Students assess and critique a wide variety of writing samples for each of the traits of writing strands from literature, composition writing, reading and assessment tools. They create and design a descriptive definition piece of writing...

Fifth graders explore the purpose for reading a piece of literature. In this reading instructional activity, 5th graders view the cover of a book and then predict the order of details from the book.  Students listen to the piece of...

Fourth graders work in groups in order to motivate one another to develop reading comprehension and literacy skills. The skills are built through the sharing of fine literature. They maintain a reading log to keep accountable for the...

Students explore elements of American folktales and tall tales. In this literature lesson, students read examples of American folktales and tall tales and prepare a monologue or news report to present to the class based on their readings.

Ninth graders take part in a lesson that is concerned with testing grammar knowledge for the basis of placement by level into a summer school program. They conduct a pre-test to get some preliminary data and analyze the information as an...

Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...

Sixth graders investigate the concept of Greek Mythology and conduct research using a variety of resources. They read literature pieces and then write responses to the readings. Students also view a video in order to create the context...

Students engage in a reading of literature with the intention of working on the reading comprehension skill of identifying the plot of a story. They conduct independent reading looking for the plot and fill in the graphic organizer for...

Students utilize their reading comprehension by analyzing a book with their class. In this children's literature lesson plan, students read the story The Mitten by Jan Brett and discuss the imagery and characters in the story. Students...

Watching is not the same as seeing. Transform viewers from passive watchers to active students of film with this 34-page packet, filled with lessons and activities that use Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to examine the technology, the...

Fifth graders explore the Adventures of Don Quixote in a four-week language arts unit. Scholars listen to and discuss a new chapter each day as well as examine vocabulary and practice word work including suffixes, subject-verb agreement,...

Learners read and compare two selections by two different authors with the theme man vs. nature. They complete a literary analysis paper comparing and contrasting the author's treatment of the topic with emphasis on setting, historical...

Learn about animal habitats, characteristics, and writing in a different perspective. The class composes a narrative from the perspective of a fresh water animal, they include a problem and the animal's reaction to the problem. The...

Seventh graders need to be able to distinguish between major and minor characters and need to have read the novel Bearstone and be familiar with the sequence of events as well as the qualities displayed by each character over the course...

Challenge your class with this comprehensive list of literary vocabulary words. Learners take a pre-test, look up definitions, come up with an example, and then take a post-test. You might use this prior to a unit about poetic devices in...

Students reflect upon how Transcendentalism focuses on individualism. From their belief that God was within every person to their steadfast belief that every man should make decisions based on personal moral values, individualism was...

Who is a champion to your class? Elementary and middle schoolers think of a role-model from their lives. Then, in their journals, they write evidence of that person's perseverance. They identify the character trait of perseverance with...

Fifth graders read a narrative nonfiction piece describing the formation of the Students's Rain Forest organization from the SRA/McGraw-Hill Open Court Reading Anthology entitled, Cooperation and Competition. Founders of the Students's...

Engage your class in a scavenger hunt to find the main ideas and supporting details in a text. They follow the teacher while s/he models how to determine main idea and find supporting details, and then they work independently. A fun...

Looking for a simple and straightforward reference on the Enlightenment for your young historians? Check out this list of key terms and important figures from the period, followed by a traditional assessment where your learners will be...

Students participate in completing a worksheet where they have to match the authors to the short story or book that they wrote. They have studied English Literature Authors, so this is an assessment piece type of instructional activity.

A performance task challenges scholars to read an informational text then respond with an explanatory essay. The exam begins with an independent reading of Seeing Eye to Eye by Leslie Hall. A second reading follows with the...

Need an extra challenge for your best readers? Check out a unit that uses Hannah Webster Foster’s epistolary novel, The Coquette, published in 1797, as the anchor text. The resource is packed with project ideas; each with its...

Discussing great works of literature with peers is an excellent way to both comprehend and celebrate reading! Learners work in literature circles during a unit on Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, and share paragraphs that...