As part of a discussion of seasonal words, class members identify words relating to autumn and then identify the language used to describe what happens during this time of year. 

Young readers practice looking words up in the dictionary. This lesson describes a simple, yet engaging, game that can be played as a whole-class activity.

Children bring in a toy, favorite or otherwise, and describe it using adjectives and adverbs. They fold a piece of paper into two columns, and list the adjectives on one side, and the adverbs on the other.

Use Shel Silverstein's poem "Batty" to introduce poetry to young readers. This lesson is not formatted well, but the plan does suggest learners memorize a poem, recite the poem individually, and then recite the poem as a class. Poetry...

Young appreciators of art consider the sculpture, The Things I Have to do to Maintain Myself, by Roxanne Swentzell. Everyone gives their opinion as to what the figure in the sculpture is doing. After they learn that the image portrays a...

Review common digraphs with your early elementary schoolers. They identify the digraph /ea/ in written and spoken language. After a brief discussion, they apply the rule for identifying and spelling words containing the /ea/ digraph....

Read, revisit, and reflect. Older elementary young scholars summarize main idea 6using key details. They consider the V formation that birds fly in, summarize an informational text, and write critical thinking questions.

Elementary learners write friendly letters with the same subject to two contrasting readers or audiences. They choose words and phrases that will be the most effective for the audience they are trying to reach. They read both letters and...

Elementary learners observe and discuss advertisements for tobacco and alcohol. They identify how advertisers place information in strategic spots and make their product look good. They choose an ad and fill out the attached form on...

Help your class participate in hands-on activities to get them back into the swing of going to school everyday. This list is designed for all grade levels with unique ideas for each (note that many ideas are geared for elementary, but...

Elementary schoolers practice the skill of non-fiction writing. They study aspects of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, and write an essay which describes the tower and it's fascinating history. The article about the tower is included in...

Guide your pupils through the process of creating a free e-mail account on Gaggle.net. Once the accounts are established, class members contact authors and practice letter writing techniques. This instructional activity includes resource...

How do you read when you know you're going to be summarizing a text? Summarize a nonfiction text with your upper elementary schoolers. Your pupils independently read a nonfiction article and write a summary paragraph using the six-step...

Help your elementary learners distinguish between short and long vowel /o/ sounds. They are introduced to the vowel-consonant-e pattern that changes short vowel sounds into long vowel sounds. Then they practice reading and spelling words...

Elementary readers in literature groups practice summarizing chapter-by-chapter with Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. Focus on main idea, supporting details, and the 5 Ws. Unfortunately, a clever "peach" graphic organizer to which...

Text marking and a T-chart format to distinguish important information from trivia help elementary readers summarize effectively. Encouraging readers to construct a chapter summary from paragraph-level topic sentences is another sound...

What letters create the /sh/ sound? Have your elementary learners study the sound, write different words that use the sound in their letter boxes, and read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish! After this mini-lesson, can your...

Discuss the reading comprehension strategy of summarization with your elementary schoolers! They read a chapter from their social studies textbook, Regions Near and Far, and create a map, or word web, for the chapter. They identify...

Get ready to boost fluency in the classroom with this lesson geared toward elementary readers. Listening to the first half of The Little Engine That Could,  learners focus on how voice changes create expression. They then...

Elementary schoolers observe and apply a variety of reading comprehension strategies. They silently read a passage out of their science textbook, and discuss answering the who, what, where, when, and how of the text. In small groups they...

Elementary learners practice reading short passages to increase their fluency. They work in pairs to do repeated readings of Jane and Babe, recording their times. They switch roles and time one another in an effort to decrease the...

Listen in on a conversation between a bunch of wildebeests. Using the word bank (located at the bottom of the page), elementary schoolers select the appropriate word to complete each sentence. Note: There's a clue on the bottom right...

Which is a better sport: soccer or basketball? Upper elementary writers will love arguing over their favorite sports. Consider asking the class what their favorite sports are before assigning this sheet and editing the choices as needed....

Provide elementary learners additional practice with compound words. First they identify the two independent words used to create a compound word, and then they search for examples in their daily life. Where can you read or hear compound...