After completing the first five chapters of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle By Avi, use direct quotes to make inferences about how Charlotte feels about certain characters. Later, when the novel has concluded, revisit...

Middle schoolers practice the correct use of quotation marks. In this grammar lesson, students watch and then discuss a video on the use of quotation marks. Middle schoolers find examples of quotation marks in books and periodicals and...

Fifth graders determine the difference between indirect and direct quotations. In this grammar lesson, 5th graders recognize that direct quotations have quotation marks and understand what the rules are for using quotation marks.

Scholars complete multiple reads of Ingenious Inventions by Women: The Windshield Wiper and Paper Bag machine to determine gist, use quotes, define words, and form an opinion about the importance of the interventions. Learners work...

Be sure to click "Download this Activity" to view the plan in its formatted version. The first worksheet has learners review what types of titles are italicized, underlined, or placed in quotation marks. The second page contains the...

In other words. Scholars practice using paraphrasing and quotes. They partner in pairs to write a paraphrase for an information text strip. Individuals then use their skills to paraphrase information from the text Fire Ants.

Read it and read it again. Scholars do multiple reads of the text The Electric Motor. During the first pass, they read to discover the gist of the text. In the second, pupils use quotes from the article to explain the use of the electric...

Learners complete the third instructional activity in a row where they determine the gist of text and use quotes as textual evidence. They use details from Dr. James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball to explain how the development of...

Think big! Scholars complete an end of unit assessment using their notes and graphic organizers along with the texts Big Thinkers: Was Steve Jobs This Generation’s Thomas Edison? and Steve Jobs. To complete the assessment, they answer...

Here's a formal plan for what many effective teachers already do: Provide a week's worth of aphorisms and have learners choose one to write about in their journals each day. They reflect on the meaning of each aphorism and project how it...

Students write dialogue. For this character development instructional activity students use direct or indirect speech to include a confrontation between two characters in their story. Students portray the emotions of the characters in...

Around and around we go! Scholars work in groups to connect The Hero's Journey and The Lightning Thief with a Carousel of Quotes activity. They then independently reflect on the two texts and answer questions about how they...

You're in high school and you just got the coolest car ever! But, now you need to start thinking about car insurance. Luckily, your teacher prepared you by engaging you in a life skills instructional activity like this one. The class...

Hungry? Try a quote sandwich! Writers discover the concept of using a quote sandwich to introduce and analyze a quote in an argumentative essay properly. Additionally, pupils engage in peer critiques, analyzing each other's drafts and...

Employ this resource to expand efficient ideas on how to present and organize activities that describe how researchers can implement their research by using direct quotes, paraphrasing, and summarizing—without plagiarizing. Activities...

What's the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing? Show class members how to find the main ideas from informational text and condense it, restate it, or quote it directly with a series of educational activities based...

Give credit where credit is deserved. Scholars discuss what makes a credible source as they take a look at "An Apparel Factory Defies Sweatshop Label, but Can It Thrive?" Learners read the article to look for answers to the research...

Examine the characters in Willa Cather's My Antonia with a group project. Small groups illustrate their chosen character on a large piece of paper and choose quotes from the text that tell about the character. Where students choose...

Scholars ponder the beliefs of Confucianism. After reading several sayings made by Confucius, participants complete a chart filling in what each saying means using their own words. Using the same quotes split in half, pairs match...

Learners determine the main idea of a timeline on pages eight and nine of the text Promises to Keep. They use the timeline to complete a Main Idea and Details note catcher and then share their thoughts with the class. To finish,...

Learners explore the use of quotation marks. In this grammar lesson, students read dialogue and explore the rules of quotation mark use as they practice using the marks on a worksheet assignment.

Have your middle schoolers define the terms outline, summary, paraphrase, plagiarism, citation, reference, and bibliography. They identify the main ideas, topic sentence, supporting ideas in technical writing and create note cards using...

Direct instruction on punctuation rules for titles is followed by collaborative practice in class. Two worksheets with aesthetically engaging graphic design provide practice. For 12 examples, small groups either underline, italicize, or...

Television changes the world. Scholars determine the gist of the video clip Television Takes the World by Storm and article How Do Inventions Affect the Way We Live? They then do a second view and read to complete an Explanation Task...