Pupils discover how to express their feeling poetically. In this poetry lesson, students discuss their feelings, descriptive language to describe these feelings, and create poems.

Students practice reading skills and comprehension through the use of computers and the educational software "Destination Reading" provided by Riverdeep in this self-directed lesson.

First graders research information about Japanese people and culture. They read a Japanese story listening for rhyme schemes. They create their own rhyme schemes. They discuss Japanese food and sample rice cakes. They read Haiku and then...

Connect poetry to a naturally kid-friendly topic: ghosts! Draw on your class's prior knowledge of the paranormal to help them access the classic poem "Haunted House" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After a fun warm-up activity describing...

After answering comprehension questions (good for a homework reading check), class members analyze "Comin' Thro the Rye," and using the included guidance questions, discuss Holden's misreading of Robert Burns' poem. The URL to text of...

Practice using feelings as a way to reflect on past experiences. The poem The End and the text Tell Me a Story Mama are used to identify feeling words. As an extension, pupils participate in a service learning project and...

Students examine the amount of biodiversity in the state of Illinois. They practice using new vocabulary and listening to stories about animals. After given time to reflect, they write their own haiku. They work together to create a...

Get kids re-oriented to the computer lab for back-to-school. The constructivist approach in this session allows children to exert ownership of their behavior in the computer lab. Read aloud a few books about good and poor manners, as...

Eighth graders recognize what makes them special through class participation and discussion of rap music, writing a poem about themselves, and designing their own special hat while working in groups.

Studying haiku poetry with your English class? Delving into Japanese history with your world history class? Here is an authentic and creative way to explore Japanese culture more deeply. Pupils will compare and contrast two tea caddies...

Learners explore Aboriginal storytelling. In this literature lesson, students read Knots on a Counting Rope and then create a story line as they discuss the attributes of Aboriginal culture. Learners retell the story in their own words.

Primary learners explore elements of wonder in The Nursery "Alice" by Lewis Carroll. They analyze the plot point after listening to the text. Next, they describe the imagery in various works of children's literature using the given links...

Read, analyze, and critique a newspaper article about a concert with a Western singer and an Iranian band. Scholars will assess key vocabulary terms within the article, learn how to understand a short news report, and hone in on how the...

Have your learners play around with Shakespeare's language. In this plan, small groups examine and rearrange soliloquies from Othello, noting how the language changes and morphs. All groups have a chance to change each soliloquy, making...

Students comprehension widens on the subject of the Holocaust by focusing on two different, yet related, experiences of Jews in Europe during the Holocaust. Those being death camps and life in major ghettos. They trace both commonalities...

Learning about the fifty states can be motivating. After listening to books, pupils discuss and learn about the nicknames of various states. This is an interesting way to review the locations and characteristics of the states.

Students see examples of other types of written stories. They are introduced to the ballad in literature. Students obtain ideas for their own family story. They discuss how ballads can relate true stories through music. Students discuss...

Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.

"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members...

Learners apply word-level skills through shared and guided reading. They use poems of parts of poems as models for own writing. They read texts aloud with pace and expression.

Students practice using visualization to aid in their reading comprehension. While completing a read aloud of a selected poem, the instructor models visualizing images from the poem. Independently, students read a chapter from a...

Learners use reading searchlights to work out new words and make sense of what they read. They compose own poetic sentences.

Students participate in a reading skills lesson to improve reading comprehension. The skill of visualization is taught and practiced to help them better understand the plot of a story.

Students engage in a fact file exercise. In this reading comprehension lesson plan, students read an article, complete a worksheet, and explore suggested websites.