Here is a quick activity that could help your kids with their reading comprehension. They practice a classic strategy that gets them to start asking questions about what they are reading, while they are reading it. They write out...

Introduce "The Inn of Lost Time" by Lensey Namioka to your middle schoolers with a reader's resource page. It includes links to different activities, including a creative writing prompt about losing fifty years of your life, and a...

Young scholars discuss hero tales. In this character education lesson, students identify heroes from the movie Star Wars and explain how the hero showed courage. Young scholars reflect upon their own definition of courage and present it...

Fourth graders participate in a play to work on seeing events from a different perspective. Some of them are reporters, some cameramen and women, and others are interviewed. They put themselves in the shoes of the people in the book...

Students consider how advertising messages are constructed and relayed. They invent fast-food businesses and create presentation posters outlining the first commercials to promote their new brands.

Students compare and contrast versions of The Three Little Pigs. In this fairy tale lesson, students read 3 versions of the fairy tale and dramatize them in order to analyze the similarities and differences.

Students identify various scents by using their sense of smell. In this five senses lesson, students smell items such as popcorn, mint, and lemon and identify the scents by only using their sense of smell.

Students consider the elements that make computer games compelling, then use these elements to develop game 'narratives' based on historic events.

Learners read and analyze the classic Greek tale of "Jason and the Golden Fleece." They compare/contrast the story with modern works of literature and films, answer discussion questions, and retell the story in a modern-day setting.

Students are introduced to elements of poetry through the book Runny Babbit. In this poetry lesson, students learn about the newest Shel Silverstein book, then examine the poem's form, rhythm, and rhyme. Students look for other Shel...

Learners examine violence on TV. In this data collection lesson, students explore TV violence. Learners watch TV shows and fill out a checklist about the amount of violence. Students organize and analyze the information to make a...

In this Romeo and Juliet worksheet, students combine music, lyrics, and drama to analyze Romeo and Juliet. Students select music to fit the theme, mood, and feeling of each act and research the lyrics. Students compose an essay about why...

Students study the work of William Shakespeare. They survey the elements of comedy and tragedy and read plays and poems. They discuss the texts they read and recite poetry. They dramatize poems with movement and sounds and write poetry...

Students use previously prepared book reports about fish themed books to make a shoebox float that displays the theme of the book. Shoe boxes are decorated colorfully, using dolls or stuffed animals as the book character. They create a...

Students use Inspiration to Identify the defining characteristics of Fairy Tales, They create a literary web, study the basic structure of plot, and recognize that themes reoccur across literary works. They complete Once Upon a Time...

Students find 20 words that are new to them. They write the definition and drawing or symbol to help them remember the meaning of the word. Students use the context of the word from the book to help figure out the meaning of the word.

Students read and interpret the play Oedipus by Sophocles. A wide array of fabulous thought provoking assignments are intertwined within this instructional activity for the students to complete.

Students create a paper bag book report.  In this book report instructional activity, students choose 5-7 items representing the story.  Students fill and decorate their bags and present them to the class.  Students...

Students discuss their experiences with television. They break into small groups and go through the steps of producing a television show themselves. Their presentations are made to the entire class.

Fifth graders explore mystery stories.  In this reading and writing lesson, 5th graders complete a planning guide for an original mystery.  Students use the writing process to create a mystery story. 

Students read and interpret the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer. They interlock this poem to other spectacular people or events such as Amelia Earhart and the Bermuda Triangle. A vast array of excellent assignments are given within this...