Students create outlines of folk tales and legends. They read a folk tale or legend in the target language. They complete an outline of the key events of the story including the main characters, plot, story elements and theme or moral.

Students create fantasy stories. In this creative writing lesson, students write a fantasy where they can use characters that they have read about in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Students create a new ending for a familiar story that stand alone with a clear beginning, middle and end. As a class, students review a familiar text focusing on plot and character development. In small groups, students work...

Fourth graders watch a silent movie and identify the elements of a story. They complete a worksheet attached to the instructional activity and discuss their answers.

Fourth graders read a Haitian folktale. They study main characters in Haitian folktales and explore multicultural information about Haiti. They clarify understanding by retelling a sentence (paraphrasing) and a passage in their own...

Students use reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, written expression to write in journals as reading "Holes" by Louis Sachar. Some days are set aside for tests and/or food tasting.

Students examine variety of written pieces of quality fiction, discuss what different story elements are present and how those elements make stories as effective as they are, and create a class story.

Students examine the process of writing a photo essay. They examine and select a personal photo or photo from a magazine, and brainstorm a story that can go with the photo. They identify an emotion to go with their picture, then write...

Young scholars examine how paintings tell stories. They read biographies about artists, analyze paintings, research and write the art history of a painting, write a creative story based on the painting, and create a painting in the...

Students study the social class conflicts that existed during the Russian Revolution by reading the short stories of Anton Chekov and Leo Tolstoy. They analyze the stories to find criticisms of pre-Revolutionary Russia before designing...

Students discuss works of science fiction that they read, highlight aspects that made each a part of science fiction genre, identify formal literary elements, and discuss ways each can be developed through science fiction.

Students engage in a variety of activities in order to appreciate the literature of Frankenstein. They create a portfolio that tracks progress towards mastering skills and stated objectives.

Fourth graders use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast various versions of the story The Three Little Pigs. They write a Cinquain, and then act out their version of the Three Little Pigs in a skit.

First graders read a story about Abbie Burgess. They identify at least three specific actions exhibiting traits of courage and responsibility. Students explore ways children and adults become heroes by helping others out in a time of...

Fourth graders participate in a lesson on the subject of creating comic strips. They create facial expressions in drawings for practice and gradually progress to making their own comic strips based on the holiday of Halloween. The...

Tenth graders experiment with poetry devices to write poems. In this poetry lesson, 10th graders participate in learning stations. Students create a word pool and select a word from the list to create a line of poetry. Students complete...

Sixth graders complete the magazine template in the Macmillan "Writer's Journal" available through the basic skills department using word processing, spreadsheet, graphic, and electronic resource (i.e.-Internet) skills

In this Shakespeare Film Clip worksheet, students list main ideas in the play, important images and motifs, and chose at least six main scenes or quotes that relate to the theme.  Students then discuss what is complex or...

Fourth graders work in groups in order to motivate one another to develop reading comprehension and literacy skills. The skills are built through the sharing of fine literature. They maintain a reading log to keep accountable for the...

Second graders are assigned reading and acting parts by drawing out pieces of paper with an animal. They find their group by making the sound of the animal once everyone has drawn a paper. They then read and choose parts within their...

Students write a front page of a newspaper from Ancient Rome dated March 14, 15, 16. 44BC that explains the role of Julius Caesar. They complete is assessment assignment in groups.

Students evaluate/distinguish scientific fact from fiction. They discuss similarities and differences in the life cycles of various birds. Student use the Internet as a research tool.

Students examine life in Pennsylvania during and after World War II. Using primary source documents, they compare the unity of the United States during World War II and the Iraq War. They also discover how citizens adapt to the war at home.

Students work in groups to create a story that will be presented to the class.  In this story writing instructional activity, students complete a project planning sheet, work together to create a story that includes a hero and at...