Young scholars read a variety of short stories that focus on teenage protagonists. In groups, they answer comprehension questions and discuss the characters and setting for each story. Individually, they choose one writing assignment to...

Students are introduced to the background behind Shakespeare's "As You Like It". In groups, they compare and contrast the family issues in the play with those in their own family. They also write the traits of each character and answer...

Students study Langston Hughes's poetry, short stories, and his first autobiography. They read and appreciate the candid, honest and powerful creative masterpieces of this black genius and discuss the numerous universal themes and...

Students read a variety of biographies to gain insight on the experiences of an African-American's life. Individually, they try to determine the time period it was written and compare the event with ones that occured in their own lives....

Students examine the characteristics of an adventure story. Students write an adventure story of their own based on a true personal experience. After drafting their story, students use a word processor to write, edit, and revise their work.

Eleventh graders study the Gold Rush in relation to "To Build a Fire." They research a website and view a Power Point presentation on the Alaskan Gold Rush. They write notes on a graphic organizer and write a sentence supporting their...

Fourth graders write and respond to sayings throughout the school year. They define the idioms, illustrate them and compare their meanings with other groups in the class.

Students read stories and use reading and writing skills to sequence, compare and contrast, predict, and identify parts of a story. Six lessons on one page.

Young scholars examine the specific form and function of tall tales and toasts. They discover the importance of performance in the telling of a story and the importance of rhythm in the telling of toasts. They create stories of their...

Ninth graders read "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. In groups, they analyze the opinions of various philosophers on the French Revoluion. To end the lesson, they take all the information gathered during their readings and...

Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. In groups, they compare and contrast the type of art before and after the movement along with the state of society at the time. After reading a book on the topic of their...

Students read Karen Hesse's book "Letters from Rifka" and explore how it presents the experiences of a Russian immigrant to America. They research and write reports on the experiences of various immigrants from different cultures, keep...

Students recognize the use of exaggeration and understand how it may enhance the story, painting, conversation or event. Students transfer their understanding of exaggeration as it is used in many places, ie., daily life, paintings,...

Students participate in several activities using a reading partner. They plan and organize reading meetings with their partner, and then review story elements by retelling the stories orally. The partners question each other and make...

Students explore how people work together to create a better world. In this working for the common good lesson, students recognize how we are all connected and illustrate ways they can give of themselves for the common good. They...

Students write a paper in which they detail the daily routine of an architect.  In this The Stone Cutter lesson, students discuss the end of the novel and share journals with peers.  Students choose a time period in which to...

Students explore kind behavior. In this values development and literacy lesson, students listen to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, then generate a class list of ways the tree helped the boy and ways in which the boy helped the tree....

Second graders review the characteristics and aspects of volcanoes. Using this information, they write a creative story and draw illustrations to accompany the words. They use geographical terms to describe a location and the physical...

Students explore the culture of Mexico through folktales. They identify cultural differences and similarities through the reading of folktales. Students create pocket books related to Mexican folklore. They read and discuss literary...

Second graders discuss important things to know when reading stories, identify setting in variety of stories, create story map to record information as they are reading, state setting in their own words, discuss whether they thought...

Learners research the culture and geography of India and England while reading "The Secret Garden". Using this information, they write at least three predictions about what they believe might happen in the story. Using the Internet,...

Students read books about the Middle Ages. They discuss characteristics of the Middle Ages. In groups, students construct a castle and draw a map to scale. Pupils create a Venn diagram comparing rules in different countries in the...

Fifth graders explore the positive and negative consequences of choosing to fight against discrimination. They read the story of Rosa Parks. Students discuss the movement against segregation. Students read other books about...

Learners read a book about prejudices that occur in our daily lives. They describe characters in the book. Students discuss real life events of World War II and the Holocaust. Learners simulate hiding Jews from the German soldiers. ...