The world would be a much different place without the help of pollinators. Read about the important role bats, hummingbirds, and various insects play in plant reproduction, exploring the interdependence of living things in an ecosystem....

There are so many fun activities for alphabet learners! Use nursery rhymes, letter hunts, and the name sort to have learners interact with the letter of the day. Your learners will never get bored with the variety of activities provided...

A Middle school special ed class uses the acronym SPAM to learn the 4 parts of writing. They employ 4 different colors to help them visually distinguish each part of writing in a given prompt. This lesson is vague and uses a strong...

Whether using Touching Spirit Bear in the classroom, as an outside reading assignment, or in a homeschool situation, your readers will benefit from this eight-page packet of essay and discussion questions, vocabulary lists, and reading...

After a close reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" individuals copy the rhythm and rhyme scheme and rewrite the final stanzas of the poem.

Do your students have a connection to their natural environment? Create neighborhood maps together with your little learners. The lesson starts as the class talks about where they live and what their homes look like. They review their...

Mansa Musa was so rich that his gifts of gold made the value of the metal drop throughout Africa. As he traveled from Mali to the Middle East to make hajj, his gifts were so extravagant, they devalued the gold already in circulation....

What is a natural resource, and what resources did the Lewis and Clark expedition seek? After reading an article on the mapping of the west, learners get into small groups to discuss the important natural resources of the period. They...

Use this model, based on urban youth poetry competitions, to create an engaging venue for your poets to share their work out loud, with expression. Build class community, have fun, and celebrate your authors' original verse....

Bookend your study of Peter and the Starcatchers with a KWHL centered around treasure and power. Pupils work in small groups to compile knowledge and questions and then revisit this chart after reading and research.

Asking questions about what you're reading is an effective way to connect with the text. After kids read passages from Kyoko Mori's Shizuko's Daughter, they identify questions about the passages as Right There, Think and...

Summarizing a text means being able to identify supporting details. Your class can learn about transportation workers in Chicago as they read a one-page informational passage. When they are finished reading they'll explain what they've...

If you are studying fairy tales in your class and watch Ever After as part of your curriculum, you might consider this comprehension test as a way to assess learners. Test-takers answer 25 questions about the film, time period, and the...

"The Last Song" by Bernie Taupin and Elton John is the inspiration for an analysis assignment. Individuals read the song and answer nine questions about the speaker, figurative language, and significance of the lyrics. Use this as an...

The Cay has been criticized by groups such as the Council on Interracial Books for Children because of the way race is portrayed. Explore the argument against the book while taking the author's perspective into account. Class members...

"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein. The sixth installment of a seven-part series teaches young scientists about the importance of being able to communicate scientific research and...

First graders practice reading and writing for a variety of purposes and audiences. Ten lessons on one page.

First graders explore learning skills that can be practiced at home in the ten lessons of this unit. Oral reading, letter formation, fairy tale identification, and phonic awareness exercises are provided in this unit.

Middle schoolers are introduced to pre- and post-reading strategies. Individually, they read excerpts of a story while making predictions about what they believe is going to happen next. After reading the selection, they answer...

Students investigate the genocide that occurred in Rwanda. They read and discuss an article, watch a Frontline video, complete a worksheet for the video, and write a letter to the Rwandan government or United Nations about the...

First graders investigate a story with the theme of The Thanksgiving holiday. The teacher reads the story to the class. The story is meant to help students to think of things they are thankful for. Students share the ideas in either...

In this family and relationship crossword puzzle instructional activity, students practice key vocabulary as they read the 9 clues to correctly fill in the word puzzle. Students also write a sentence using each answer about a person in...

Students access the Internet and research physical characteristics and route of migration of the gray whale. They complete a database and reproduce the information using Apple Works. They read the novel El Guero by Elizabeth Borton de...

Fourth graders read and respond to poetry. They identify the author's purpose and connect the literature to their personal experiences. Students critically analyze the poem and write a poem of their own.