stop watch to...

Students create text that is aligned to the center of the page. They align images and blocks of text. They add specific spacing around images. They create text that is right justified.

Students study the origins of New Year's Resolutions while practicing taking dictation and identifying interesting points in a piece that is read to them. They investigate the types of things that people resolve on the first day of the...

Students organize ways of reading expressively as well as fluently. They encounter books by Dr. Seuss within this lesson. Practice, practice and more practice makes perfect. Punctuation marks are reviewed for accuracy.

Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing crosschecking and cover-up, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed assessment of...

Tenth graders explore WWII by reading a book with their class. In this Holocaust research lesson, 10th graders read the book Night, and discuss the horrors of the concentration camps and Nazi brutality during WWII. Students complete...

Fourth graders explore electricity by reading a story in their class. In this research technique instructional activity, 4th graders read a Magic School Bus book together and decide which elements of the story are the most important when...

Students study word choice by authors.  In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read the book The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown and discuss with their classmates the importance of an author's words....

Students practice reading with expression. After discussing how reading with feeling and expression can enhance the text, students listen as their partner reads a story with expression. Individual students read selected passages with...

Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing crosschecking, decoding, and rereading, young scholars complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a...

Second graders practice reading with expression. After discussing how reading with feeling and excitement can enhance the text, 2nd graders listen as the teacher reads a story with and without emotion. Individual students practice...

Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing decoding and rereading, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed assessment of...