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Reading Aloud
Reading aloud is a great way to engage learners in pacing and pronunciation! They practice using voice, pitch and intonation correctly. The teacher introduces the lesson plan by example, correctly stressing punctuation and using...
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DR-TA Reading Strategy
Foster critical thinking skills by using the DR-TA Strategy with Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” Class members read portions of the essay, stop and discuss what is happening, make predictions based on evidence from the text, and...
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Making Judgments
In this question strategy learning exercise, students practice the strategy of making judgments when answering multiple choice questions. They read a selection, review the steps for finding the answers, and then replicate the steps in a...
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Jim Murphy, The Great Fire - Grade 6
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy provides the text for a study of the Chicago fire of 1871. The plan is designed as a close reading activity so that all learners have the same background information require for writing. Richly detailed, the...
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"Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" by Rod Serling
These questions ask learners to think about the text "Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" in a variety of ways. In addition to practicing reading comprehension, class members work on interpreting, making inferences and connections,...
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Measure for Measure: DRTA Strategy
“The tempter or the tempted, who sins most?” Prediction, verification, judgment, and extensions of thought are all part of a
Directed ReadingThinking Activity (DRTA) developed for Measure for Measure. The rationale, assessments...
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Cloze Activity
Students brainstorm possible replacements for blanks in a cloze activity. They work in groups to decide which of their possible replacements are prefered for each blank. They then prepare to present their ideas of the text to the class...
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Great Expectations: DRTA Strategy
A Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) strategy for Great Expectations scaffolds and guides readers as they begin Dicken's novel. Step-by-step directions are provided, as are chapter one pair-share questions, a prediction worksheet,...
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Directed Reading Thinking Activity: "A Raisin in the Sun"
Students predict outcomes of a text. In this comprehension strategy lesson, students read a poem and compare it to the play A Raisin in the Sun. Students discuss their similarities and the power of dreams.
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Reading
Students are introduced to various types of folk tales. During a read-aloud, they predict what they believe is going to happen next and practice following the story line. To end the lesson, they answer comprehension questions and...
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Comprehension Questions: "Papa's Parrot"
Readers demonstrate comprehension and reflect on their reading of Cynthia Rylant's short story "Papa's Parrot." They recall, infer, analyze, speculate, synthesize, and make judgments about the content of the text.
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Reading the Play
Students read the play "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare. In groups, they identify the instances of similes, metaphors and personification. They use the Internet to compare and contrast the events in the play with historical facts....
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ELD Lesson Plan: Courage
What is true courage? Your class can explore the answer with these three Houghton-Mifflin stories ("Hatchet," "Passage to Freedom," "Climb or Die," and "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle"), which feature courageous characters and...
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Antonyms 5: Level 7
Canny/daft. Acquire/squander. Bolster the vocabulary of your middle schoolers with a 10 problem antonym worksheet. As an added bonus, the worksheet comes with an answer sheet that details strategies learners can use to determine the...
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Rent To Own
Reading can be a good way to learn about many different things, like rent-to-own housing programs. Learners read informational resources about rent-to-own programs and how they work. They complete graphic organizers using the facts they...
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In Cold Blood: A During Reading Activity
Following the method used by Truman Capote, class members research a major character from his novel, In Cold Blood, and then conduct an interview with that character. The resulting research is used to craft a newspaper article about the...
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Agamemnon Theme of Justice and Judgment
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 4 short answer and essay questions based on themes in Agamemnon. Students may also complete their choice of 3 reading activities suggested.
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All My Sons Theme of Justice and Judgment
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 3 short answer and essay questions based on themes in All My Sons. Students may also complete their choice of 3 reading activities suggested.
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Social Studies Strategies - Pick a Word
In this inference skills worksheet, students read a short passage, then pick two words that describe the passage. Next they explain why they chose that word. Students choose another word related to the passage and write it on a 3x5 note...
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The Odyssey and The Morte Darthur: Reading and Making Observations for Writing and Discussion
Students read "The Odyssey" and "The Morte Darthur". In groups, they research the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology and the history of the places mentioned in the stories. Individually, they are to write a paper about a hero they...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Drawing Conclusions Based on Literary Elements
Students compare versions of Cinderella and draw conclusions based on the story elements identified. In this literacy comprehension and story elements lesson, students read several versions of Cinderella, complete a "Comparing Folklore"...
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Learning Inference
Making inferences can be a tricky proposition for middle schoolers. In the lesson presented here, pupils practice the skill of drawing a conclusion and making a judgment - which are what making an inference is all about! There are five...
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Whittle, Whittle it Down: Summarizing
Middle schoolers summarize a one to two page article of informational text. They compose a summary according to the guidelines on the "Five Rules for Writing a Summary" chart. They take turns reading their summary to the group, and...
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Open Sesame: A Magical World of Reading
Third graders, through six lessons, study tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Aladdin and the Lamp from The Arabian Nights.