Knowing the names of the steps of the scientific method is not enough; in order to really understand each of the elements, one must practice. Beginning with an engaging recap of the steps of the scientific method, learners practice the...

Need a quick way to administer and grade a multiple choice quiz? Keep this bubble sheet as a staple of your curriculum toolkit! It can be used for assessments with up to 30 multiple choice or true/false questions.

What are the effects of competition in an academic environment? The competition between the main characters in A Separate Peace motivates a series of activities that asks readers to take a stance on competition, and then to develop a...

Making inferences and drawing conclusions is a key component to successful active reading. Encourage your class to use context clues and prior knowledge to infer different elements of a story, including the setting, plot, and character...

How would you describe a great leader? Explore the theme of leadership with a unit that focuses on emotional intelligence, and how great leaders have a strong sense of emotional intelligence.

Third graders complete book reports. They are given the following jobs; chef, who organizes them into genres; maître d', who calls students to share the menu; and waiters/waitresses, who take orders for books from customers, pass out...

Students read Ruthanne Lum McCunn's Thousand Pieces of Gold and as a class, discuss the Chinese practice of foot binding. They work in groups to read further about how women of different cultures attempt to conform. They write about...

Tests readers' comprehension of the plot of George Orwell's famous novel 1984. Although most questions only require the test taker to recall information about the novel's plot, some questions ask for analysis. Instant feedback and...

This Fun Trivia quiz focuses on the characters in Charles Dickens' classic novel Great Expectations. A useful resource to check for understanding or completion of reading, this quiz can be used to test readers' ability to recall...

In this reading worksheet, students use this graphic organizer to map the beginning, middle and end of The Night of the Twisters. Students use this "plot pie" to write a few sentences to summarize the story. The graphic organizer is...

Students review figurative languages terms and examples. They read the first entry in the book, Out of the Dust, and discuss the images created by the author. Then they create an autobiographical poem using figurative language.

Fifth graders read Jerry Spinelli's, Maniac Magee, which focuses on homelessness, illiteracy, and racism. They research Jerry Spinelli's biography and other works using the Internet, and write an on-line book review of Maniac Magee.

Learners read the novel, Out of the Dust, and complete a cause and effect chart and a character chart. When the book is completed, they answer review questions.

Students use the Internet to review personality types and to associate characters from Lord of the Flies with the personality types listed. They also write a theme comparing and contrasting the personalities of two characters in Lord of...

Twelfth graders examine the elements of literature. They each read a chapter of a novel, sequentially list the main ideas, present a summary of the chapter to the class, sequence the events, and review the novel by summarizing the timeline.

Young scholars complete a guided reading study and autobiographical essay for Sandra Cisneros' House on Mango Street. In this literary analysis lesson, students read the novel, complete novel response activities, book review worksheets,...

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

Third graders seek supporting proof of major conflicts and themes in the novel, The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan which has them identify the conflict in each chapter of the book.

Fourth graders write a summary for each chapter as they read a novel. They summarize the author's purpose and point of view after completing the novel. They also describe about how the author's point of view affected the novel.

Students read the novel, Freak the Mighty and describe and illustrate the setting. They create a graphic organizer that demonstrates the major plot elements and character development.

Students complete a unit of lessons on pirates. They read and analyze the novel, 'The Stowaway: A Tale of California Pirates,' define key vocabulary terms, participate in a literature circle, and write a report on pirates.

Third graders visualize and create a map to outline scenes from the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. They understands the importance of organizing information when making maps and giving directions.

Pupils complete a questionnaire, formulating opinions on issues that be addressed in the novel, Sing Down the Moon. They make predictions about events that might occur in the novel based on the group discussion.

Young scholars read Sharyn McCrumb's and Maggie Greenwald's versions of "Songcatcher" and use them as a springboard to explore the heritage and traditions of Appalachian folk music. They review Internet sources, conduct research and...