Students explore African-American students literature as an integral building block in empowering all students to a better awareness when reading and writing. They use as a productive Social Studies tool for overall understanding of the...

Eighth graders discuss early school memories. They assess hopes and aspirations in greater detail and discover the importance of education as one of the shapes of our 'selves'. They observe parents' reactions to children growing up...

Young scholars orally tell different types of stories using the assistance of props. For more advanced students, stories may be told according to a specific genre, or the story may have to include a given condition, setting, situation or...

Enrich a unit on The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros with a selection of related activities. The packet contains nine activities that go from pre-reading through wrapping up the novel. Young readers work on studying...

Teach learners how to interact with both fiction and non-fiction text with a packet of activities and worksheets. After looking over text structure and the difference in text features between different types of writing,...

Students identify various techniques used in memoirs. They reflect on similarities and differences betwee two authors. Students define the term memior. They write about various techiques they noticed the authors used. Students write...

Designed with many of the Common Core standards in mind, this 10-lesson unit is brimming with ELL strategies, teacher's notes, and the best of core instructional methods for teaching the common elements of folktales, and exploring...

Students read "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and practice the days of the week. In groups, they create a puppet show, design cards of the "days of the week," draw their favorite part of the story, create a visual representation of each...

Students read a variety of poetry books together in small groups. They examine Haiku poetry and share their favorites. They write their own Haiku either individually in a pair. They read and discuss limericks and work on writing their own.

Students relate phrases and sayings to their life experiences. In this phrases and sayings lesson, students participate in activities and listen to stories to understand the meanings of each saying. One day is devoted to each saying.

Fourth graders view song lyrics and identify similes in the song text.  In this similes lesson plan, 4th graders define and identify similes on a worksheet.  Students write their own similes using various adjectives.

Students are introduced to the characteristics of the short story. Individually, they use their own personal experiences to write a poem about their families to get them used to writing. Next, they practice reading various short...

This is a phenomenal resource. It allows the user to create a reading list of quality children's literature based of choices such as reading level, type of book, genre, ethnicity, gender, etc. In addition, one can determine if a book won...

A great article concerning writing children's literature, especially in the area of fantasy or science fiction. The author provides information concerning how to develop characters, creating literary elements, and discusses some pitfalls...

An excellent resource for anyone looking to write in the literary genre of mystery, especially for children. Includes helpful information and tips for writers on topics such as publishing and content.

A comprehensive research guide for writers who are interested in finding an agent. Rich with information and helpful hints; site is suited for children's literature writers but can also apply to other genres.

An artist's representative presents basic steps and tips to selling or publishing your artwork as illustrations for books. Written primarily for children's literature, but may also apply to other genres as well.

A very helpful article for writers looking for inspiration. Presents advice about inspiration from the past, present, and future. Article written for children's literature but may also apply to other genres.

An excellent resource for a writer struggling to come up with the exact words for which they are looking. Includes very helpful advice and information. Aimed at writers of children's literature, but can also apply to other genres.

The "slush pile" is a publisher's sizeable reading stash, and this site is a great resource for attempting to get a publisher to get your manuscript OUT of the pile. Includes several pieces of advice concerning the story itself, your...

An excellent resource for illustrators to format their work in order to get the attention of a publisher. Intended for children's literature, but may also apply to other genres.

Short article gives excellent tips concerning how to use visual elements to enhance a written story. Article was written specifically for children's literature, but can also apply to other genres as well.