Jo's decision to sell her hair to bringing her wounded father home is a pivotal and poignant scene from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Class members read the excerpt and answer four questions about the details, vocabulary, and plot...

Set in Oklahoma in the 1930s, The Grapes of Wrath presents a powerful view of life during the Great Depression. An insightful lesson plan takes a closer look at the characters in John Steinbeck's classic novel, combining the...

Blood may not always be thicker than water. Julie, in Julie of the Wolves, soon depends on a wolf pack to be her family. Scholars read about Julie's adventures as they complete sentences with vocabulary words, answer comprehension...

Can an action be so bad that you are sickened with guilt? Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, the main character in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, believes that committing a crime could be the answer to his troubles. However,...

Often, science fiction makes a lot of connections to real life. An educator's guide for the novel Charisma by Jeanne Ryan, has readers discuss many of the real-life issues that come in the text. A brief summary helps garner interest...

It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...

An activity packet explores the concept of time. First, scholars read two stories—The Very Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle and Telling Time: How to Tell Time on Digital and Analog Clocks! by Jules Older, illustrated by Megan Halsey....

A reading adventure pack features two stories—Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming and Animals Don’t Wear Pajamas by Eve Feldman. In response to reading the fiction and nonfiction texts, scholars create a dreamcatcher, discuss hibernation,...

This lesson plan highlights the struggles of immigrants and the importance of showing empathy. Beginning with a read-aloud of a book in another language and a poem, scholars take part in a thoughtful discussion. Then, the class examines...

As part of a study of immigrant bias, high schoolers investigate the language used in blogs, readings, media reports, and current legislation whose language perpetuates xenophobia. They then consider ways they can get involved in...

In this setting worksheet, students select a book, note the title and author, read the book with a family member and then draw a picture of the story's setting. Parents or guardians must sign the worksheet.

For this retelling a story worksheet, learners tell their family four things that happened in school and then write the events down in four sentences. Students read their sentences to their family and write down any questions they have....

Students talk about making promises. In this family life lesson, students listen to the story A Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch and talk about what a promise is. This is part of a unit on how families take care of each...

In this interpreting photos checklist learning exercise, students use the checklist to self-evaluate their presentation on the family photograph. The checklist is also used by the student's peers and teacher.

In this writing skills worksheet, learners read the first part of a story titled 'The 4th of July.' Students finish the story by writing the ending on the provided lines.

Students observe a world map and are introduced to vocabulary like: cities, continents, rivers, lakes, and oceans. They discuss the names of the cities they live in and locate them on the map; then using a colored pushpin indicate: the...

Students discover story analysis by discussing a book the class reads together.  In this reading comprehension lesson plan, students read the book The Keeping Quilt and discuss the different characters and plot points among the...

Students, in groups, study why the past is important by sharing personal past experiences. They discuss why all human pasts are important, as well as the importance of their local or family history.

Students write a narrative or short story of 500-700 words based on an assigned work of art.

Fourth graders explore the human and animal connection along with the idea that death is a part of the life cycle. They read "Where the Red Fern Grows." Students examine the feelings and emotions surrounding death and they discover the...

Students explore story telling. In this story telling lesson, students listen to classic campfire horror stories and prepare a storyboard organizer for an original scary story. Students share their story with the class.

Students read a story about fire safety and create their own ending to the story in order to learn about fire escape plans and to demonstrate their writing skills. In this fire safety lesson, students discuss the parts of a story, read...

In this reading homework activity worksheet, students choose a book then write the title of the book and the author of the book. Next students read the book with their family and draw a picture of the beginning and the end of the story...

Students simulate sound effects from Katy and the Big Snow. They read and discuss Katy and the Big Snow, create sound effects for the objects in the book and practice sounding out beginning sounds for words. After sounding out the words,...