How do you determine an author’s purpose? You ask the author, of course. Invite a local journalist into the class to respond to scripted student questions about his/her writing process. A review of basic classroom etiquette is also...

Students read a story about Benjamin Franklin's 300th birthday and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this Benjamin Franklin birthday lesson plan, students explore Mr. Franklin's role as an author, editor,...

Students engage in a study about the holiday of a birthday with the help of using children's literature. They make cognitive connections of using the characters of the book and relating them to the personal celebration of a birthday.

Learners explore the publishing roles of author and illustrator. Stories are written and the illustration done by other students. Answers to several questions act as a motivating force for the creation of the stories.

Students write short books teaching a mathematical concept. They may work in teams, with one student being the author and one student being the illustrator. They view examples of studenT books that deal with math concepts before beginning.

Planning a party of 45 guests may be more complicated than it would seem.  Learners must design the space in accordance with these constraints about the space available in the room. They need to calculate area, circumference,...

Students explore the seasons and months of the year through literature, math, art and movement. They identify the month of their birthday and in which season it comes. Students name the four seasons and they memorize a poem to recite the...

Learn more about Dr. Seuss in an author study activity. After young readers create a KWL chart on information they know about Dr. Seuss, they take on group roles, such as the researcher or recorder, to find out more about Dr....

First graders examine biographical information about Tomie dePaola and create a birthday card for him. They play an Author Guessing Game, listen to the book "The Art Lesson," explore the Tomie dePaola website, and illustrate a birthday...

Students examine what teenagers value most, and discuss the trend of decadent sixteenth birthday parties. They read an article, analyze forms of teen-focused media, and create a visual presentation on their media analysis.

Young scholars identify the probability of an event occurring. Learners explore the complement of an event in finding why an event will not happen. They also explore basics of probability within algebra.

A fun lesson that utilizes toys and persuasion! After reading the article, which was written in 2005, pull some advertisements for toys currently being sold. These will be more relevant to your middle and high schoolers. What toy is a...

The class discusses the different purposes an author has for writing. The focus of the discussion is on writing to tell a true story and writing to give information about a specific topic. There are writing purpose sorting cards embedded...

Here, young historians compare their early lives to that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s. They listen to a read aloud of a story by Dr. King's sister, and then write in the provided reflective journal template. Lastly, they share their...

Mentor texts are a great way to demonstrate how to write with purpose. Pupils will be reintroduced to two well-known books and then asked to think about them from the writer's point of view. They will see that the author had to use basic...

Students investigate graphs and analyze the data displayed in the graph. They read a graph reflecting the birthday data for the students to read and analyze. Students use the graph to determine the number of birthday cards they need to...

In this The First Part Last comprehension check worksheet, students respond to 25 short answer questions pertaining to part 1 of the Angela Johnson novel to better understand the novel and the author's craft.

Students describe factors that influence relationships with family and friends.

Students examine the life and works of Theodor Seuss Geisel. In groups, they compare and contrast the stories, characters and illustrations he used. They complete a book review on one of the books and share them with other students in...

Middle schoolers complete a unit of lessons that explore the poetic voice of Langston Hughes. They define voice, read and analyze various poems by Langston Hughes, and complete journal entries for each instructional activity.

Students study about animals and their habitats, their environments, their young and their diets. They participate on a field trip to a local spring to take digital pictures of the environment the animals live in, what they eat and then...

Students write a haiku about the Hana Matsuri, then write a letter to a Japanese pen pal asking them about their experiences at the Hana Matsuri.

Students engage in a variety of book making activities to foster creativity, literacy, and fine-motor skills. In this book-making lesson, students author a book about the days of the week, illustrating the activities that they...

Students list examples of appeals to the senses in the poem Out of the Dust.  For this Out of the Dust lesson, students discuss ways that the author brings the story alive through appeals to the senses.  Students discuss...