Keep your class thinking about Seedfolks after they read each chapter by requiring them to keep a journal about the story. Hand out these journal entry prompts at the beginning of the story so that your learners know what to expect. For...

Here is a strategy for groups to contribute to whole class vocabulary development. Teams (based on seating rows) work together to look up dictionary definitions of words from upcoming sections of the book (though previous sections seem...

Learn more about the North American Plains Indian tribes and their unusual methods of recording historical events. Learners examine the winter count, a custom by which these groups illustrated information after each winter passed. They...

Students examine the concept of kindness to others. They define kindness, listen to various stories about random acts of kindness, and create an e-mail chain describing their own acts of kindness that is sent around the world.

Students conduct research about the Civil War and the slavery movement. They examine primary and secondary resources. The use of the internet and web slides are resources made available for students to make cognitive connections.

With The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry as the hook learners discuss the rainforest, the animals that live there, and conservation efforts. Then, students write a letter to the man in the story asking him not to cut down the Kapok...

One of the keys for successful teaching is connecting curriculum to real-life experiences. This instructional activity on blogging does this, by making writing, revising, and publishing a reality. Pupils create a character for a story,...

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.

Students read African folktales. In this literature lesson, students share prior knowledge about South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. Then students work in groups to read an assigned African folktale and answer response questions about...

Eighth graders listen to an account of the Holocaust. In this World War II lesson, 8th graders listen a guest speaker discuss the Holocaust experience. Students then complete an assignment based on what the guest speaker shared.

Third graders explore the importance of art in Haitian culture by analyzing the cause and effect within the story, "Allie's Basketball Dream." They examine all the aspects of the story and characters including their goals, dreams,...

Like the characters in Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, class members write frequently with a series of journal topics that form the basis of the final writing assignment about their personal “heavy boots.” Alas, no list of topics is...

Learners share in the family histories of their peers as told through the quilt stories, and apply math skills by using invented strategies to determine the (approximate) age of the quilt from the information given about the date it was...

Students research their ancestors by visiting a number of online resources. They read personal immigration stories and begin creating their own family tree.

Students use the My Hero website to help them develop their reading skills. They create a KWL chart for the hero of their choice.

High schoolers interpret scenes from a novel they are reading. In this literature lesson, students select scenes from The Stone Cutter to perform for their classmates. High schoolers should attempt to recreate the emotions that...

Students observe and talk about wind using no weather instruments. In this wind lesson plan, students use their senses to observe wind. They also interview an Elder about wind.

Students create a gift honoring Father's Day. In this Father's Day lesson plan, students examine the meaning of fatherhood and explore the history of this tradition. Students create a picture collage over a template of their father's...

Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...

Support your instruction of The Cay by Theodore Taylor with this extensive unit of materials. Provided here are prereading activities, worksheets and discussion questions for the entire book, and reading quizzes that you can use to check...

Three of Emily Dickinson's poems, "I like to see it," "Because I could not stop for Death," and "We grow accustomed to the Dark," provide instructors with an opportunity to model for class members how to use close reading strategies to...

Who says you need a human to be your valentine on Valentine's Day? Give your dog-loving readers an inspiring perspective on how a sister givdes her brother a valentine from the family dog. They then answer 10 questions thatd involve...

First graders use the internet to research a famous American. Using the information they collect, they write a paragraph noting their accomplishments. They find a picture of the person they are researching or dress up like them to...

Students practice read aloud comprehension strategies. In this literacy comprehension lesson, students listen to Tomas and the Library Lady, stopping to discuss with a partner aspects of the story suggested by the teacher. Students make...