What is a KWL chart? Here is a well thought-out lesson that has learners use KWL charts to gain historical perspective. Your class examines primary sources about historical events and identifies what they know, want to know, and,...

Readers identify the author's purpose. First, they read a passage and utilize details from the piece to determine the author's purpose. Then they will explain how they arrived at their conclusion. Links to materials are provided.

Explore the meaning of unknown words! Read All I See with your class, having them complete the inference chart provided while reading. They select unknown words, guess their meanings, and identify what other words or pictures helped them...

Learners respond to the text Riding Freedom. They will compare and contrast two settings by filling in a graphic organizer. They explore different settings, discuss the reasons why settings change, and draw conclusions using descriptive...

Young historians explore US culture by investigating the US flag. They will use their textbooks, prior knowledge, and sources provided by the teacher to research the history of the American flag. They will design and create a trading...

A set of super-descriptive and colorful slides demonstates the effects of ocean waves on coastal cliffs. You will need to do the verbal explanation, as little text is found on some of the slides, but the graphics really illuminate how...

This wonderful recap of powerful figures in scientific history includes pictures, important dates, and the information about their inventions or impact. Atomic structure and the photoelectric effect are introduced. The first slide gives...

If you're looking to tie rap music into poetry writing, this would be a good presentation to use as you kick off your mini-unit. Learners are given a brief, but descriptive, history of rap music and rap poetry. The slides include...

Delve into The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling with a helpful study guide. Crossword puzzles, comprehension questions, character descriptions, chapter summaries, and vocabulary exercises connect readers with the classic text of a boy...

Great Expectations can prove to be a challenge for instructors who choose to use Dickens's novel as required reading. Here's a curriculum guide that includes lessons that address some of these challenges. The first lesson in critical...

Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is the featured text in three classroom activities. The first activity asks readers to analyze the description of Edmond Dantes in Chapter XVII, paying particular attention to Dumas' word...

How do writers create a specific tone in their text? As class members continue their study of Sugar Changed the World, they focus on the words and phrases that Aronson and Budhos use to create that tone in their descriptions of arduous...

Social stories are wonderful teaching tools specifically designed for learners with Asperger's, autism, PDD-NOS, non-verbal learning disabilities, or other developmental disabilities. They are used to model appropriate social behaviors...

This second lesson in a larger unit is perfect for the beginning of the year because it explicitly teaches 3rd graders how to use close reading skills by identifying unfamiliar words, figuring out the gist, and defining important...

Third graders read excepts from the story, Thank You, Mr. Falker in order to gain practice in understanding an unfamiliar story by focusing on the details. They use a worksheet, embedded in the plan, which directs them to certain...

For this ninth lesson plan in a larger beginning-of-the-year unit, close reading skills are used independently to find the gist of the story That Book Woman. Rereading for important details is the targeted skill to unlock a deeper...

A set of very useful posters (in PDF) describing different types of non-fiction texts is here for you. While there isn't an activity, per se, in these worksheets, they could be used as a handy reference for learners who are engaging in...

Launch a study of Maya Angelou's "I know Why the Caged Bird Sings" with the Youtube video of Alicia Keys singing her "Caged Bird." Groups then read Angelou's poem and discuss the symbols employed. Although the text of the poem is not...

Students imagine they are taking a trip around Ireland. They create a nature journal for their trip including the description of the landscape, climate, animals and plants. They are to give details to make it seem real. Students may use...

Young scholars imagine they are taking a trip around Latvia. They create a nature journal for their trip including the description of the landscape, climate, animals and plants. They are to give details to make it seem real. Students may...

Learners imagine they are taking a trip around Slovenia. They create a nature journal for their trip including the description of the landscape, climate, animals and plants. They are to give details to make it seem real. Students may use...

Students imagine they are taking a trip around Sweden. They create a nature journal for their trip including the description of the landscape, climate, animals and plants. They are to give details to make it seem real. Students may use...

Practice vocabulary and descriptive language with this worksheet. Young readers work on complete a cloze activity about a new puppy, using twleve words from a word bank. An answer key is available for teacher use.

Pupils prepare for a field trip to the Bronx Zoo. They use maps and descriptions of animal exhibits to give and interpret directions on how to navigate the zoo. They play games, participate in pairwork and whole class discussion.