Curated OER
What's the Point
Students practice the strategy of summarization to be able to understand and comprehend the text. They study how to get rid of unnecessary or repeated information and find the most important items or events and then write a statement...
Curated OER
Piggie Pie
First graders use the turn and talk strategy when coming up with answers to questions about the book Piggy Pie. In this Piggy Pie lesson plan, 1st graders also predict what will happen next.
Curated OER
Summing It All Up in a Nutshell
Students observe and demonstrate a variety of summarization strategies. They discuss the process of asking the five W questions, and apply then to a passage from the book "Sarah Plain and Tall." Students then finish the chapter from...
Curated OER
It's Raining Meatballs
Students observe and demonstrate the process of summarization using the book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. They silently read the story, and as a class discuss the five W's. Students then write a short summary of...
Curated OER
Who's in the Shed?
Second graders examine the cover of the book, WHO'S IN THE SHED? and talk about the animals portrayed and the noises they make. They then read the book as a class, looking through the peepholes and making predictions.
Curated OER
Chalk Talk
Students complete a "Chalk Talk" as a way to share their insights, perceptions and observations of the working world. They then express their personal insights of the working world in a piece of reflective writing.
Curated OER
Can You See It?
Students explore the concept of visualization and how it works to help them comprehend what they read. They read 'Tuck Everlasting' and visualize what has happened in the story. They draw a picture of what they visualized and then watch...
Minnesota Literacy Council
Introduction to Historical Thinking
Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.
Curated OER
Introduce: Summarizing Narrative Text
When scholars re-tell a story, do they boil it down to important details in a logical order? Practice summarizing narratives using this think-aloud strategy, which is scripted here for your convenience. After explaining why this is an...
Scholastic
Summarizing: Using Hand Motions for Key Words or Points
Learning to summarize texts takes practice. Jump into the training ring and guide your learners through a summarizing practice session. The classic direct instructional practice of "I do, you do, we do" is used to help them identify key...
Curated OER
Planning A Vacation Online
If you could travel anywhere in the United States, where would you go? Use this question to interest your fourth, fifth, and sixth graders as they experiment with Mapquest or other direction-based resources. They choose where they'd like...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Peter's Chair (Keats)
A new baby means a lot of changes for Peter! Ezra Jack Keats presents this common childhood experience in his story Peter's Chair, the context of a detailed vocabulary study. Before you read, introduce the three new words scholars...
Curated OER
Discussion Web
Get your class talking, even debating, about Gary Paulsen's popular novel Canyons. As they finish chapters 10-12, they complete the following discussion web concerning Brennan and the skull. They fill out the graphic organizer provided...
Curated OER
Anticipation Guide Teacher Copy: The Catcher in the Rye
“You don’t have to think too hard when you talk to teachers.” Or so says Holden Caulfield. Challenge his assumption by asking your readers to think about and respond to some of the assertions of Salinger’s narrator. Should a...
Curated OER
The Catcher in the Rye: Chapters 21-23
After answering comprehension questions (good for a homework reading check), class members analyze "Comin' Thro the Rye," and using the included guidance questions, discuss Holden's misreading of Robert Burns' poem. The URL to text of...
Curated OER
Rest in Peace, Maniac Magee
Scholars read Maniac Magee and create epitaphs for each of the major characters using precise words reflecting the individual characters personality and nature. They will learn what an epitaph is and practice writing their own. They can...
Curated OER
Supporting Opinions: Handling the End of a Friendship
Four thought-provoking questions encourage readers to develop and support their opinions about strategies to end a friendship after exploring excerpts from a New York Times article. The reading is brief so this could be a lead-in to...
Curated OER
Jubal's Wish
Students discuss the story "Jubal's Wish." In this literature lesson, students take turns making predictions about what will happen next in the story and state their own wish by taking turns as well.
Curated OER
A Weekend with Wendell
Students discuss the term prediction. In this language arts lesson, students predict what will happen next by using the turn & talk strategy. Students chart the predictions each one makes.
Curated OER
Ecuadorian Rainforest: If the Forests Could Talk
Third graders explore the delicate balance the must be maintained in a rainforest ecosystem. In this ecosystems instructional activity, 3rd graders learn about the importance of "little things" such as bugs or a certain plant in the...
Novelinks
Man's Search for Meaning: Problematic Situation
What are the three most important items for survival? Readers of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, ponder this question individually and share their list with a group, that must then reach consensus on the three most...
Teaching Channel
Storyboard Lesson Plan
Good books are accessible through a variety of literary lenses. To consider how the same story can be seen in different lights, groups develop a storyboard for a movie teaser that would focus on one of six concepts found in Suzanne...
EngageNY
Launching the Module: Quotes about the Middle Ages
Pick a corner. Scholars receive a quote about the Middle Ages and then participate in a four corners activity by choosing a corner pertaining to their quotes. They then work in groups of three to discuss the bold words in their quotes....
Curated OER
Tangerine: Anticipation Guide
Encourage your readers to make predictions about Edward Bloor's young adult novel, Tangerine, with an anticipation guide that presents statements that introduce key issues in the novel.