Upper elementary and middle schoolers recognize symbols that influence the choices that we make consciously or unconsciously in everyday life. They look at the symbols and choices that others make. They identify and apply knowledge of...

Class members develop their own glossaries for unfamiliar words in each chapter in Elizabeth George Speare’s The Sign of the Beaver. After recording the word, the page number on which the word appears, and its part of speech, they...

Young readers explore a nonfiction text for its main idea. They will listen to the book Animal Sight by Kirsten Hall, and then observe as the teacher models a main idea think-aloud. Later, for independent practice, they listen to the...

Second graders learn and practice capitalizing names of cities, states, countries, streets, buildings, bridges, and geographical places around the theme of Washington, D.C. through activities at learning centers in the classroom.

What is the difference between reflexive and intensive pronouns? To find out, review the definitions and examples for various types of pronouns. Then complete several activities that help the class learn to recognize and use pronouns....

Practice making predictions by looking at the cover of a book. You can use The Hungry Thing, as suggested here, or any other book you may be reading in class. Use the predictions to talk about good reading strategies. A chart is...

“It was a miracle.” Basil Heatter’s “The Long Night of the Little Boats,” which details the miraculous rescue of the British army from the shores of Dunkirk in 1940, is featured in a series of exercises that ask class members to read,...

This problem solving PowerPoint presents a detailed, logical sequence of steps to follow in order to solve a story problem. The thinking processes described are given in text and represented by a visual model. After discussing the...

The post-Revolutionary Period of 1781-1787, also known as the Critical Period, is the focus of a series of lessons that prompt class members to examine primary source documents that reveal the instability of the period of the...

Fifth and sixth graders explore prime numbers. They work with a partner to build rectangular arrays using twelve tiles. Factor pairs are noted and recorded on graph paper. Pupils construct rectangular arrays with a prime number and...

Third graders explore place value to the ten thousands place. This incredibly thorough, 24-page lesson has learners construct, order, and compare numbers to 9,999. This three-day lesson includes reteaching and extension activities...

Fourth graders engage in a lesson that is about the concept of rounding decimals. They review place value and focus it upon the practice of rounding. Students use 10 base decimal grids or models to help make connections with the skill.

How can you tell if fractions have equal value? Use various collaborative activities to demonstrate the ways to determine whether or not fractions are equivalent.

Learners write a descriptive letter about life in ancient Mesopotamia. Through video streaming, students discover the history of Mesopotamia. They assume the role of a scribe and compose a three paragraph essay using main ideas and...

Shhhh! Listen up to learn about the sh digraph. With the materials provided here, kids will have the opportunity to hear, say, write, and read this particular digraph many times.

Alice Walker's poem "Women" provides ninth graders the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to identify how a writer's choice of syntax and diction contribute to the development of the theme of the work.

The emotional and spiritual oppression of slavery in the African-American experience is the focus of this lesson. Middle schoolers analyze various texts by Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou related to freedom and oppression....

This performance task gives the population model of different types of flies and asks scholars to analyze the two populations. After interpreting the functions individually, participants compare the two populations and find the time...

Scholars investigate the Holocaust through the eyes of an Auschwitz survivor. They analyze and research a firsthand account of events inside the gas chambers moments before hundreds died. Using Holocaust Reading Passages and...

Combine poetry and reading comprehension with an engaging writing assignment. Readers of The Winter's Tale craft a sonnet in the voice of one of the characters in Shakespeare's play.

The characters in Lois Lowry's The Giver are rich and complex as they weave their way through the plot. Examine the character traits of one chosen person with a biopoem, which enables learners to follow a poetic format in writing a...

Support young learners' acquisition of new vocabulary with this pair of graphic organizers. Using context clues and reference materials, children complete each section of the activity, including the definition, synonyms, examples and...

The beauty of this colorful presentation about Cornell notes is that it begins with a very powerful statistic: "Those who take organized notes and do something with them remember 90-100% of the material indefinitely!" Zounds! Now there's...

Everyone loves food! Help your English language learners pick up some vocabulary with a series of activities based around cognates and food. Pupils practice each word and focus on the words in-depth by filling out Frayer model...