Connect to real-world experiences by having your primary learners create an award certificate based upon literal and inferential information from a story. They present the award to a character from a story and explain the criteria used....

This story is bound to motivate your class. Learners read a story called Elena by Diane Stanley. The story is about a young woman who marries for love but is soon widowed during the Mexican Revolution. She takes her children to...

Here’s a cross-curricular program music activity that uses Peer Gynt to engage class members. Groups take one section of “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” choreograph their section of the tune to represent the story as they imagine it,...

Students examine the ways a character changes throughout the course of a story.  In this literary analysis lesson, students discuss a story that spans three years in a young girl's life.  Students analyze the changes the girl...

Students retell a story using computer software. In this story elements lesson, students retell the story giving the plot, setting, characters and moral using Pixie software.

Using Alpha Smarts, 3rd graders write a "Story-in-the-Round". The end result of this project is one story for every student in the class that has been written by the entire class. Students create a PowerPoint presentation with a...

Students read folktales and identify the plot of the story by making a mobile. In this inventive and colorful lesson, students listen to a variety of famous folktales, and practice identifying the plot. Then, they work together to create...

Students look at the role of characters in a story. In this character lesson, students discuss how different types of characters change the plot of the story. They see how storytellers use their body, face, and voice to tell stories. 

Students summarize a story, identify the plot structure, and create a symbol that represents the essence of the story.

Students analyze the characters and events in fictional writing. In this literary elements lesson, students study the meaning of the words characterization and fiction. They listen to the story Pigsty by Mark Teague, or any other book...

Students are introduced to the periodic table of elements. They devise and perform and experiment in which they determine the density of specific elements. They use their results to predict the density of other elements in the same group.

Students identify geographical features of different regions encountered by migrants on the Oregon trail. Students research how the Oregon landscape may have affected life and 19th century westward migration. Students write a narrative...

Students explore the concept of mysteries.  In this mystery genre lesson, students identify the common characteristics of mystery books and use a story map to identify these characteristics in a given book.  Students also...

In this Of Mice and Men viewing guide worksheet, students study movie terminology as they read brief descriptions and respond to 26 short answer questions as the watch the film based on Steinbeck's novel.

While reading O Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," your class will define and identify situational irony and allusion. Use a study guide (not included, but easy to produce) to record and discuss examples of allusion as you read. Map the...

Primary learners explore elements of wonder in The Nursery "Alice" by Lewis Carroll. They analyze the plot point after listening to the text. Next, they describe the imagery in various works of children's literature using the given links...

"Once upon a time . . ." Language learners examine the key elements of well-known fairy tales and then craft their own.

Students practice using predictive strategies before reading a book. In this literacy instructional activity, students identify the theme and characters of the novel based on the cover illustrations.

Students explore tone in "Much Ado About Nothing." In this literary elements lesson, students  list the main points of the plot, identify shifts in tone, and select love songs that reflect the tone of events and/or characters.

Learners discover the parts of a story through the retelling of a fable as well as characters, plot, and setting. This activity is completed using the program Pixie to create an online storybook.

Fifth graders chart the elements of drama. In this performing arts lesson, 5th graders discuss the role of a playwrite, practice doing some Reader's Theatre scripts, write a paragraph about a problem between two people, and perform...

Students engage in study of plot and setting with the reading of many familiar texts. They identify the plot and setting with the help of a worksheet. The teacher works with the class for scaffolding and helps them to recognize the...

Students work in small groups and prepare an analysis of a short story to be presented to their peers. They research the story and create a handout or a visual aid that cites sources of information and summarizes the main points of the...