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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Talking with the Author

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Encourage your class to interact with complex texts through dialectical journal writing.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Springfield Wiki Lesson - Literature Circles

For Teachers 6th
Using a variety of novels about survival, such as Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, pupils create author's studies using wikis. First, learners are placed in groups to study a particular novel. Then, they create a page...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Running an Elementary Book Club

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Combine reading with fun in order to create lifelong, literary-minded learners who love to read.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Are All Authors: Create a Book

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Every child is an author with this engaging reading activity. First the class reviews the various parts of a book such as the title, author, dedication, and author-biography. Then each individual will choose a story of their own to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inspector Readers: The 002 Book Club

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
This unit introduces book clubs/literature circles to lower elementary classes, but could be adapted to higher grades. It outlines the anticipatory activity that includes a WebQuest, a discussion to clarify questions about the unit,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Authors and Illustrators: What do they do?

For Teachers K - 1st
Help readers understand the roles of authors and illustrators and why they have been recognized by medals of excellence. Your class will discuss and then create illustrations for a book. When they have finished, you can hold your own...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tales with a Twist

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Your authors create news stories that share a familiar fairy tale from a new perspective. They review a familiar fairy tale, select a character to "interview," and write original news stories from the perspective of that character.
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Study Guide
State Library of Ohio

All the Light We Cannot See Toolkit

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Anthony Doerr's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See is the focus of a toolkit that provides readers with a summary of the plot, background information about the author, and discussion topics. 
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Lesson Plan
2
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ReadWriteThink

Literature Circles: Getting Started

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Make reading more enjoyable and interactive with literature circles! Here you'll find detailed lessons to begin the literature circle process. Ten lessons introduce each role learners take on. Literature circle roles include...
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Lesson Plan
Weebly

Author Study: Eric Carle

For Teachers K - 2nd Standards
Dive into an author study of one of the most beloved children’s book authors, Eric Carle. After reading some of his stories, including Papa Get me the Moon, A House for Hermit Crab, The Grouchy Ladybug, and The Very Busy Spider, readers...
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Activity
Gourmet Curriculum Press

Author's Purpose

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Who knew determining author's purpose could be turned into a game? Four teams compete to correctly identify the author's purpose for writing a series of passages.
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PPT
Curated OER

Author Study: Chris Van Allsburg

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This short presentation provides an overview of the types of things students will learn about as they conduct an Author Study. The focus of this PowerPoint is author Chris Van Allsburg, but you could replace him with any author your...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Author's Purpose

For Teachers K - 3rd
A simple activity for young readers, this introduces the idea of author purpose. Learners analyze various types of texts (newspaper articles, magazines, books, advertisements, etc.) and determine if the author's purpose for writing was...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Book Talk Fun!: Growing Independence and Fluency

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Master reading fluently and with emotion and expression! Young learners read and reread the book Tiki Tiki Tembo by Arlene Mosel to practice this strategy. The remark on the end punctuation to help them decide how to read the sentence. 
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Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

No Talking: Novel Study

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Many of the world's most inspirational sayings are attributed to Mahatma Gandhi. Using the No Talking novel study, pupils research and write about one of his sayings. Additionally, they practice alliteration and write a quintet that...
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Worksheet
1
1
Reading Shakespeare

Shakespeare Literature Circles Role Sheets

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Tired of those blank stares after your class reads a particularly complex passage from a Shakespearean play? Help high schoolers untangle that prose with a literature circle activity. Ten different roles prompt class members to focus on...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Author’s Craft: The Poetry of the Play

For Teachers 8th Standards
Feel the rhythm! Pupils begin reading Act 2, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as they continue participating in a drama circle. With discussion, they examine Shakespeare's use of rhyme, rhythm, and meter, analyzing how...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Exploring Animals in Literature

For Teachers K - 3rd
Celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week while teaching empathy and allegory with creature-related texts
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Lesson Plan
Free Library of Philadelphia

Resources for Ghost Boys

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Ghost Boys, wanted to bring the historical legacy of Emmett Till and the current topic of racial prejudice into today's young readers' mindsets. Use a reading guide and set of discussion questions to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Antonia: During Reading Strategy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Home in on the quote on this page to explore setting, the author's and character's voices, and plot in Willa Cather's My Antonia. Pupils draw a picture of what is described in the quote, discuss the content, and make connections to their...
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Lesson Plan
Lee & Low Books

First Come the Zebra Teacher’s Guide

For Teachers 1st - 5th Standards
Accompany a reading of First Come the Zebra written and illustrated by Lynne Barasch with a teacher's guide equipped with before reading, vocabulary, and after reading activities. Additional social studies, science, music, art, math, and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing the Author’s Perspective: “Equal Rights for Women” by Shirley Chisholm

For Teachers 8th Standards
It's all about perspective. Scholars talk about the meaning of perspective and look closely at the point of view of Equal Rights for Women. They discuss how Chisholm addresses the views of others and complete a close reading guide to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Author’s Craft: Poetry and Prose

For Teachers 8th Standards
During a drama circle, scholars closely examine the play created in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream. The pupils read Act 3 Scene 1 and turn and talk to their partners about the scene. They then complete a handout and discuss the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Author's Purpose

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read the book Talkin' About Bessie and write a paragraph about the author's purpose. In this author's purpose lesson plan, 4th graders include examples from the story.