Using a variety of activities, kindergartners explore sorting and classification. Learners engage in an online sorting activity, read books involving classification, and create their own class book. This is a marvelousway to explore this...

At over 450 pages, John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Grapes of Wrath can be a challenging choice for full-class, book circle, or independent reading. The activities in a 10-page sample The Grapes of Wrath...

Explain the differences between fiction and non-fiction and the characteristics of a biography. Learners analyze three pieces of literature on the same topic to determine which is fiction and which is non-fiction. In the end, relate the...

Students complete activities with the book There Was An Old Lady That Swallowed a Fly.  In this literature lesson, students hear the story and recognize the animals. They create fly soup and discuss healthy foods and junk...

In this Internet fact hunt worksheet, students access the "Fact Monster" web site to locate the answers to 5 multiple choice questions. They answer questions about US history, geography, literature, and science.

Make real connections in literature and in life. While reading, class members fill out links for a chain, circling the connection type, noting the page number, and commenting on each one. When they've completed all the links, they cut...

Scholars learn about the Hero's Journey as they read Ray Bradbury's "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." They analyze the story's structure and narrative techniques. Finally, they write summaries of the text's central idea and use their...

Students identify the main story elements in the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. In this literacy lesson, students listen to the book and use a guided reading ball check for comprehension. Students answer questions such as "Who are...

Students explore body movement.  In this shapes and dance lesson, students demonstrate body movements and positions that resemble simple shapes.  Students read I Spy Shapes in Art by Lucy Micklethwait and choose shapes from the...

Students examine Dante's trip through Hell. In this literature lesson, students read The Inferno and then collaborate to discuss moral redemption and create their own maps of Hell based on the poem. Written descriptions are required to...

Students construct a rainstick. In this music lesson, students investigate the history of the rainstick by reading the book Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. Students express their feelings about the rain and create...

In this collection of graphic organizers for a literature unit, students will complete 22 different graphic organizers on the topic of character development. For example, this collection includes character analysis and various attribute...

Students participate in a problem solving activity and discuss how effective their solution was.  In this getting ready to become an adult lesson, students read Ta-ne-e-ka and use guiding questions to address the relationships in...

This literature study PowerPoint summarizes and reviews the key points of the book, The Telltale Heart. The slides display a mock raceway where students must answer questions about the text in order to complete the raceway. This is an...

Designed for teachers, this resource provides an overview of Pearl S. Buck's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Good Earth. Information about the organizational pattern of the story, issues and themes addressed, historical background on...

Inspire first grade artists to learn about abstract and realistic art while reading Eric Carle's Where are you Going? To See My Friend. Young artists design and make a mural collage by tearing shapes of paper while comparing English and...

Considering a study of science fiction, speculative fiction, and/or dystopian fiction? Check out this concept analysis of Sonia Levitin's The Cure. The guide provides enough information to let you know if her novel would fit your...

Take a journey to India with a read aloud of The Drum: A Folktale from India by Rob Cleveland. Make connections to the story's theme by building and practicing drums, role playing story characters, and practicing skills in phonics, math,...

Considering including Juliet Marillier's young adult novel, Wildwood Dancing as part of your language arts curriculum? Check out an overview that examines some of the themes and issues presented by the novel. 

Wheels go around is the theme of the plethora of activities to aid in the language fluency of your scholars in this unit of ESL lessons. Learners can take part in a grand conversation focused on wheels, make their own steering wheel,...

Considering The Scarlet Pimpernel as part of your curriculum? Check out this overview that provides a brief summary of the plot of Baroness Orczy's novel and a discussion of some of the issues presented by her tale of the french...