Students identify the main idea of a paragraph. They identify the main idea, think about who or what the story is about. Students are told that the main idea is the most important information the author wants the reader to comprehend the...

Students investigate classification of different animal groups. In this biology lesson students list characteristics of themselves and others they know to show differences and how they are classified. Students then answer...

In this literature circle form worksheet, learners evaluate how their book club meeting went. Students answer questions about the events and feelings in the literature circle that day.

Students investigate what sort of person the author is. They listen as the teacher use her notes to introduce Tom Holt briefly. Students are asked if anyone has read any of his books. They work in pairs to find more about Tom Holt as a...

Students read excerpts from the novel "Little Women." Students work in groups to research, analyze, and answer the questions included in the lesson. After research, students write a paper and include a bibliography. The students also...

Students read a passage from Geraldine Brooks's novel Year of Wonders. They generate questions to clarify the meaning of the text and make connections between the text and information learned in their history and science classes.

Fourth graders engage in a lesson in order to find the differences or similarities within seven tribal groups in Montana. They use maps and other resources to find cultural and geographical differences. The influences upon culture are...

Students, who are fluent readers, practice reading with expression after listening while the teachers models good reading. They respond to teacher directions to show a specified expression. Reading with a partner, they practice adding...

Everyone has a different opinion about the characters they read about in books. Have your class explore forming an opinion and finding evidence to support it as they read and discuss what they think about a particular character. They...

Katherine Paterson’s young adult novel Lyddie is the foundation of a differentiated instruction unit that not only explores the rise of industrialization and labor but women’s rights issues as well. After learners read the novel, they...

Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.

As part of a reading of Elie Wiesel's Night class members engage in a directed reading/thinking activity that includes crafting predictions, verifying these predictions, and interpreting portions of the text.

Students research the life of Abraham Lincoln. In this Abraham Lincoln lesson, students use the Internet to discover facts about his life. Students practice using Internet tools.

Aspiring writers complete and discuss fill-in-the-blank cliché expressions, define cliché as a form of predictable writing, take cliché expressions and turn them into new, unpredictable ones, read poetry that illustrates writer's use of...

First graders participate in a guided reading lesson. In this guided reading lesson, 1st graders read David's Drawings by Cathryn Falwell, which is a realistic fiction book on the DRA:16 level. They determine the author's message, and...

Add a touch of Dr. Seuss whimsy to your Earth Day celebration with six pages consisting of Earth-friendly, inspiring, and engaging activities designed to enhance the beauty of your school campus and showcase the famous story, The...

How can you tell if someone is happy? The lesson works with elementary and middle school scholars to activate their schema and pay attention to details to make inferences in their daily lives, poetry, and other literature. Cleverly...

Make your learners' stories the best they can be. Use this resource to help them identify and discuss the importance of an engaging opening for their stories. This presentation goes through a series of tips and examples to help make this...

Earth is sick and needs our help! Read the children's book Planet Earth Gets Well to explain the various problems facing the planet, discussing what young conservationists can do to heal the planet along the way. A great Earth...

Celebrate the whimsical world of Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day with a collection of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics activities, each linked to a popular Dr. Seuss story. 

Bring Edgar Allan Poe's spooky story to life! After reading the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart," middle and high schoolers identify the theme, character traits, irony, and other story concepts. During pre-reading, they take notes,...

Read your class a folk tale from Romania then discuss it. As they listen they discover how the author sets the mood using English conventions such as foreshadowing, magical elements, and they look for descriptive language while looking...

Students explore culture and change through reading "Half Main, Half Limping Rabbit" by Nina Porzucki. In this literature and cultural lesson, students discuss Dracula and other folk stories from Romania. Students identify the ways the...

Elementary schoolers discover that the world is at their fingertips as they acquire new vocabulary. Several suggested activities and strategies are provided here, building new reading and oral vocabulary.