Examine how to answer who, what, when, where, and why when reading text. Young writers listen to the story Skeleton Hiccups, and as a class answer and discuss the five W's. Independently they read the story silently, and write the...

Middle schoolers who are about to read the chilling tale, The Lottery, do some writing beforehand. They are asked to write how their lives would change if they won a huge lottery jackpot. Then, they read the short story, and will be...

Students write a persuasive letter to the government of an African country that has elephants as a resource. Students research and debate the pros and cons of ivory use. Students identify the value of ivory products versus the lives of...

Advocate for the environment! With the short story included, learners are prompted to think about radon (the odorless and colorless gas) and possible ways to get donations or raise money to purchase detection equipment. The plan spans...

Learners examine Passenger Pigeons and why they are now extinct. Through a class discussion, students discover the need to help endangered animals. They consider activities to become involved in assisting animals. Learners write a poem...

Compare and contrast the characters in John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Using a Venn diagram, kids write in different traits to describe each person, and note their shared characteristics in the middle section.

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a treasure trove of symbolism and literary themes. Help your kids note the richest passages in the book with a lesson plan and graphic organizer. The lesson plan prepares kids to come up with a...

Designed to support a visit to the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery exhibition “Picturing Hemingway: A Writer in His Time,” which ran from June 18, 1999 through January 2, 2000, the approach detailed and the activities included in...

Third graders go through the writing process but substitute paper and pencil with the computer to create a story about "The Time I Got Lost".

Students explore the short /e/ sound. They practice making the sound, noticing how their mouths move to make the sound. They use letterboxes to spell and write 'e' words. They listen for the /e/ sound in a story and then write their own...

Students investigate dog breeds and write a short story from a dog's perspective. In this dog research and writing instructional activity, students watch the film, "Dog: The Early Years. They apply critical thinking skills to determine...

Students read short stories and write a response to the story about the character and their significance. In this character lesson plan, students also create a poster to represent their character.

Learners create original short stories that feature distinctive weather phenomena, such as rainbows, snowstorms, tornadoes, thunder and/or lightning. They use a story map, imbedded in this plane, to help them organize their story.

Students examine logical and illogical sequences in writing. They identify illogical sequences of sentences in a letter. Students retell short stories using a logical sequence and students place sentences in logical order.

Students read William Melvin Kelly's, Brother Carlyle and write a short movie script based on the story. They either write the opening scene or a scene that could appear after the original story is over.

Students explain the purpose of a photo essay, sequence a series of events, and explain the format in creating a photo essay, which includes a caption for each picture. They complete a photo essay as a creative activity.

Students write a script of a play using Freytag's Pyramid on plot.  For this scriptwriting lesson, students read a play and participate in a lecture/discussion about the main components of a play and the basis of drama. ...

Improve reading comprehension with a set of ESL worksheets. Kids read through various passages, note which facts are true or false, mark their opinion on two statements, and write a short reply based on a writing prompt.

Some words are best left unspoken.  Words matter, according to Benjamin Zander, conductor, teacher, and lecturer. To illustrate his point, Zander recounts a story told to him by a survivor of Auschwitz. As a result of her experience...

Many regard John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath as the great American novel. The lesson plan combines a variety of strategies, including partner work, independent practice, creative writing, grammar instruction, and small group...

Poe goes high tech with a lesson that asks high schoolers to use the internet and various apps as they read and analyze "The Masque of the Red Death." In addition to responding to comprehension questions in Quizlet, they use Minecraft to...

Does the fastest one always win the race? Look deeper into The Tortoise and the Hare with a set of discussion questions for before, during, and after reading the story.

Scholars discuss the concept of a barrier with a short passage on Jackie Robinson. The writing process begins with a paragraph and several other sentences about Robinson's unique traits that made breaking a barrier...

Inspire first grade artists to learn about abstract and realistic art while reading Eric Carle's Where are you Going? To See My Friend. Young artists design and make a mural collage by tearing shapes of paper while comparing English and...