This series of 12 downloadable activities teach students some basics of story writing, using books or videos from the PBS "Arthur" series as a springboard. Activities include creating story maps, asking questions about characters and...

You are a folklorist observing the lives and cultures of different people. You want to tell the world about their culture, beliefs, and values. You and a group of other folklorist are going to research the lives of a an ethnic group, and...

Students will identify the similarities and differences between different versions of fictional stories by completing a double bubble map. Included in this instructional activity are teacher questions, a bubble map printable, a video of...

Students will practice retelling a story using a flow map. This lesson includes thorough directions, materials, and a video called Bear's Shadow.

Designed for students who speak Spanish, this graphic organizer provides a story map. Students can use this visual resource to help them record major plot events from a story or from a historical event.

During this instructional activity the students will read and discuss the story Big Al, by Andrew Clements. Students will identify the story elements of Big Al and complete a story element map. Students will also do a character analysis...

This is a PDF of a ReadWriteThink plot structure diagram chart form for students to use on short stories. It includes exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution, theme, and protagonist and antagonist.

In this lesson, 1st graders will look at two texts with the "The Three Little Pigs" story. Students will compare the approach that each of the authors takes.

These graphic organizers will engage students in planning strategies for writing assignments. Students will participate in planning stories and critiques via story maps and critique planning sheets.

During this lesson plan students learn new vocabulary words through an enjoyable children's book. Students use knowledge of the new words to create a slideshow and original story.

Here you will find the story of how and why time zones came about and the Canadian who developed the system that has become so important around the world. Be sure to read the "Incidents and Anecdotes" section to find interesting facts...

Use this graphic organizer to compare or contrast ideas, things, or texts. This is a great cross-curricular tool to use for both reading strategies and prewriting.

A 2,000-mile trek across a continent-with no idea what awaits you on the other side. Tell your students to put on their traveling shoes and prepare for the journey of their lives! In this lesson, students compare imagined travel...

At first, the Trail of Tears only described the Cherokee removal of 1838. Later it included the removals of all southeastern Native nations. Take a close look at these primary sources from the Smithsonian which include a reproduction of...

This Daily Teaching Tools resource provides a series of graphic organizers for reading students. Forms are provided for plot, character analysis, reading logs, and reading responses.

A charming story about Zinnia, the cat. Comprehension questions follow, with immediate feedback if done online. Teachers, go to the site map, and under PRINTABLE MATERIALS, you will find the story, the quiz, and the answer sheet.

A detailed site that recounts the story of Helen Keller and describes her birthplace at Ivy Green, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Click on the links down the left-hand side to see maps, artifacts, and more to find games and activities for...

This primary source set uses maps, documents, and photographs to tell the story of Puerto Rican migration to the United States.

This fascinating novel, Things Fall Apart, was written as a novel but is also a documentation of Africa's spiritual background. Read about the plot, setting, characters and theme in this most interesting site. A map is also provided that...

A brief story of Henry Hudson's explorations for the Dutch and the English and a map of his routes from 1609 to 1611.

Students will really be writing to sources with this instructional activity. They will write about cause and effects in a multi-flow map and then write sentences to explain the cause and effect relationships in this story.