Students prewrite a story using graphic organizers. In this prewriting lesson plan, students create a story map before they start their writing.

Fourth graders read the novel, The Eric Canal, identifying the characters and setting. They respond to daily reading by writing in journals and complete a short answer test upon completion of the novel.

Eighth graders view two resources from the ratification debates and infer the motives and concerns of people in the two states involved. They write a newspaper editorial in favor or opposed to ratifying the Constitution.

Third graders log on to the net, type in the address for Scholastic and browse the subjects for the week. They select one area of interest and generate five interesting facts about the article.

Learners explore the concept of budgeting. In this budgeting lesson, students pretend to have $120 to spend on camping gear for a camping trip. Learners decide which items are absolutely necessary. Students calculate the total amount...

Seventh graders give persuasive presentations based on the questions they have researched. They examine appropriate delivery techniques for effective persuasive presentations. (Note: This lesson should be taught, after students have...

Twelfth graders discover more about a medical condition that is of interest to them and write what they have learned about that condition, using the information as a personal resource or to share with others.

Students examine writings of Mary Eliza Church Terrell. They role play themselves as an African American woman in the 19th century. They describe her actions and how they benefited minorities.

Students examine photographs before writing captions for them. They develop visual literacy as they see how photographs are manipulated to show the effects of acid rain. They rewrite the photo captions after a class discussion.

Eighth graders explain the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. They view a political cartoon of the period, then do a writing assignment for homework. They write about how they would feel if the British were calling them traitors.

Eleventh graders compare and contrast the type of immigrant that came to America during the 19th and 20th centuries. They write letters as if they were immigrants coming to America and what they faced and their hopes for the future.

Middle schoolers investigate the concept of the conservation of the Florida Panther and examine the effects of the Everglades water restoration project. They conduct a web based activity that includes the following: Listing what they...

Pupils model how the bones in a bat wing are organized. They develop questions about bat body parts based on photographs. They hypothesize how bats locate their food.

High schoolers explore one method for the detection of lead in soil. The detection of the presence of lead in soil can be determined sensitively using inexpensive swabs. Pupils collect several spoonfuls of soil from various parts of...

Pupils build a model of an atom using an online program. In this chemistry instructional activity, students discuss the different parts of the atom. They complete an independent research about their chosen element.

This eleven-part Blendspace is designed to be used while teaching students how to analyze cause and effect. Links include reference sheets, a SMART Notebook Lesson, posters, practice worksheets, and guided practice opportunities.

This learning module provides an explanation of the problem and solution text structure. An explanaton of the problem and solution text structure is provided, and comparisons to the cause and effect text structure are demonstrated in a...

This lesson engages students in learning about text structures. Graphic organizers are provided to assist students in planning writings that have the following text structures: problem and solution; sequence; cause and effect; and...

This is a slideshow that examines the cause-and-effect text structure of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. The lesson plan includes questions for students to answer in their Reading Response...

Provides a wealth of interactive exercises dealing mainly with the structuring of sentences in different kinds of academic writing.

This interactive set of flashcards focuses on learning the definitions of types of text structure such as chronological order, cause and effect, compare and contrast, question and answer, sequencing, problem and solution, and descriptive...

Slideshow examines the five most common text structures used by authors to organize nonfiction writing.

This resource from Kim's Korner for Teacher Talk defines various patterns of text organization and provides a brief essay example of each pattern.

Two slideshows and a screencast on organizational patterns used when writing essays and speeches. The first is a 20-slide presentation explaining the seven most common organizational patterns used in writing: time sequence, spatial,...