After reading "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe, use the SMART board file to learn about Poe's background and use of irony. The lesson includes resource links to additional websites, as well as the SMART board file (you...

Seventh graders write a short reaction to the "Zero Tolerance" policy in regards to students and play guns. They read several news articles about the problems associated with the zero tolerance and students with play guns. They write a...

Learners read stories, look at maps, and write journal entries to learn about the language and artwork of Nahuatl culture. In this Nahuatl culture lesson plan, students research the Nahuatl culture and present their findings.

Remember reading "The Lottery" and "The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson? Learners can experience and analyze the tension, themes, and human experience found in these pieces through reading and class discussion. They use...

Elementary schoolers study the history and purpose of potlatches. The listen to two stories about potlatches, then design a potlatch that they will host for their family members. They must come up with the gifts they would give, the...

Students perform a play based on a legend. In this performing arts lesson, students read the legend Kangaroo Gets a Pouch and brainstorm ways to turn the story into a play. Students prepare for a short play, including costumes and...

Explore the monetary system by completing worksheets in class. Learners will identify the monetary units of England and collaborate in groups to solve money word problems. They also identify several money-related vocabulary terms before...

Students examine how to model story telling for their classes. They investigate how to learn, rehearse and share stories.

Sixth graders explore details from a story to develop ideas and opinions about character traits. Using a Smart Board, 6th graders create a chart explaining the character's action and traits. In groups, students discuss and describe...

Sixth graders read and utilize the facts from the story "Abd al-Rahmen Ibrahima" by Walter Dean Myers to analyze the main character's life which is ruined by conflict, jealousy, and greed. Journal entries are created in response to the...

Introduce literature circles with Roland Smith's novels. Your seventh graders will see the activity modeled as you read The Three Little Pigs together and apply the format to a Roland Smith novel of their choice. The lesson includes...

Examine the idea of perpetual youth and immortality while you read Nathaniel Hawthorne's Dr. Heidegger's Experiment. Some links work to direct your learners to information about the Fountain of Youth. Using this information, scholars...

Read various texts to compare the themes across each text. Learners write a journal entry describing the most beautiful scenery they've seen and use a map of the United States to locate the Sequoia National Park and Muir Woods. They then...

How can you interest your reader? Here is a great activity on reading and discussing the characteristics of a narrative. Elementary schoolers explore writing techniques to hook the reader. They identify their hook and share their...

Students create CD covers using computer generated pictures, self-drawn depictions, or collages. They read and analyze books, and write one sentence book reports to be included with the CD covers.

Students, while in the computer lab, visit a variety of web sites and read about the life and work of Langston Hughes. They create an author's brochure on Mr. Hughes from the data they collect from the various web sites. Each student...

Students examine the process of cooking a meal. In this cooking background instructional activity, students explore cooking utensils, recipes, songs, and literature. They go through stations that encourage dramatic play and hands-on...

Is it a fact or an opinion? Get your kids up and moving during this reading comprehension activity. They listen to you read a book or passage (consider writing something yourself to get the ideal text), listening for facts and opinions....

Students read and analyze the point of view of a selected classic short story. They take notes while reading the story, select a character, and rewrite the story from a different viewpoint.

Pupils explore writing a short story. In this literature lesson plan, students are introduced to "The Minister's Black Veil." After reading, pupils write their own story with a main character who exhibits some of the characteristics of...

Students examine how to write a query letter to a publisher. They plan a short story they would like to write, conduct Internet research about possible publishers, and write a sample query letter.

Sixth graders meet in small groups to reflect on and share their thoughts after reading a short story, poem, or chapter in a novel. Groups of students utilize a book share evaluation worksheet that's imbedded in this plan.

Students are introduced to the definition of "flashback" in that writers use it when they want to reveal to readers something that happened in the past. Then Students write a short story using a flashback scene and then move back to the...

Students write a story about themselves as the main character in a work situation. For this writing perspectives lesson, students brainstorm about their future occupation. Students then use themselves as the main character in a short...