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On My Honor-Marion Dane Bauer
Middle schoolers read and examine the novel On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer. They choose to complete a variety of intriguing assignments on this novel. Critical thinking skills are intertwined throughout this lesson plan.
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Story vs. Plot
Students, after reading and discussing the two texts by Flannery O'Connor, "Good Country People" and "Greenleaf," analyze the plot, tone, characters, themes and setting in each story. They write their own short stories dealing with a...
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Checking Facts with Snopes, Factcheck & Politifact
Learners examine the art of fact-checking. For this current events lesson, students read the provided article "Snopes: The Internet Cesspool," "FactCheck: Proceed with Caution," and "Politifact: Separating Fact from Fiction." Learners...
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The Rest of the Story
Third graders make predictions about the story "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" based on background knowledge. They read the story, stopping to verify or reject predictions. They write their own opinionated fairytales.
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Tennessee Williams: Exploring the American Dream
Students read and analyze selections of Tennessee Williams' work. They write journal responses, conduct Internet research, perform various scenes from one of Williams' dramas, and create a presentation.
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Exploring the Mystery Genre
Students determine the story elements of typical mystery stories including characters and plot structure. They look at vocabulary that is common to mystery stories before reading and responding to mystery chapter books. Working in guided...
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Holes
Students read and analyze the story elements of the novel "Holes" by Louis Sachar. They play a "Holes" matching game, complete a timeline of story events, complete a Cause-and-Effect graphic organizer, conduct research on Louis Sachar's...
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Start Book
Students review their notes, drawings, photos and writing from the field trip to share with the whole group. They make a fiction or nonfiction storybook as a group. They include writing from all students and can include artwork and...
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Inquiring Minds Want to Know- 7
In this writing worksheet, students read 4 intriguing headlines which have appeared in a newspaper. Students choose one and read the story starter before writing a story about this headline.
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I Am Me and Nobody Else!
Fourth graders explore writing as a way to communicate. In this writing instructional activity, 4th graders articulate how they feel about an issue in their lives. Students share their works.
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Treasure Chest
Students explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago lesson, students discover what life what like during this time. Students read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students view replicas of...
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Organizational Structures of Nonfiction Text/Graphic Organizers
Fifth graders review the characteristics of a nonfiction text. In this language arts lesson, 5th graders understand that one can use a specific graphic organizer to help them in understanding an organizational structure. For example, in...
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What is Gyotaku
Third graders make a T-shirt. In this fish printing lesson, 3rd graders learn about Gyotaku and the history of fish printing. The teacher demonstrates how to do a fish printing for a T-shirt and then students make their own T-shirts and...
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Short Story Group PowerPoint Project
Students choose a short story from the class literature book. They find information about the author. They read the short story from the literature textbook. They create a PowerPoint to retell the short story.
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Intro to Witch on Blackbird Pond
Fourth graders read Witch on Blackbird Pond and understand the difficulties of traveling to America during the colonial period. In this Witch on Blackbird Pond lesson, 4th graders compare the choices we have in...
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Teens on Trial
Students read about the public reaction to the conviction of Alex and Derek King, and explore the issue of child offenders being tried and sentenced as adults. They compose letters to Florida Governor Jeb Bush, outlining their opinion on...
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Border Legends, Myth, & Folklore
Students examine the narrative forms and tales unique to the U.S.-Mexico border. They discuss the possible sociological meanings of these stories, and then write their own versions to demonstrate that they explain the forms.
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Picture This: Photography in Adult Basic Education
Students use photos to generate opinions and feelings for them to write about. They use the photos to find something they are interested in and help them write.
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The Armenian Genocide: The American Ambassador in Constantinople
Students analyze America's reaction to the Armenian Genocide. They write a journal response, read and discuss text, compare/contrast reactions around the world to the Armenian Genocide and the genocide in Rwanda, and write an essay.
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Effective Literary Analyses
Twelfth graders discuss a fictional text that they are given, they identify passages, which highlight the author's style, language naances and textual ambiguities. Pupils brainstorm possible topics for an analytical essay, they are...
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Create a Board Game
Middle schoolers research, design, and create a game board based on information learned in ancient civilizations' social studies units. They utilize computer technology to research the project, as well as, textbooks, in-class library...
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A Court Case with Real Appeal
Students analyze the United States' current appellate process, with a critical eye focused on possible inequities within the system. They then write letters to a Manhattan district attorney giving their recommendations on how he should...
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Taha Moana - The Sea
Students discuss language, meanings and ideas in a range of texts related to the sea. They write instructions, explanations, arguments and factual accounts, express personal viewpoints on topics related to the sea.
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Journeying to Jo'Burg and Beyond
Young scholars read and analyze the novel, "Journey to Jo'burg " by Beverly Naidoo to assess a deeper insight to the history of South Africa and how it has impacted world events today. As they think more on a global level, they begin to...