Concept muraling helps learners improve their comprehension of a text by giving them a way to organize their understanding of the key concepts in that text. Introduce readers to this process with a carefully scaffolded lesson that models...

Statistics can be manipulated to say what you want them to say. Teach your classes to be wise consumers and sort through the bias in those reports. Young statisticians study different statistical reports and analyze them for...

High schoolers assess persuasive techniques in propaganda. They identify and critique rhetorical devices in primary source documents (sources are not specified, but links to sites that contain various documents are included). Groups make...

Follow this outline to write persuasive essays with your 11th grade college prep classes. Using the internet, they research a topic, citing their sources correctly. They work with a partner to peer edit their rough drafts, checking for...

Develop the decoding skills of your middle and high schoolers. Scholars participate in a classroom activity that requires them to decode a word with a prefix and suffix. They apply the skill of breaking the word into parts of meaning as...

A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...

Learners review methods for overcoming writer's block. They are asked if they have ever experienced writer's block, what the experience feels like, and discuss some strategies that they use to deal with writer's block. They are given a...

Students create a design for water collection, sanitation, or supply. In this hydro-technology lesson plan, students learn about the global water crisis. Groups of students read water technology articles, draw or design a device or...

Students examine the leadership role of George Washington in the American Revolution. In this George Washington lesson, students read selections titled "Generalship," and "Candidate for Commander-in-Chief." After students read the...

Students read and analyze poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye. They define stereotypes, view and discuss a video interview with Nye, present an oral reading of a poem, and write a persuasive letter to an author.

Students evaluate the state of Japan's military and their defense strategy under the current Shinzo Abe administration. They watch the film, 'The Raping of Nanking' and read "The Return of Japanese Militarism: Rising Sun" by Joshua...

Students compare and contrast various versions of the fairytale Cinderella. In this folktale lesson, students read The Korean Cinderella and The Egyptian Cinderella and analyze the differences between the two stories. Students identify...

Young scholars express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner. In this American history lesson, students read through the national anthem and complete an activities from a list of choices. Some choices include: writing the anthem in...

Students participate in a theatre production involving how to protect animals. Students create their own puppets which will be used in the production. Students read information provided to them and highlight the important information...

Students dramatize the story, Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. In this readers theatre lesson plan, students read the story and then dramatize the events during readers theatre. There is an included script.

Students analyze the experiences of a fictional soldier in a war and create a mental health profile for that individual. They emulate psychiatrists and propose treatment strategies for their particular soldier's post-traumatic stress...

Students examine the popularity of cartoon characters in marketing strategies. They work on developing their own cartoon characters that could be used for a licensing plan.

Students investigate and read about the life and contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. They listen to a biography and take notes, complete a pictorial story, and complete a writing assignment in response to questions about civil...

Students participate in a class demonstration to see how many Americans are affected by cancer in their lifetime.  In this public health lesson, students are placed in situations that allow them to experience how relevant cancer...

Students are introduced to nonfiction text. In this five esson unti, students explore nonfiction as a genre. They identify the components and text structure of text structure of nonfiction text. Students read a nonfiction passage and...

Learners practice subtraction strategies and the use of number lines to count back. They use photographs of wolves and penguins to practice subtraction and the creation of number lines. Afterwards, they draw a wolf howling or a penguin...

Third graders explore genre characteristics. In this genre literacy lesson, 3rd graders listen to a variety of fiction stories and classify them according to genre. Students identify common features in each genre and complete a chart by...

Learners analyze Frederick Douglass' narrative about Christianity and slavery. In this Frederick Douglass lesson, young scholars read his slave narrative and analyze its word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical appeals. Learners...

Students read an article that tells how a young man turned his life around through the help of a local charity. They create inspirational scrapbooks and posters to help motivate their peers when they are facing adversity.