Practice makes perfect, and this lesson provides a rubric to prove it! To improve their ability to read with fluency and expression, readers listen to a series of online stories in order to hear how a well-read story should sound. They...

Bring back some of your favorite kids for this lesson. Emerging speakers observe older learners making effective and ineffective oral presentations. They discuss each presentation and then prepare a speech of their own to deliver to the...

What are the characteristics of effective public speaking? Emerging orators choose a fairy tale to present orally to the class. After modeling yourself, divide the class into small groups, having them critique each others' oral...

Aesop’s Fables offer young learners an opportunity to study figurative language. After reviewing theme, simile, alliteration, and metaphor, model for your pupils how to identify examples of these devices in the fable. Class members then...

Learners use primary sources - diaries, letters, and photographs - to explore the experiences of women in the Civil War. By looking at a series of document galleries, the perspectives of slave women, plantation mistresses, female spies,...

Students create a PowerPoint presentation and oral report on the history and future of flight. In this flight lesson, students work in small groups to research the history and future of flight. Students then write a report with...

Speed read with your third, fourth, and fifth graders. Learners pair up and work together to improve their oral fluency. Use the technique of covering up unknown words to isolate the vowel and decode the word. There's a sheet included to...

Young adventurers embark on a journey, setting sail along the blue ocean with Christopher Columbus. Teachers will find that this unit makes their lesson planning smooth sailing!

Students choose a creative medium for expressing personalization of one of the themes from the play. They share their projects orally. Instructions, rubric, and suggested theme choices are included.

Sixth graders study eight persuasive techniques that occur in a variety of media types. They write a persuasive essay and present it to the class. They create a "new product" for which they produce an advertisement using persuasive...

Students research sea horses around the world.  In this sea horse habitats lesson, students use the Internet to take a virtual tour of a sea horse in its natural habitat.  Students work in groups to study a geographical region...

Students investigate the art of baseball. In this sports lesson plan, students discuss their thoughts about the sport of baseball and create a baseball word list. Students use pattern blocks and drawing paper to create a...

Students conduct research in order to use primary and secondary sources. They interpret and analyze information from textbooks and nonfiction books for young adults, as well as reference materials, audio and media presentations, oral...

Through a series of experiments and demonstrations, fifth graders will learn about gravity. They will make predictions, drop various objects, write down their observations, and try to understand gravity through balance. This lesson seems...

Fifth graders brainstorm a list of characteristics people have when they are happy with their career. In groups, they review their material from the previous lesson and share their information with the class in the form of presentations....

Learners discover how to use a digital camera and how to make a PowerPoint presentation. They practice good listening skills and hear how to make a "Supa Dupa Egg." They take notes and use them to create an effective, step-by-step...

Stamp, slap, and clap! Emergent readers demonstrate their awareness of the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds in spoken, short vowel, single-syllable words with a stamp/slap/clap activity. After identifying the letters and sounds of...

Students develop listening and reading skills with the oral reading of a story. The students demonstrate good listening skills using appropriate body language and answering assessment questions. They discuss the story looking for main...

Students research life in the Middle Ages. They write a historical fiction diary based on a character they create. Students use the six steps to process writing to complete their diary. They orally present their diaries to the class.

Doing things in the proper sequence is the focus of a solid language arts lesson. In it, pupils discuss the importance of doing things in the right order. Then, they pair off and read a short story together. They must retell the story to...

Young readers select a book from a provided list to use as the basis for an intensive class study of Holocaust novels. After completing their novels, groups create a multimedia presentation highlighting the elements of literature...

Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the Great Flood of 1927 in the state of Arkansas. They each prepare an oral report about this flood and the huge impact it had on the economics of that time. Additionally, learners research...

Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine how the clearing of rivers such as the Red River helped to boost the Arkansas economy of the mid-1800's. They listen to a story called, "Mary and the Red River Raft," then conduct research on...

Students explore the various types of nutritious foods that can be eaten at meal and snack times. they discuss the types of food they eat at mealtimes. Students use Kidspiration to create a web for each mealtime and each snack.