Introduce your young readers to the book review. Groups of writers practice the basic steps of writing a book report and complete an Accordion-Book Summary activity. The lesson includes book report basics and directions to make...

Have your middle schoolers define the terms outline, summary, paraphrase, plagiarism, citation, reference, and bibliography. They identify the main ideas, topic sentence, supporting ideas in technical writing and create note cards using...

Engage learners in setting and character with this story and craft activity set. To begin the activity, learners read the short story "The Too Small House." They then cut out and color a picture of the house and paper figures of the...

In this Thanksgiving coloring worksheet, students analyze 2 pictures in a box that pertain to Thanksgiving. Students follow the directions to color either the big or small picture. There are 4 problems on the page.

Get to know your students with this project. Each individual writes an autobiography that is at least seven pages long with major facts, visual facts, focal stories, and chronology. The lesson includes a point breakdown for the...

Prior to reading Night, class members engage in a guided imagery activity that helps them make text-to-self connections to Elie Wiesel’s account of his experiences with his father in Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Complete directions, as well...

Color-coded slides model for viewers the various uses of the comma and the period. The rule is presented and followed by several examples. Consider extending the lesson with a practice exercise.

Practice makes perfect when it comes to writing numbers! Learners try out their handwriting with this tracing numbers activity, focusing on numbers 16-23. They examine an example number with arrows to guide their pencil. Next, they trace...

Get your class talking, even debating, about Gary Paulsen's popular novel Canyons. As they finish chapters 10-12, they complete the following discussion web concerning Brennan and the skull. They fill out the graphic organizer provided...

Use this online English skills worksheet on a computer lab day in your language arts class. Young writers respond to twelve questions that require them to write more concise sentences. They may check suggested answers.

Off to Adventure! is the theme of an English language arts unit comprised of a variety of challenge activities. Scholars enhance skills and reinforce concepts by taking part in a grand book discussion, giving an oral...

The class works together to tackle easily confused words. Each learner receives a word and he or she must create a flashcard with the following things: the word, its definition, an original sentence that uses the word, and a picture...

Can your learners identify a complete sentence? Read the 20 examples and indicate which sentences are complete and which are fragments. Then, follow the lead of the examples provided and have your learners indicate what each sentence...

The underlined pronouns in 20 sentences need correction because they don't agree with their antecedents. Your emerging copy editors provide the correct pronoun. The worksheet can be printed or used interactively online. Check to make...

Advertisers target teenagers. Groups select three magazine advertisements for similar products, analyze the appeals used in each, create a poster that features the persuasive techniques used, and present their findings to the class. The...

Reinforce comma rules with this exercise. Learners add commas to a series of sentences and, using a list of eleven rules, match the rule they followed to each sentence. This learning exercise would be best for classes that have had...

Improve syntax with this explanatory handout. It clarifies one way to make writing more precise: avoiding nominalization. This resource provides four ways to find and change nominalization problems and 10 sentences to correct. There are...

A little redundant, this quiz nonetheless drives the point home: don't plagiarize! Nearly all questions are hypothetical scenarios followed by "Is this plagiarism?" Reinforce this notion through a quick quiz online.

Text heavy, the 16 slides in this presentation provide specific examples to introduce researchers to documenting outside sources in expository writing. A follow-up activity or worksheet would provide an opportunity for guided practice.

Spark a disscussion about a current issue, bullying, in your classroom. This resource, published by The New York Times, provides a short article discussing a Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights passed into law in the state New Jersey followed...

Guide your writers in the pre-writing stage of a research project. Print this sheet to help each writer select an appropriate research topic. They practice narrowing and broadening two different options provided. A natural follow-up...

Is your class ready to read Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793? Before they begin this historical novel, have them complete this cloze procedure to determine if it is at the correct reading level. The directions for introducing a cloze...

Follow up a class reading of the children's book Officer Buckle and Gloria with this simple sequence-of-events instructional activity. Including pictures of six key moments from the story, young learners must first number them in...

Second graders identify story elements in familiar stories from their lives. In this story elements activity, 2nd graders act out familiar activities  by following directions. Students read a story and discuss the story elements....