Learners compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.

Young readers practice looking words up in the dictionary. This lesson describes a simple, yet engaging, game that can be played as a whole-class activity.

Third graders view a PowerPoint presentation of the images by Maxfield Parrish. They wirte a short story based on one image and create drawings of an imagined character.

Sixth graders examine the work of artist Saul Steinberg by visiting online galleries of his work and looking at photo reproductions. After viewing and interpreting Steinberg's work, they write and illustrate fantasy stories which are...

Students examine several elements that would cue them into a newspaper article about community change without reading the main copy text. They discuss the details and write notes about the article. They first skim and then thoroughly...

Students write a one-page letter to their Grand-Students in explanation of the image and why they chose to preserve this image for them.

Learners practice fluency as well as story-writing skills. They work together to prepare and write their stories. Students are told that they are going to write a story entitled 'A Wonderful Day' and that they are going to be the...

Fourth graders listen as the teacher reads a picture book that emphasized word choice. They discuss words and how word choice impacts a piece of writing. Students view various passages on the overhead, and highlight adjectives and verbs...

Fifth graders identify common Native American writing symbols. They create paper bag "buffalo skins" and on the back, they write stories about Indian life.

Fifth graders write emails to a friend imagining they are traveling to colonial America.  For this emailing penpals lesson, 5th graders discuss appropriate language and topics in email communication, use correct format and write...

Pupils examine their lives. In this autobiography lesson, students write about their lives. They examine their past, and present lives and imagine their futures. They end the lesson sharing their personal narrative.

Students demonstrate their learning about Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union by writing a biopoem. They word process the poem.

Students develop their writing skills. In this business letter lesson, students write a letter of nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame regarding a music artist of their choice. Students read their finished letters to their peers.

Learners discuss human emotions and mental health. In this mental and emotional health instructional activity, students write a short story regarding the "think and share" choice. Learners include emotion, the connection between...

Fifth graders identify first and third person points of view in literature. For this point of view lesson students compare the point of view in different pieces of literature, some telling the same story. Students write a first-person...

Middle schoolers are responsible for producing works for, coordinating (with the teacher?s assistance) and mounting an exhibition to be presented at a parent-teacher open house. They examine literature by Henry David Thoreau and other...

Students examine the struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties. They access websites imbedded in this plan to research, then write about past struggles for gender and racial fairness.

Students explore acrostic poems. In this interactive poetry lesson, students visit the ReadWriteThink.org website to view characteristics and samples of acrostic poems. Students develop acrostic poems by using the interactive site.

After reading about the events of September 11, 2001 learners can think critically with the aid of nine interesting questions. They answer each question in a full sentence and answer as if they were confronted with these questions at the...

Students read both fiction and nonfiction books with desert themes. Then they write desert stories and reports, reviewing texts for information to include in writing. Students also design desert scenes with details and setting elements...

The painting Arcadia features a lovely landscape depicting aspects of ancient Greek life. Little ones use their imagination to put themselves in the painting. After analyzing the details and artistic elements of the painting, they write...

Can you imagine living in a totalitarian country? Learners will read several primary source memoirs to gain a deeper understanding of what life is like under a controlled government. They'll discuss each piece in pairs, research...

A portrait The Radcliffe Family circa 1742 is inspiration for creative writing and empathetic reasoning. Your class discusses the period in which the piece was painted, then imagines what life was like for one of the people seen in the...

Practice sequencing events using Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's narrative poem about the famous revolutionary hero. Learners read Revere's own account of the event, and compare/contrast the two texts using a t-chart. Finally, they imagine...