The summarizer’s job in a literature circle is to identify the key events in a story and to use those main ideas to craft a summary. Give this one-page worksheet to each of your summarizers to assist them in drafting their summary.

Newspapers aren't only for reading—they're for learning skills, too! A journalism unit provides three lessons each for primary, intermediate, and secondary grades. Lessons include objectives, materials, vocabulary, and procedure, and...

Develop beginning readers' understanding of letter-sound correspondence with this fun series of cut-and-paste worksheets. With each page focusing on four specific letters, children are able to practice isolating...

High school writers identify the purpose of both a topic sentence and a transitional statement. They write a topic sentence which denotes the paragraph topic and the author's stand on that topic. Then they write an effective transitional...

Over 3 or 4 class periods your young designers will create a wearable garment that provides some sort of protection from a danger in everyday life. In this fashion design lesson, students investigate fear in our society and brainstorm...

Learning to summarize texts takes practice. Jump into the training ring and guide your learners through a summarizing practice session. The classic direct instructional practice of "I do, you do, we do" is used to help them identify key...

Determining the central idea of a historical event or theme involves identifying key points of information, such as the people and place involved in the history, challenges faced, and choices made. Your young historians can use this...

Prepare your class to read Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, with these prereading activities. This resource lists three ideas to ready your readers. Learners explore the historical context, connect to the book, and preview the book....

Students use vocabulary related to Kwanzaa. They identify main ideas and details related to the celebration of Kwanzaa and summarize information about Kwanzaa. They make picture books appropriate for first and second graders.

Investigate the concept of phrases and how they are a crucial element for successful reading comprehension. High schoolers identify key phrases in reading selections. Afterward, they engage in writing exercises regarding what they have...

Students navigate the Internet to learn to identify Earthworms. In this taxonomy lesson, students explore species of earthworms finding their characteristics and using photographs to identify the species. Students research information to...

Third graders identify descriptive questions as a method for distinguishing objects and for identifying labels for objects and categorizing objects. They participate in a student grouping activity, then using pictures of different types...

Reading is fantastic, especially when it's reading about bullfrogs. Kids get cozy with predator/prey relationships as they hone their information-reading skills. They start out as they read a portion of the text aloud, then they...

What would you be willing to do to save an animal from extinction? After re-viewing a video about the restoration of the Island Fox on Santa Cruz Island, individuals adopt the point of view of one of the key players in the...

Learning is never-ending. Scholars learn about effective conclusions as they continue watching a video of an opinion speech. After analyzing the speech's conclusion, they work in small groups to write an ending for their own speeches. 

Provide your learners with a comprehensive introduction to Europe with this great set of worksheets. Map activities include matching European countries to their capitals and places on a political map, as well as...

Some things are beyond comprehension. Scholars read an excerpt from "Comprehending the Calamity," a primary source text about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. After identifying the gist, pupils complete anchor charts to analyze how the...

All disciplines use data! A seven-lesson unit teaches learners the basics of analyzing all types of data. The unit begins with a study of the shape of data displays and the analysis of a normal distribution. Later lessons discuss the...

With the emphasis on incorporating more nonfiction in language arts classes the question arises about how to design activities that motivate kids to engage with informational text. How about an assignment that asks class members to...

Your learners will take key economic concepts, such as identifying needs versus wants and the four factors of production, and design a video to explain their topic choice to the class. Rather than have one person in charge of dispensing...

We have all heard that we are what you eat, but what are we eating? An informative lesson opens with a discussion of the foods pupils have recently eaten. Then, young scientists perform four experiments on seven...

Your search for a year's worth of leadership lessons is over! A lesson in a character education series provides a full two semesters of inspiring leadership activities. The resource includes individual and group challenges to ensure a...

Viruses can spread like wildfire, and mathematics can model the speed of infection. Given a function, scholars analyze it to describe the spread of a disease within a stadium. Learners find the initial number infected and the maximum...

Show what you know about social media! The 16th and final lesson in The Social Media Toolbox gives pupils the opportunity to share their social media experiences with their school communities. Groups identify the most important messages,...