Things sure change in year's time. Suds, from Fourth Grade Rats, went from a third grade angel to a fourth grade rat! Although he is not necessarily happy with his new self, he worries he will lose his popularity. Learners complete...

Get the word out about friendship, support, and a safe school community with a media literacy lesson about bullying. Young journalists investigate instances of bullying and take descriptive pictures as they compile a magazine to fight...

Middle schoolers are likely very familiar with the concept of bullying and cliques. Discuss their experiences and brainstorm ways to handle peer conflict and feelings of exclusion with a poem that focuses on bullying, and a second lesson...

The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien's powerful collection of vignettes about the experiences of a platoon of soldiers during the Vietnam War, serves as a text for a crossword puzzle. The 23 clues asks readers to recall characters,...

All things November in a set of 32 bell ringer ideas to get you through the month. From writing about November to writing about colors and feelings in fall, these bell ringers are fun and allow creative writing practice.

Teenagers often feel that their lives are out of their control, but in just a few short years, their futures will be entirely in their own hands. Help with the first few steps of their journey toward adulthood with a instructional...

Don't judge a book—or a toy—by its cover. Omri, a main character in The Indian in the Cupboard, quickly judged his plastic toy figures as boring. However, once placed in the cupboard, Omri's toys became something he never imagined....

Have you ever felt trapped in your own body? That is likely how Melody in Sharon M. Draper's Out of My Mind feels. As scholars read to find out how Melody finally expresses herself, they complete sentences with new words, describe...

Teacher's pet or enemy? Holling, a character in The Wednesday Wars, feels his teacher is out to get him. However, he has to remain on his best behavior to ensure his father's business does not suffer. How will he ever survive 7th grade?...

Some experiences are worth living again. At least, that is how government researchers feel about Brian's survival experience in the woods. The River is a sequel to Brian's adventures in Hatchet. Scholars read about the troubles...

A 67-page packet provides instructors with a complete course in the history of Jazz. Lessons look at the roots of jazz in early 20th century African American communities in the southern United States and continues to the New Orleans...

Youngsters complete a unit of lessons based on the story "Little Miss Muffet." They predict what will happen in the story, and use context clues to look for meaning in the words. They research information about spiders using the Internet...

In this gap filling worksheet, 5th graders practice filling in the blank in eight sentences with only one grammatical word that best completes each sentence.

In this making predictions worksheet, young scholars write nine sentences about various areas making predictions about their lives. Students read a text about recent changes in Ireland and Dublin and decide what type of word might fit...

To better comprehend the novel, A Separate Peace by John Knowles, learners define 3 vocabulary words, define 1 literary term, and respond to 10 short-answer questions. This resource refers only to Chapter 13 of the book. 

Fourth graders use dance moves to perform narratives. In this dramatic performing instructional activity, 4th graders use strong and soft movements to show what character's voice is portraying. Students also use movement to show the...

This New York Times Learning Network exercise provides a cloze exercise along with a word bank that readers can use to complete the passage about the television show, "The Voice" and Jermaine Paul, a recent winner. Another option is...

An uncountable noun? (Water) The Royal Order of Adjectives? (possession, quantity, quality, size, age, shape, colour, origin, material). Although this presentation on the English parts of speech is designed for language learners, the...

After discussing the Spanish word ambiente, read the article "Cuidemos nuestro ambiente"  with your intermediate or advanced Spanish class. Read the first paragraph together, marking the text and engaging your...

Cover character development and indirect characterization in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck with a graphic organizer. Class members search through the text and fill out a box for each character. The activity provides some notes for...

Check out a resource made up of two separate exercises. The first page lists a series of higher-level questions about "The Inn of Lost Time" by Lensey Namoika. Use the questions to encourage discussion or as an assessment. Since they...

Young grammarians are often confused by clauses, especially the difference between dependent and independent clauses. Clarify the confusion with a color-coded instructional activity that clearly defines and illustrates the differences...

How do all the lessons and activities you have planned for your class align to Common Core State Standards? This can feel like a very daunting question. Help ease the process by referencing a template that not only lists and...

What goes into a friendship salad? Kids find out as they create a fruit salad made of all the important parts of a successful classroom (helpers, listeners, hard workers, sharing, and encouraging words). Don't let that rotten banana in,...