Scholastic
Mindful Listening
Teach your middle schoolers to use their ears to their highest potential! Pupils practice active listening skills and reflect on how careful listening might prove to be important in and out of the classroom.
Reed Novel Studies
Lion: A Long Way Home: Novel Study
Home is where the heart is. Saroo, a main character in Lion: A Long Way Home, desperately wants to be home. However, he is lost in a train station and has no way to contact family or get back to his home. Scholars learn new vocabulary,...
Curated OER
Express Yourself Lesson Seed 15: Theme
Build understanding of theme with an activity designed for The Cay and the Common Core. Small groups or pairs use graphic organizers to determine themes, find and record related details from the text, and formulate theme statements. In...
Curated OER
Poetry & Word Families
Students study a word family before listing rhyming words in that family. They use the words to begin developing lines of poetry. They continue writing poetry individually and finally, they illustrate their work using graphic software.
Curated OER
Writing Through Art
Examine the works of visual and performing artists with upper graders. Using the works, they identify the comparisons among the techniques used. They will also review the six traits of effective writing and keep a writing journal...
Curated OER
Be the Poet
Middle schoolers work through a Haiku Organizer to determine the characteristics they use to write eight haiku poems on a theme that they choose. They design presentation folders of their completed work.
Curated OER
Friendship Cinquains
Learners discover that a cinquain is a simple five-line poem that follows a pattern. They interview a friend and use what they learn to write a cinquain about that person. As an added touch, each of the poems are written inside the shape...
Scholastic
Ready to Research Owls
Researching facts about owls can be a hoot for your class. Let them wisely collaborate on this writing project. The resource is the second part of three parts. It is best to use all three lessons in order.
Curated OER
You do! We do! We all Scream for Haiku!
Haikus offer a way to explore new ideas for teaching poetry, science, and math.
Reed Novel Studies
Pictures of Hollis Woods: Novel Study
Scholars read about Hollis, an orphan in Pictures of Hollis Woods, and complete worksheet activities. Activities include using vocabulary words to complete sentences, answering comprehension questions, and writing poetry.
Reed Novel Studies
The Whipping Boy: Novel Study
Sometimes people find friendships in the most unlikely places, and The Whipping Boy is no different. Few would think that Jeremy and the Prince for whom he takes whippings could ever become friends. However, after a hostage situation...
Reed Novel Studies
Scat: Novel Study
If the most terrifying teacher in the school was lost, would you try to find her? Well, when the toughest teacher in the school is lost on a field trip, Nick and Marta, characters in Scat, decide to go looking for her. Readers discover...
Curated OER
Heaven or Ground Hog Day?
Students discover the ideas of enlightenment by reading historical poetry. In this philosophical lesson, students read poems by Sir Walter Scott and Sergeant Joyce Kilmer while discussing the themes of the writing with classmates....
Curated OER
Reading and Writing About the Solar System
Utilizing the classic Magic School Bus series, young scientists explore the solar system. Some excellent worksheets are included in this plan, such as Planet Roll Call and Solar System in Motion. This is an ambitious 5-day unit that...
Curated OER
Poems Have Shapes, Too!
Students explore the world of geometric shapes by writing poetry. They use the Diamante Poetry worksheet. They select one geometric shape and, using the template, create their own poem.
Curated OER
Force Acrostic Poem
In this force activity, students write an acrostic poem about force. Students use the letters FORCE to begin each line of poetry that tells about the subject. The instructions do not tell what kind of force is referred to.
Curated OER
Diamonte Writing
Students discover poetry while practicing their storytelling skills. In this language arts instructional activity, students read diamonte and acrostic poems written by other students on the Internet. Students create their own...
Curated OER
Arbor Day Acrostic Poem
In this Arbor Day worksheet, students write an acrostic poem about trees and about Arbor Day. Students use the letters in ARBOR to begin each new line of poetry about trees.
Curated OER
I am Poem
In this poetry worksheet, students use the format to write an 'I am' poem about themselves. Students complete eighteen sections for the poem.
Curated OER
Ideas for Teaching Creative Poetry
Students read and write a variety of forms of poetry and create an original page for a class "I Spy" book. They read and discuss the form of poetry used in the "I Spy" books, and conduct Internet research on how the "I Spy" books are...
Curated OER
Poetry for the Common Good
Learners identify examples of philanthropy in poetry or song. In this philanthropy instructional activity, students examine several poems such as Give by Carrie A. Thomas and identify concepts of philanthropy in the poem. Learners...
Curated OER
Unleash the Power of Poetry in Your Classroom
Students can gain an appreciation of poetry by being encouraged to express their opinions and ideas.
Curated OER
Rhythm & Improv: Jazz & Poetry
High schoolers analyze the elements of poetry and jazz. In this critical thinking skills lesson, students take a closer look at the rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, form, free verse, lyricism, and imagery that exist is jazz as well as...
Curated OER
Fostering Creative Writing
There are many interesting ways to help students develop their creative writing skills through writing prompts and games.