Middle and high schoolers identify how to discover a word's meaning by exploring context clues and any pictures, diagrams, photographs, and charts that might be included. They continue this process with other examples and locate one on...

Knock, knock, knock...Creep out your class with a critical thinking lesson plan focused on word relationships in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." They investigate  the relationship between word choice, mood, and...

Teach children that just because something is old, doesn't mean you have to throw it away with a reading of Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback. Engaging children with an arts and crafts activity in which they patch the...

Students examine human health by reading a children's book in class. In this breakfast lesson, students identify the importance of starting the day with a good, nutritious meal. Students read the book I Think I Forgot Something and...

Students create an illustration based upon a read-aloud. In this visual arts lesson, students listen to the book The Tarantula Scientist and listen for details. Students create a picture based upon what they imagined during the read-aloud.

This is a great way to build community in your school, experience process-based art, and explore the critical-thinking process. While quilting as a class collectively (just like a quilting bee) pupils listen to poetry and prose of a...

Investigate poetry and song lyrics with your class. They will identify poetic elements in their favorite modern music. Then they will play their song choice aloud for their classmates.

Class members may "think themselves accurs'd" when they first hear of an assignment that asks them to create a motivational speech. After studying the Saint Crispin's Day speech from Shakespeare's Henry V; however, they will count...

The danger of mob mentality is on display in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Get your class thinking with some challenging quickwrite questions, then assign characters from the play to be read aloud altogether. Links to worksheets...

An engaging biography of "Hoosier" poet James Whitcomb Riley serves as a springboard for study of his unique dialect-based verse. Several activities illuminate differences between spoken vernacular and formal language. Learners record...

Students listen to a read aloud of Alan Baker's, White Rabbit's Color Book while identifying shapes and lines throughout the book. They use shapes and different types of lines to create a bunny of their own. They must use five shapes to...

Oh no, we're missing several lines of lyrics! Using the song, "Keep Going," test the listening skills of your English language learners. They listen as you say the word lyrics aloud. Can they correctly identify the missing lyrics? 

Spruce up a class reading of the children's book Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback with this fun series of activities. Starting with a list of reading comprehension questions and key vocabulary to address during a teacher...

Students study the season of spring and create stories about the season. In this spring season lesson, students read books about spring and discuss the season. Students then color and create a mini-book about Spring.

Learning about literature can be so much fun; it can also be made more accessible through projects and dramatic play. As they explore theme, character, and setting, the class gets creative and makes a dramatic recreation of a classic...

Second graders use their sense of touch to identify a variety of objects. In this sense of touch lesson, 2nd graders listen to a read aloud of Sandra Boynyon's, Fuzzy Fuzzy, Fuzzy. They talk about different textures and about the...

Students explore the effects of human actions. For this respect and discrimination lesson, students read Thank You, Mr. Falker and identify the consequences of bullying and teasing. Students then relate personal experiences of hurt...

Fourth graders participate in an activity which introduces them to common types of precipitation. They examine "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" through a teacher read aloud and make a weather pamphlet.

Students make homemade puppet characters that have faces that tell it all. In this early childhood dramatic play lesson, students create stick puppet characters that encourage language and story development, creative-thinking and...

Students write letters to penpals. For this geography/literacy lesson, students become penpals with a classroom in England to learn about customs and society across the ocean. Flat Stanley by Will Holton is read aloud, and students...

Students practice memorizing the seven days of the week and keeping them in order.  In this calendar lesson plan, students read aloud the book Today is Monday by Eric Carle, and create their own calendar style book using...

Students explore the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright through literature and analyze photographs. In this photography analysis lesson, students read aloud Frank Lloyd Wright and answer questions for the text. Students visit a website...

Fourth graders research and write an author report on Roald Dahl, including books written by him, birthplace, family life, and other information on his writing. Students read aloud chapters in the book. Students create a newspaper...

Students learn about dinosaurs. For this dinosaur lesson, students participate in an interactive read aloud of The Giant Book of Dinosaurs. They make play dough dinosaurs and write a dinosaur story about their sculpture. They dance...