Fifth graders listen to a read aloud of Patricia Polacco's, Thank You, Mr. Falker! students examine the use of voice in the book, discuss the writing and theme ideas. They write a thank you not to their hero.

Fourth graders read stories and pick one with characters they find interesting. Then students create a dialogue of writing a letter from one character to another. The letter must relate to the original story in some way that can easily...

Seventh graders discover details about the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders tackle civil rights concerns as they draft persuasive speeches to secure the rights of young voters in the state.

Students use the books of Eric Carle to change the first letter in a word to see a new word. In this phonics lesson plan, students change the beginning letters in poems and books.

Second graders practice writing. In this five senses writing lesson, 2nd graders describe their experience on the field trip they took to the zoo. They work as a class and independently to come up with different things they saw, smelled,...

Young scholars explore the contributions of George Washington. In this early American history instructional activity, students analyze the provided eulogy for George Washington written by Henry Lee and then write their eulogies for the...

Second graders listen to stories about feelings and identify their own feelings during certain times of their lives. In this a happy time activity, 2nd graders explore writing elements as a way to communicate with a variety of audiences...

Students investigate proofreading marks. In this proofreading instructional activity, students evaluate a paragraph for editing mistakes. Students correct mistakes and return to the teacher.

Critical thinkers consider how word choice in speeches impacts the meaning and effectiveness of the message being presented. They examine and respond to some of the speeches made at the 2004 Republican and Democratic National...

To Kill a Mockingbird, Hunger Games, Brave New World. Welcome to Banned Books Week. As part of a study of censorship and book banning, class members investigate censorship, the purposes of censorship, and First Amendment rights,...

Students become familiar with the conventions of print as they recognize Mother Goose poems. In this Mother Goose lesson, students follow the words from left to right as they read Mother Goose poems. Students recognize rhyming words and...

In this simple equations activity, students examine diagrams and write equations to support the information in the diagram. This one-page activity contains 10 problems. This activity may be completed on-line or produced in printed form....

Students write their names using shaving cream. In this write my name lesson, students practice forming letters using shaving cream. Students follow appropriate conventions of print to convey a message and use spacing and letters...

Third graders are given an opportunity to create a visual to accompany their presentations of their persuasive essays. They may use the computer or other media as resources.

How many of the pupils in your language arts class can differentiate between a colon and a semicolon? Clarify common conventions, including end punctuation, proper capitalization, and sentence structure, with a series of helpful grammar...

A reading of Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention," Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience," and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" launch a discussion about the price one is willing to pay to...

Though the movement for Women's Suffrage stretched over several decades and across two centuries, the final few years were the most difficult hurdle in many ways. Use a document-based question writing exercise to make inferences about...

Those new to teaching an AP level language and composition prep course and seasoned veterans will find much to treasure in a unit that is designed to help young language scholars develop the skills they need to analyze the language...

What would you do if you had to go to school all day every day? Tillie tackles this problem in Sharon Creech’s A Fine, Fine School. After a discussion of how Tillie got the principal to change his ways, brainstorm with your class...

Explore the world of amazing mammals with your kids with special needs. Each child identifies one mammal from a previous lesson and writes a short paragraph on that mammal. This lesson states that it is intended for all levels, but not...

Introduce young learners to the list of children's rights as defined by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) with a series of activities that get class members thinking about what they need to grow up safely and happily.

They're going to be there with their family. Class members practice using and identifying the correct use of they're, there, and their with a skills practice worksheet. The top half of the worksheet gives brief background information on...

Seventh graders explore persuasive writing using the city life and the country life as focus topics. In this persuasion lesson, 7th graders read "The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse" in an attempt to determine the pros and cons of both...

Students write a paragraph, make lists, draw, and brainstorm things about themselves, their goals, and their past. In this all about me lesson plan, students recall information about themselves, and interview others in order to write...