Full of activities for Jan Brett's story "Gingerbread Friends," this resource will get your kids in the mood for some snacks, fortify their need for vocabulary, and fill their minds with story elements.

Run, gingerbread men! During the board game, four gingerbread men race to discover which one finishes first. Scholars take note of the game's results using a tally chart and bar graph for all to observe the frequency of the winning...

Feeling conflicted? Work out those issues with a language arts lesson on internal and external conflict. Using "The Interlopers" by Saki, class members identify the conflicts between the characters before writing their own short...

Your kids can identify the plot sequence of a short story, but what about an informational article? Have them examine the chronological order of events in informational texts with a lesson on the sequence of events. 

What happens first in Tuck Everlasting? What happens after that? Prompt readers to create a timeline of the events in Natalie Babbitt's novel, detailing both story sequence and character relationships.

Accompany the African folktale, Anansi the Spider, with a collection of five lessons, each equipped with supplemental activities. Lessons offer multidisciplinary reinforcement in English language arts, social studies, science,...

From dragons to dwarves, from riddles to rings, the great adventure story of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien has captivated generations of readers of all ages. An educator's guide explores the novel's literary elements,...

Happy birthday! Pre-K and Kindergarten students bring in a photograph of their favorite birthday party. They get together in small groups and write about the birthday - with the help of adults. The stories and the photos are displayed on...

Third graders explore a variety of ways to represent text. They represent text in story maps while on the playground. Students depict the elements of a story on a story map. They create a poster for character, setting, problem, and the...

Learners examine the Brown v. Board of Education case in Topeka, Kansas. They re-enact the courtroom and discuss how school would be different today if this case never existed. They discuss how public education has been affected by this...

Students investigate Brown versus Board of Education. They read and discuss a handout, discuss vocabulary terms, and in small groups create a brochure, bookmark, puzzle, and a short skit.

Sixth graders use several pieces of literature to identify specific story elements. In this story elements lesson, 6th graders analyze the story element of character, character traits, and setting for the example stories. Students work...

Learners analyze photographs, then create their own photo essays by using photos, magazine pictures or drawings to illustrate their stories.

Students research Dorothea Lange's documentary projects and create their own photo essay about a subject. For this photo essay lesson, students analyze examples of social-documentary photographs of Lange. Students define a social...

Students review an episode of their favorite television shows. They discuss the plot in the show and compare it to a short story. They complete a story map as they watch the episode.

Students explore language arts by completing a graphic organizer in class. In this story structure lesson, students read the poem "Sick" by Shel Silverstein and discuss the different elements in the piece which make it an effective...

Young scholars review, examine and study the seven stages to a traditional legend or modern story in legend form. They locate two traditional legend stories and see if they fit into the two categories listed for them in two boxes. Each...

In this reading worksheet, students look at the cover of a book and make a prediction about its contents. Students write about whether or not they were correct after reading the book. Students choose one activity to complete in each row...

Students explore their creative writing skills. In this Cinderella writing lesson, students compare perspective as they read and discuss 2 versions of the "Three Little Pigs." Students then watch "Cinderella" and use their creative...

Young scholars create a photo essay. In this lesson encouraging self-expression, students view and reflect upon photo essays. Then, they go out into the community and create their own photo essay complete with captions. Young scholars...

Sixth graders conduct a plot diagram for a short story. They identify the problem, the rising action, the climax, the falling action, and the resolution. Students are able to sequence events in a story, and identify the parts of the plot...

Young scholars study story problems and learn how to find and justify their answers. They will use a story problem and then respond to the prompt questions from the teacher. They must add and subtract facts to 6 and learn how to justify...

This scripted lesson suggests using the journalist’s five W’s (who, what, when, where, why) to teach readers how to summarize a story and to how to distinguish between significant and supporting details. A template and rubric are...

In this sailing lesson, youngsters read The Wreck of the Zephyr, and attempt to predict the outcome of the story. They draw a picture of a sailboat, identify its characteristics, and write their own fictional sailing story.