Pupils examine and discuss author's purpose and the influence of an author's perspective in his or her writing. In groups, they read scenarios and respond to them from the perspective of a designated character. Materials are attached.

Young scholars read the first part of the Declaration of Independence and mark the words they don't know. First, they try to guess what the words mean by looking at the them in context, and then they look up the words in a dictionary.

Learners analyze several of the characters from "To Kill a Mockingbird". They view segments of the film, create character webs based on the most revealing film scenes, write journal entries and participate in class discussion.

After a review of the steps involved in writing a summary, class members read The Physics of Baseball by Sarah Ives and use a story web to identify the important details to include in their summary. Class members then choose an article...

Text marking and a T-chart format to distinguish important information from trivia help elementary readers summarize effectively. Encouraging readers to construct a chapter summary from paragraph-level topic sentences is another sound...

Help your kids distinguish between the sounds for short vowel /e/ and long vowel /e/. They are introduced to the vowel patterns that comprise long vowel sounds, with a particular emphasis on /ea/. They practice reading and spelling a...

In this creative writing worksheet, students sort through old pictures and discuss the characterization in each. Students create characters, a setting, and their own tall tale or urban legend based on the pictures.

While the focus of this lesson is on writing about tornadoes, any topic could be substituted. The lesson provides a well-thought out overview of the writing process. Learners come up with a thesis statement, supporting  details, and...

A complete page of explanation precedes a sheet with eight confusing sentences that learners revise for clarity. You could show the first page to your class, or just use it as a guide for direct instruction on the issue of clarifying...

The ultra-glamorous Muppet, Miss Piggy, launches a study of discrimination and ways to develop a more inclusive community.  A series of videos and activities raise awareness of discrimination and journal prompts asks participants to...

Help your learners navigate the vocabulary of Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori with a lesson on categorizing words. After coming up with a list of things that grow from the earth, learners decide which categories each words belong in.

Explore the hidden meanings behind the images on US currency with this elementary school lesson on symbolism. Starting with a class discussion about symbols, children go on to brainstorm different objects that represent the Unites...

Learners complete activities with a leveled chapter book. In this literature lesson plan, students read a novel and complete several graphic organizers and activities as they read. They focus on characters, settings, vocabulary, and...

After reading five short paragraphs about planet earth, students must answer 4 comprehension questions about the topic. This instructional activity provides great practice for state testing in language arts. 

Learners explore visual arts that feature women. In this women in art lesson, students analyze "Marquise de Miramon, née Thérèse Feuillant" by Jacques Joseph Tissot and "The Milliners" by Edgar Germain Hilaire Degas. Learners compare how...

Learners 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 read and analyze several highly symbolic poems. They create their own symbolic poem, read it to the class, and discuss whether they can guess any hidden meanings.

Students create a project poster displaying photos, drawings, and journal writings that incorporate the major themes of California's missions, and use perspective and point of view both visually and in writing.

Third graders hear and use the terms: el verano, la primavera, el invierno y el oto¿¿o. They review particular months in Spanish. Students explore the difference in connections between months and seasons in northern and southern...

Learners identify their location in the world after studying latitude, longitude, relative location, and absolute location. They use assigned web site to find information to make a flipbook that answers questions about their location in...

Students examine how healthy eating contributes to a healthy body and life style. They read nutritional labels on food items. They use the Five Foods Pyramid to evaluate their own eating habits. They plan, design, and create a school...

Students examine the Kansas state quarter and the Buffalo nickel and look for clue to help them identify why the bison was so important to the Native American. They perform "freeze frames" depicting Native American use of the bison.

Students create their own fairy tale.  In this book making lesson, students write a fairy tale and turn it into a book. They use decorated initials and borders to make it look like an illuminated manuscript.

Students read and compare excerpts from The Odyssey and The Adventures of Telemachus. They create an original story based on a secondary character from The Odyssey as well as a sketch of one of the pivotal scenes from the story.