Students practice with business letters. They identify main ideas and supporting details.

Third graders identify the main ideas illustrated in the story "Dancing Rainbows." They identify details from the story that show respect toward self and others. Students write a paragraph to illustrate how the Tewa Indians show respect....

Students write a research paper about their dream job. They organize their paper using research notes, and support their main idea with supporting details.

Students explore semantic mapping. Through teacher modeling and independent practice they complete a variety of semantic (concept) maps to coincide with specific areas of subject matter. They identify the core concept and include...

Students participate in a lesson plan that involves writing a persuasive essay. They use the prompt of "extending the school day". The paper should contain correct elements of sentence structure with clear purpose that is supported with...

Revising, as opposed to editing, is the focus of a presentation that details this essential part of the writing process. The author of this PowerPoint suggests outlining the draft to determine if all the necessary elements are included...

Prepare your first grade classroom for the Common Core with this series of colorful literacy standard displays. Providing children with clear learning objectives throughout the school year, this resource includes each English language...

Third graders practice identifying the main idea and supporting details when reading informational text. They read text related to waterfalls and practice note taking skills to identify critical details. Students use their notes to...

Pupils make a chart of the main categories and supporting details from the article," When chips are down, Girl Scouts order more." They compare their chart with that of a classmate. Students organize their ideas in a logical manner and...

Students create a greeting card from one character to another after finishing a novel. Individually, they use their imagination to write the paragraph using the text to support their ideas. They share their greeting card with the class...

Third graders practice brainstorming with their classmates as they discuss a role-play situation.  In this group discussion lesson, 3rd graders must present ideas of ways to survive on a deserted island by discussing with their...

Students brainstorm in preparation for writing an expressive essay. They review their responses to 'Writing from Experience' and write notes and brainstorm other ideas or details for their essays. They take turns illustrating their life...

Students create a free from poem on the topic of friendship. They read examples of free form poetry to gather ideas. Through the use of a graphic organizer, students generate a list of friendship characteristics which is used to create...

Students explore storytelling by conceptualizing a story with classmates. In this publishing lesson, students identify the idea development process and discuss word choice when writing a story. Students utilize a graphic organizer to...

Students, while using the strategy of identifying the main idea and supporting details, explore the three nonfiction selections of the lost worlds of Machu Picchu high in the Andes Mountains, Great Zimbabwe, and Anasazi. In addition,...

In this English exercises:  kindergarten songs worksheet, students watch 2 musical videos, then interactively select the correct answer for 16 questions about the songs, with immediate online feedback.

The details in the new Common Core standard for producing informative/explanatory texts is different from what you have in your current curriculum, and now you are confused on what to do. Keep calm and carry on, because not only does...

Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...

Identifying the theme or central idea of a text is a skill many young readers struggle with. It is also the second standard for reading literature in the Common Core. This resource, one from a series of Common Core lessons, can provide...

Second graders demonstrate creative movement, singing in canon or rounds, and playing instruments while taking "a musical journey through the seasons" in this second grade General Music lesson. Songs and discussion questions are...

Third graders analyze and discuss the four seasons and how each can be represented in song form. This lesson plan is intended for the third grade Music classroom but could be adapted for any elementary grade. State and National...

Students use pictures to help them communicate their ideas. They write personal books or journals using pictures. Students can create daily blogs usig the internet and create a weekly newsletter.

Students explore the use of voice and title in William Faulkner's, "As I Lay Dying". They identify and discuss the use of image, symbols and narrative voice in the story.