Use this worksheet to help make explicit the connection between sentence structure, audience, and author's purpose. Readers track and find patterns in sentence structure in various nonfiction texts, and connect it to the purpose of...

First graders discuss the strategy of asking yourself questions while reading. in this Stellaluna lesson, 1st graders write questions on a chart about the story. Students turn and talk after reading chunks of text. Students see which...

Students examine and draw conclusions from an excerpt from a slave narrative. They analyze excerpts from two recently discovered slave narratives. They draw connections among the narrative excerpts and historical texts by investigating...

Sixth graders examine the research that archaeologists have done on a Late Bronze Age shipwreck in order to work out the extent of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean during this period, with emphasis on the involvement of the Mycenaeans...

High schoolers select a theme-related essay topic from Night, by Elie Wiesel, or The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, and develop an essay that relates the theme to modern-day personal experiences. The essay follows a preset rubric...

Students think about ways in which they can spread joy during the holiday season. They create poems in the shape of a Christmas tree. Pupils use formatting tools in Microsoft Word to format the text of the poem. Students discuss ways...

First graders read a book with the teacher while encountering unfamiliar words and learning how to use context clues and visual clues to understand the material.  In this reading comprehension lesson, 1st graders...

High schoolers examine the challenges that faced the United States as a new nation, especially those related to exploration, expansion, and international affairs. They study the chronology of events related to the expedition of Lewis and...

Students gain practice in the analysis of various types of graphs common in daily life. These examples often use graphic images like charts, graphs, tables, and pictures to supplement learning.

Students examine the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado." In this character instructional activity, students discuss and analyze the characters in the story. Students make personal connections to the characters and create a...

Sudents compare specific excerpts from The Red Badge of Courage to first-hand accounts of Civil War battles, in text and images and list elements of Crane's style in The Red Badge of Courage that contribute to its realism.

Students read a story. For this Native American lesson, students learn about Native Americans and their responsibility to take care of a place called Turtle Island. Students learn the vocabulary words generation, befall, interdependence...

Students examine the writing techniques of professional authors and apply them to their own work. In pairs, they email authors to discover the tricks of the trade. Students create their own Website for their work.

Make connections about animal characteristics and the animal's environment. In this animal characteristics lesson, students use a piece of art as a springboard for a discussion about animals and camouflage. Students choose an animal that...

Students analyze strong female characters infive different European folktales. In this European folktales lesson plan, students identify the setting and culture described in each folktale to gain understanding of the...

Young scholars practice their fluency skills. For this fluency lesson, students read aloud stories to their peers and they help to coach one another on their fluency, pronunciation, phrasing, and inflection. They discuss what makes a...

Students answer questions to consider before they read A River Runs Through It.  In this anticipation guide lesson plan, students complete a worksheet responding to declarative statements and then discuss their responses...

Students write a context paper.  In this teaching the novel in context lesson, students view a primary sources to recreate the cultural and historical context of the novel.  Students make the connection between the literary...

Students write positive sentences about their classmates.  In this describing a classmate lesson, students discuss a picture presented by the teacher.  After the teacher tells why she likes this person, students write sentences...

Students create a character map of the main characters in The Tale of Despereaux. After reading the text, students create a character chart based on information they gleaned from the story. They use this information to write a letter...

Students experience a shared reading regarding the importance of feeling like a valued member of the community within a family. In this family member feelings lesson, students discuss the feelings and the motives of the characters....

Students use visualization techniques when reading poetry.  In this visualization and poetry lesson, students work in groups to present a tableau that depicts a word from the poem as classmates guess the word.  Students then...

Fourth graders listen to The Great Ball Game and discuss the roots of the tale.  For this multicultural tale students identify the realistic facts about the Abnenaki Indians.  Students use the Internet to find out about the...

Elementary learners practice reading with expression to understand text better. They identify punctuation marks to see how each sentence is to be expressed with a certain emotion. Then they practice their new skills by working through...