Students celebrate a fellow peer in class by having a party for him or her.  In this foreign language lesson, students celebrate a classmate's birth using their target language to host a party.  Students create a bulletin board...

Students use their imaginations to write about an imaginary trip. In this creative writing instructional activity, students write about an imaginary trip. Students brainstorm writing ideas as a class and use past...

Students explore fictional characters. In this fictional characters lesson, students hear information about a character then ask and answer questions. Students also answer true/false questions about the character and make a mini book...

Young scholars practice descriptive writing by viewing auto-portraits of young children.  In this art analysis lesson, students examine an auto-portrait of their teacher as a young child and ask him/her questions about their youth....

Students write a newspaper article related to a sports event.  For this article writing lesson, students read sports-related articles, complete a graphic organizer to help them see the format of a newspaper article, then they work...

Students investigate editorials.  In this literacy critical thinking lesson, students compare and contrast two newspaper editorials and two letters to the editor by completing a Venn diagram. Students work in groups to write...

Students practice interviewing and answering questions by creating a mock talk show.  In this communications lesson, students view a classic clip of an older T.V. talk show and plan an outline of material for their own talk show....

Students complete a narrative writing assignment by critiquing a sample webpage. In this narrative writing activity, students view the sample webpage and take notes. Students create a similar webpage that contains a narrative account...

Students write a narrative story about the Lewis and Clarke Expedition. In this narrative writing lesson, students write a narrative story including themselves in the expedition. Students include aspects of narrative story writing,...

Third graders explore civil rights by researching the late Dr. King. In this African American leader lesson, 3rd graders read the book Martin's Big Words which explore the foundation of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s principals and...

Students investigate global geography by researching the country of Scotland. In this cultural investigation activity, students view images of Scotland on a computer and listen to audio interviews about Scottish citizens. Students...

Students write friendly letters. In this friendly letter writing lesson, students write a friendly letter to a leprechaun. Students review the parts of a friendly letter then watch the teacher model how to write a friendly letter,...

Learners add details to their narratives. In this narrative writing instructional activity, students look at a simple four sentence narrative and add adjectives and adverbs to make it more descriptive. They do this activity whole class,...

Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. For this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....

Class members select a science fiction novel for independent study. To verify they have completed the reading, they write a summary, a critique, and an outline of the plot for a sequel or prequel. They then deliver a five-minute...

Walk young writers through the process of creating an initial writing sample for their portfolio. They determine their purpose, organize their ideas, and then create a draft. The lesson includes worksheets and online resources to...

Students read, analyze and critique a newspaper article about an Elvis fan who stole from her employer to buy Elvis memorabilia. They assess how to understand a short news report and discuss the use of present perfect tense in the article.

Pupils listen to a play, or perhaps, take turns reading portions of it aloud. Afterward, they thoughtfully analyze and discuss the components of a well-written play. Next, a theme is assigned, and each person writes a play in conjunction...

Fifth graders are given a worksheet in which they choose a location they would like to visit. As a class, they brainstorm a list on what needs to be done before they go on their trip and why it is important to have a plan. To end the...

Ninth graders discuss time demands such as homework, family, and chores that occupy their free time. They discuss how to effectively manage their time. They write important information and activities on a calendar. They develop and...

Who has been messing with my trampoline? Young writers choose local events as the basis for their own “Who Did It?” mystery. They then devise a plot, problem, and cast of characters and write an introduction explaining the problem and...

Learners read "The Snowy Day," by Ezra Jack Keats and construct snowflakes to decorate the classroom walls. They examine how snowflakes are formed and study new vocabulary words.

High schoolers engage in daily spelling and vocabulary practice of workplace-related terms with definition matching exercises, word scrambles, dictation, sentence writing. Finally, they compose a short essay in which they use the words...

What is historical fiction? After explaining the difference to your learners, it's time to give each learner a try! With your support, encourage them to research, plan, and write their own historical fiction story. Don't forget to have a...