Fourth graders read The Secret School and define vocabulary in the text.  In this Secret School lesson, 4th graders recognize difficult text and are able to comprehend its meaning and answer questions. 

Teach scholars why China is so crucial to global economics through an informative resource. Activities include using databases to search for information, watching a video or listening to a podcast, and reading about China's economy as a...

As part of their study of democracy, high schoolers listen to a podcast featuring two South African educators and their efforts to support the process of transforming the nation from apartheid rule into a democracy. Learners also read...

Chances are, you've got some precocious Matilda fans in your class! Use a thorough set of lesson plans to address Roald Dahl's classic novel about a bright girl who just wants to be understood. Vocabulary exercises,...

Partner up! After an I have/who has activity, readers partner with one of their discussion appointments to add evidence from chapters 11-13 in To Kill a Mockingbird to the Atticus Note-catcher. Partners then share with the class and add...

What's the verdict? Scholars look closely at the reactions of various characters in To Kill A Mockingbird in the aftermath of the verdict. They circulate the room, responding to a variety of probing questions. Pupils finalize their...

For the end-of-unit assessment, scholars engage in small group Socratic seminars to connect the lyrics of two songs to texts they read and studied. They discuss how the songs "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" and "Lift Every Voice...

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...

Students complete a variety of comprehension activities related to the novel "Freak the Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick. They complete a learning log for each chapter, examine the purpose of signal words "because" and "but," define key...

Here's a resource that deserves a place in your curriculum library, whether or not your school has adopted the Common Core. Designed for middle and high school language arts classes, the packet is packed with teaching tips, materials,...

Selecting a "power book" and engaging in a structured class discussion are the learning targets for this fourth lesson in a larger unit. It is designed as a beginning of the year unit for establishing norms and routines in the classroom....

Receiving credit can be both a benefit and a curse. Prepare your learners to make wise credit choices by studying how credit influences credit scores, identifying the different components of credit cards, and exploring major consumer...

Students answer reading comprehension questions using the "story grammar" technique. They listen to a story and then answer questions using the technique: main character, setting, main events, and resolution. Students complete an...

Students distinguish between easily-confused letter pairs such as b and d, p and b, m and w, and n and m. They read and listen to a story that highlights words containing the letter pairs. They use picture clues to aid reading...

Students work to develop comprehension strategies. They focus on three rules for summarizing: getting rid of extra information, organizing, and finding the main idea. Through modeling and then guided practice, they apply these rules ...

Students explore global relationships by reading stories of children in villages. In this foreign aide lesson, students discuss the story Jojo's Story which describes the trials and tribulations of a ten year old boy living in a natural...

Students examine the attributes of productive conversations. In this fishbowl discussion lesson plan, students observe a modeled discussion of a literature circle. Students watch a discussion of "The Bear That Wasn't" and note how...

Learners discover the joy of reading a book through the teaching method of a read-aloud while interacting with the teacher by answering different questions. The lesson includes a sample of a read-aloud and the dialogue used with students...

Students practice their reading skills. In this reading comprehension lesson plan, students read an article titled "We Can Eat Smarter," and then use the reading strategy described to note confusing passages and revisit them. 

Listening is a skill, and with the help of the communication activities in this packet, class members improve their active listening skills. 

Introduce Cyrano de Bergerac with an anticipation guide that asks class members to rate a series of qualities that they look for in a friend. Groups then share their responses and present the class with the quality that provided the most...

Scholars demonstrate their knowledge of root words aqua and aud, and develop vocabulary skills by completing of a chart, handout, and worksheet using creative thinking skills, a dictionary, and a thesaurus.   

Learners explore nonfiction text. They identify the cover, title page, and table of contents of a nonfiction book. Pupils work in groups to create a chapter for a nonfiction class book about heroes.

The goal of this lesson is to have learners understand how character is created through a combination of what they say and do, and what others say about them. In pairs, learners construct a short dialogue between a parent and child after...