Students study the meanings of idioms containing the phrase "up" or "down." In this language lesson, students are given an online scenario where the idiom phrases are used. Students answer multiple choice questions about their meaning.

Fourth graders study authority and power as its used in government. In this government lesson, 4th graders define power and authority. Students then read different scenarios of authority and power examples in people as well as...

Learners use Maya Angelou's novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings to identify themes about adversity in the text. For this adversity, students read chapter 36 of the novel and discuss the examples of adversity in the book. Learners...

Sixth graders investigate the Civil War by identifying famous figures of the era. In this slavery abolitionist lesson, 6th graders read a text on the history of the Civil War and discuss heroes of the era such as Harriet Tubman and John...

For this synonym worksheet, 1st graders draw a line from one word to its like word or synonym match. The words all deal with young love and the objective is for students to enhance their understanding of synonyms.

Young scholars discover the relationship between letters and phonemes. The teacher leads an oral demonstration of pronunciation and focus on the /a/ sound. Next, students examine a series of pictures, circling the ones where they hear...

Learners write similes with a partner. In this spring similes lesson, students discuss the season an write a story using a minimum number of similes.  

Students define the term 'simile,' write their own similes using the words as or like, and work cooperatively to write similes. In addition, students write stories that include similes and illustrate picture books that contain similes.

Students examine several examples of similes and metaphors, stating what is being compared. Then each student chooses a different person from the Civil War era and writes similes and metaphors that describe that person.

Students write a creative writing piece by personifying apples. In this creative writing lesson, students view a PowerPoint about the writing process and brainstorm about apples. Students write a rough draft about their apple and peer...

Introduce class members to the conventions of the romance genre and the theme of familial relationships with Mahlon F. Craft's illustrated Sleeping Beauty. The themes are a focus of their study of The Winter's Tale.

Develop fluency with a variety of works. Help kindergartners use multiple strategies to understand text and decoding. They will create an alphabet poem book on Kid Works 2 to illustrate and write their own poem. In the end, they will...

The roots metro/meter and therm are the focus of a vocabulary building presentation that includes concise definitions, color-coded examples, and opportunities for guided and independent practice. Part of a series of roots and affixes...

As a journalist, would you publish everything you heard or saw? Discuss the ethics of journalism with a lesson from PBS. Young reporters imagine themselves to be the editor of their school's newspaper, and as they read five scenarios,...

Which word is Mico trying to say? A puppet helps make phoneme blending fun as you challenge your scholars to blend segmented words. Mico (or a puppet of your choice) has trouble saying words without separating the phonemes. Using the...

With the songs "My Hometown" by Bruce Springsteen and "Allentown" by Billy Joel, learners examine external versus internal conflict. When they have finished the first part of the lesson, they create their own poem (or song) about the...

Bruce Springsteen’s “My Hometown” and Billy Joel’s “Allentown” motivate young lyricists to craft poems about their own home town. Groups compare the two songs, identifying details, symbols, and conflicts. Individuals then picture a place...

After reading The Great Gatsby, groups return to the text and note passages where Fitzgerald uses symbols and color imagery in his narrative. They then develop a presentation that explains the context, the implications, and possible...

Travel back in American history to the era of slavery and abolition. After reading about the Underground Railroad, young historians examine a painting depicting the event, and write a narrative from the point of view of a person in the...

Keep an eye on progress with reading and vocabulary using pink and green sticky notes. This resource describes how to set up the sticky note system so that learners can note difficult passages, and teachers can track ability.

Help your seventh graders relate the ELA Common Core standards to their own learning with these "I Can" statement posters. Each standard has been translated into a statement that pupils can understand and placed on its own page for...

Students explore Stephen Sondheim's contributions to musical theatre in the context of the dramatic cultural shift that occurred in American life in the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Listen to the book Madeline, and identify rhyming words with learners as they hear them in the book. Learners will engage in a class discussion about rhyming words. After listening to Madeline, they will circle pictures of words that...