An interesting article on editors helps young writers understand the conventions of written English. They read a news article about an editor traveling America correcting spelling and punctuation errors on signs.  They discuss...

A fabulous language arts lesson has readers focus on the vocabulary in the key words, expand and build new vocabulary, and practice three grammar concepts. They recognize key words as they relate to communicating at work. Pupils build...

Have your middle and high schoolers analyze instances of celebrities using racial slurs or making prejudiced comments in public. After reading an article, they consider the roots and effects of prejudice and bias. As a class, they...

Have your class explore the effects of war by reading Eleanor Coerr's story, "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes." This is a story about a sixth grader who lives in Hiroshima when the atomic bomb is dropped. Learners answer questions,...

"Now is the summer of our happiness/Made winter by this sudden, fierce attack!" Luke Skywalker meets Hamlet in a 10-instructional activity unit based on Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, a New Hope. Using Star...

Engage critical and social thinking by exploring the value of language and word choice. The class considers the article "The Silence of the Historic Present" and analyzes several presidential speeches. They engage in class...

Was the fatal crash of EgyptAir Flight 990 cause by mechanical failure or was it an act of sabotage? The crux of the debate and the subsequent controversy centers on translation of an Arabic phrase uttered by the pilot. The New York...

Who is Herman Melville? Read and discuss "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall-street." Then, discuss the film adaptations of Melville's work and translate a passage of the text into modern-day English. Discussion questions are...

Ask your young researchers to create a state brochure by working together to research Alaska and then use facts they have learned from the novel Woodsong to create a travel brochure about Alaska. Pupils must include a bibliography and...

Students determine the origin of everyday words. In this language and literacy lesson plan, the teacher identifies words that students use that have roots in another language, then students work in pairs to determine the original...

Students explore the Tamil language. They listen to parts of a story read in English, Hindi and Tamil. Tamil word cards are matched with their English equivalent. Practice saying basic Tamil words daily within the lesson.

Students discover enunciation and alliteration by reading tongue twisters in class.  In this language arts lesson, students listen and repeat some of the classic childhood tongue twisters along with their teacher.  Students...

Young scholars investigate the world of nonverbal communication by analyzing body language around the world.  In this cultural communication lesson, students research the Bulgarian language and how we could easily misinterpret their...

Tenth graders define the term slang, explaining its various social, historical, and racial contexts, so as to articulate when it can be appropriately used as a means of effective communication. They use their own personal slang lexicon,...

Give English language learners practice conversing. Here they will create a dialogue with a partner between a customer and a store representative. You will need to provide target vocabulary, as there is none listed here.

Use this online, interactive quiz to help English language learners review types of entrees, desserts, side orders, and beverages. They put the example words in the correct category in less than 60 seconds to win! Examples include words...

Work on identifying the different parts of a newspaper with your English learners. After reviewing newspaper terminology, pupils pair up and complete a scavenger hunt, looking for specific things in the newspaper and recording their...

Students identify the characteristics in the English language that result in rhyming words. They record and collect rhyming words in an appealing flipbook format. They then flip through their book to find rhyming words, when they think...

Look at the most commonly confused words in the English language! This resource briefly explains the difference between there, they're, and their as well as too, to, and two, and finally it's and its. First, read the section...

Examine the most-used letter in the English language incorporating pronunciation, letter recognition, letter sound, and word examples for the letter e. Scholars examine the letter shape and listen to you pronounce the /eee/...

Students explore psychology by reading a children's book in class. In this bullying lesson, students read the story The English Roses and discuss the main characters, story and setting. Students identify the moments when the main...

Bilateral suborbital hematoma? Call an audible? 404? Have fun with “the twittering or warbling of birds,” or as 14th century French speakers would say, have fun with “jargon.” Groups match specialized jargon with plain speech, decode...

Language learners discuss ways they can increase their use of English in the new year and brainstorm with peers ideas to practice language. Scholars finish by completing a worksheet to create their own English Action Plans to increase...

To stand up can have many different meanings. Examine the different usages in English and relate one of these meanings to a short film about homophobic bullying. Class members view and discuss the film as well as a short reading passage...