Livaudais-Baker English Classroom
Kindred
This first in a series of four resources is designed for instructors to use Octavia E. Butler's Kindred in their classes. The packet includes an overview of the unit, a day-to-day calendar, links to background articles, and reading...
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Teaching "A Week in the Woods"
The book, A Week in the Woods is the focus of the very interesting language arts lesson plan presented here. After the book has been read, learners engage in study of certain parts of the book in order to gain a better understanding of...
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Henry and Mudge: comprehension skills
In this comprehension skills worksheet, students read the book Henry and Mudge and complete comprehension activities. Students complete activities such as inferences, drawing conclusions, character traits, and main idea and...
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Predictions: A Pre-Reading Strategy
Students read and complete an article filling in the blanks to make predictions before reading the full article. In this predictions lesson, students compare predictions to the actual parts of the article. Students discuss the main idea...
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Building Reading Skills: Fluency
Young scholars practice their fluency skills. In 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 good...
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Summing it all Up...In Your Own Words
Students observe and demonstrate the steps to identifying the main ideas of a text. They listen to the teacher read a paragraph and model the steps of summarizing the main idea. Students then independently read a different paragraph...
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What is The Main Idea
Students will investigate why comprehension is a major goal of reading. To comprehend the meaning of text, students must know certain strategies in order to be successful. Form a topic sentence that captures the meaning of a paragraph...
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What's the Main Idea?
Students summarize a piece of text. After reviewing the correct way to read and summarize, students work in groups to summarize a piece of text assigned by the instructor. They write a summary paragraph using the process outlined during...
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What's the Big Idea? Exercise 3
For this main idea worksheet, students write the common subject for the group of words. Students add anther word that could be included in the group.
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Defining the American Dream
Students define the American Dream and apply their knowledge of American history to evaluate the main idea of H.W. Brands' book, "The Age of Gold."
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The Main Man
Students explore visualizing stories by completing a graphic organizer. In this reading strategy lesson, students read the story Pecos Bill by Steven Kellog and identify the setting, main characters and their interpretations. Students...
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The Little Prince (Chapters 1-4) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Students read Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince and complete reading and vocabulary activities. In this reading and vocabulary lesson, students review vocabulary for the story and identify story elements for the text.
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Outlining Main Ideas and Details
Begin at the end. Present your class with an expository essay and ask them to create an outline of the article, paying particular attention to the main ideas and the details supporting these ideas. After a discussion of what they have...
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Story Map for Bud, Not Buddy
Why should your class complete a story map? After reading Bud, Not Buddy, divide your class into pairs or small groups to complete the included worksheet. They list the main characters, the conflict, main plot events, the resolution, and...
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Flight Formation: The V's Have It!
Read, revisit, and reflect. Older elementary students summarize main idea 6using key details. They consider the V formation that birds fly in, summarize an informational text, and write critical thinking questions.
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Why Do Authors Write?
Sixth graders use short reading passages to identify, explain, and discuss the author's purpose for writing. After a lecture/demo, they utilize a graphic organizer embedded in this plan to organize their writing ideas.
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Listening Positions, Please
Fourth graders practice using effective listening skills as they listen to oral poetry readings.
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6
What does the author believe about his topic? Why did he write in the first place? Challenge your class to figure out the answers to these questions as they read through informational texts. The resource provides a breakdown of the...
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Email Buddies
Collaborate with another class (or school) and have your learners share ideas about their reading through the use of email. Perhaps you'll create a specific question or a few questions for writers to choose from. Not only will they...
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Poetry Shared Reading
Students explore poetry. In this poetry lesson, students discover the qualities of good writing and the characteristics of poetry. Students practice reading poems in different ways. Studnets also discuss the mood of the poem and the...
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Tackling a Statement: Rights of the Child
Studentsare introduced to the idea that people have rights. They voice opinions about whether children should have special rights and be treated differently then adults. The main purpose of the activity is to get students thinking and...
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Poetry SLAM: Youth Verse Competition
Use this model, based on urban youth poetry competitions, to create an engaging venue for your poets to share their work out loud, with expression. Build class community, have fun, and celebrate your authors' original verse....
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Reading and Responding -- Lesson 14
Fourth graders work independently or in a small group to (1) read a fictional passage, (2) use context clues to define unfamiliar vocabulary, (3) use comprehension strategies, and (4) make inferences. Reading passages and comprehension...
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Teaching "Theme" with Children's Literature
In this exercise, learners examine the difference between a theme, topic, and moral. After a class discussion on the definition of literary themes, the instructor reads The Cello of Mr. O by Jane Cutler. Next, individuals analyze the...