High schoolers read and discuss," The Andromeda Strain" by Michael Crichton and complete a short writing exercise as a warm-up for a longer piece of science fiction writing. They choose a topic and create a science fiction short story...

Learners explore fiction and nonfiction writing. They identify the elements of fiction in a short story and identify the criteria necessary in a nonfiction piece. Students distinguish the author's purpose in an expository text,...

Your students already know when they like a story and when they don't, but they may not know that the plots of these stories are shaping that opinion. Like all resources in this series, the two activities and quizzes provided here deal...

Learners read short stories containing Dolch sight words and describe the scenes and answer comprehension questions. After relating the stories to their own experiences or observations, they draw pictures illustrating a scene from the...

Students read a short story on baseball cards and reflect on Honus Wagner's decision to withdraw his card. In this baseball cards lesson plan, students study how children used cards in the 1930's and express their understanding of Honus...

Students identify artifacts discovered from the exploration of the Jamestown fort in order to help them create a short fictional account about the lives of Jamestown's first inhabitants. In this history activity, students research the...

Teach your class the rules of capitalization with this fun, engaging lesson plan. Children participate in a learning activity, collaborate with peers, and practice their writing as they learn three specific rules: to always capitalize...

Middle schoolers will read the short story "Meenakshi's Magic Hands" by Santhini Govindan and view a slide show of photo images interspersed with the text to learn of the art form of Kolam. Students read and reflect upon a nonfiction...

Young scholars apply their knowledge of math by rewriting word problems using equations. For this word problem lesson, students build upon previous knowledge as they set up the correct steps to solve word problems. This lesson is full of...

Combine art and literature to teach greater themes and symbolic meaning. Using the plan outlined in this resource, expose your class to the story "Zebra" by Chaim Potok, conduct discussions about social issues and nicknames, and ask...

Fourth graders create their own stories with a life lesson plan and illustrate them.

Students explore the basic elements of poetry through Appalachian life poetry. In this poetry instructional activity, students read seven poems from Jim Wayne Miller's the Brier Poems and complete poetry analysis activities for each poem.

Pupils create a "virtual poetry slam." This project can easily be implemented at any grade level where students have created short pieces of personal writing. They write, edit, and revise a short piece of poetry or personal writing.

High schoolers create a poem on the subject of war. In this All Quiet on the Western Front lesson plan, students create poetry using phrases or lines that they brainstorm during a pre-writing session. High schoolers enhance their...

Eighth graders use creatures created from their imaginations to practice hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and alliteration in association with creative writing. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide their writing.

Second graders read fables by Aesop and learn about the famous storyteller. In this fables lesson plan, 2nd graders discuss questions about Aesop and then write their own fable.

Learners investigate Sikhism. In this Sikhism lesson, students research the different aspects of this religion. They work in small groups to research details about Sikh practices, language, and culture. They design a presentation such as...

Fourth graders determine when to use a capital letter. In this spelling lesson plan, 4th graders discuss which groups of words need a capital letter. Students then apply that knowledge by proofreading a short story and determining which...

Students create a storybook by using KidPix software. In this technology lesson, students write creative short stories and publish them on KidPix. Students illustrate the stories using Kid Pix tools.

Identifying themes in literature is the focus of the language arts lesson plan presented here. Learners read short pieces of fiction and practice the skill of identifying the themes present in each one. The bulk of the instructional...

What led to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and how might historians approach this question differently? This rich series of lessons includes a short introductory video clip, analysis of six primary source documents, and...

Fourth graders act out and write original narratives. In this theater meets writing lesson, 4th graders work in groups to create original narratives; after students act out their story, they write it down as a narrative.

When choosing what foods to eat, there are a lot of factors to consider. To help make the decision a little easier, young learners work in small groups developing short plays, stories, or advertisements that address the different issues...

What a fun idea! The class discusses, and then writes free-verse poems using sensory detail. They get into small collaborative writing teams to compose their poems. Next, they pantomime the actions from the poem while their teammates...