Here is a fine lesson on reading and understanding expository text designed for 4th graders. With a partner, learners read a passage of text about a machine called a wheelright. This machine was commonly used in the colonial...

Before your students reached your morning class to learn about persuasive writing, they probably saw dozens of examples of persuasive communication in the form of advertisements. A short, introductory instructional activity inspires...

What is the purpose of adverbial phrases? Find out what questions adverbial phrases answer with a worksheet that focuses on grammar. As kids work through 16 sentences, they underline the phrases and use the space provided to mark what...

Make sure your class has a grasp of words that include the long /a/ sound and follow the _a_e pattern. They can read the short poem on this page, which includes many examples of this pattern to practice, and then complete the three...

To develop their reading comprehension skills, learners read short paragraphs, summarize the passage in one sentence, and then develop an appropriate title that indicates the main idea of the selection.

Graphs, charts, maps, diagrams. Reading and comprehending informational text is far more than just decoding the words on a page. Here's a packet that provides young readers with practice answering constructed response questions using...

It's no secret that children can be very opinionated, but rather than fight against this natural tendency, embrace it with this primary grade writing project. After a shared reading of a children's book about...

Practice color words and following instructions with a set of worksheets. Kids read each description on the side of the page about a person's hair color and clothing colors, and color the parts of the illustration accordingly.

Kelly Hashway's "The Closet Creature" gives primary graders an opportunity to demonstrate their reading comprehension skills as they respond to the prompts on four different reading worksheets.

Readers are asked to identify seven important events in a narrative and then to explain why these events are key to the story. To conclude the activity, kids craft a summary using their list.

Making letters out of goop, sight word bingo, tic-tac-toe vowels. Download this packet loaded with activities designed to engage beginning readers. Although designed for adults, many of the activities are appropriate for any...

Imagine an entire course devoted to dystopian literature. If that concept appeals to you, check out this course that uses 1984 as the anchor text and includes classic short stories as well.

Readers read more closely when they think critically about a text. Discuss the words and concepts from Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea with a class activity that asks readers to not only record...

Encourage close reading for young learners with a lesson based on Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting. The first part of the resource guides readers through a Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA), prompting them to make...

One of these words is not like the other! Test grammarians' knowledge of synonyms and antonyms with an activity that challenges scholars to locate three synonyms, an antonym, and record their findings on a worksheet. 

Replacing a gift can end up in an awkward moment—but not when replacing a noun with a pronoun! Watch the most effective ways to use subject and object pronouns, as well as direct and indirect object pronouns, with an entertaining...

A verb is something you do — but can you always see the action? Use a slideshow presentation to clarify the differences between verbs that describe actions, and verbs that describe senses, preferences, and emotions.

Learning how to use adjectives isn't just about adding describing words! Pupils select original nouns to add to ten adjectives in a straightforward grammar worksheet.

Good readers make connections between texts. The SAT regularly assesses the ability to make those connections using paired reading passages, a topic discussed in an official SAT practice lesson plan on synthesis. During the lesson,...

Being able to recognize patterns, craft generalizations, and draw conclusions based on information in a text passage are essential critical thinking skills. Encourage learners to hone these skills with a worksheet that asks them to read...

Examine how immigrants have changed the environment of the United States. Individually, middle schoolers will take a pre- and post-test to assess their reading comprehension. In groups, they compare and contrast the religions of...

The proof is in the details! A richly detailed plan provides clear examples of how to draw inferences from text and how to provide support drawn directly from the text. 

Sixth graders write a reflection piece, outlining each of the decision-making steps they have used and what decision they have decided upon, which includes possible solutions, as well as possible outcomes for each solution. They also...

Seventh graders discover how to make the best decisions given the information at hand. In groups, they role-play different roles in scenerios to help them deal with peer pressure. To end the lesson, they discuss why it is so hard for...