One skill essential to reading comprehension, is learning how to summarize a text. After reading a biography of Abraham Lincoln, readers demonstrate this ability by crafting a brief summary of Lincoln's life.

Students practice locating points on a large wall grid and create and label a neighborhood map. In this geography lesson, students spell and discuss places as the teacher places them on the map. They discuss the concept of an...

Fifth graders explore the glossary. In this language arts lesson, 5th graders define unknown words in a text by using the glossary. Students read a text and use the glossary to find unknown words.

Students explore writing techniques by comparing fiction vs. non-fiction. In this literature analysis lesson, students read stories from Aesop's Fables and compare the themes and characters to stories from their own life. Students...

Students listen to a broadcast of War of the Worlds and illustrate what they hear. In this persuasive text instructional activity students prepare for making a movie poster intended to persuade a director to make a film based on a short...

Students write a review of a music video. They discuss the review online about the music video. Students create a fan's webpage featuring artist news and biographical information. They discuss what types of music they like listening to,...

Students analyze the Alabama quarter and discover information about Helen Keller. They participate in an activity requiring the use of the five senses. They write about a time they were brave.

Students recognize the features and characteristics of myths, the role myths played in Greek culture, and choose a writing project.  In this Greek mythology lesson, students are introduced to Greek mythology and work in cooperative...

Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.

Create a small but useful little program that allows you move a dot with your mouse and see the coordinates change as the mouse moves.  Starting with a dot that moves with the mouse, add to this program the text of the points...

Create a list of your favorite foods while you practice writing text in JavaScript. Use fill, textSize, and text functions. This is a quick activity that helps solidify basic skills. Expand with additional challenges...

Convey how to determine appropriate and credible online sources with a series of three lessons. After completing the lessons, class members will know what kinds of sources to use, how to identify credible sources, and how tone and style...

Celebrate sean-nós, céilí, and the lilting music of the Emerald Isle with a set of language arts activities! Learners complete word puzzles, vocabulary exercises, and comprehension questions about traditional Irish music.

Once you've entered effective search terms, how do you evaluate the results of your search? Through the presentation and activities included here, pupils will examine results pages and determine what guiding information is provided. By...

Teach your class some strategies for effective searching. Pupils should assess the whole results screen and then determine how to go forward with their searches. A table of strategies is included, as is a challenge. After they complete...

"Float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee" with a resource about the greatest boxer of our generation. A short biographical reading passage introduces young readers to Muhammad Ali, and includes information about his early life...

Students compare Earth and Mars to find similarities between the two planets using given websites. They collect and download pictures of geological features of both planets from print and non-print sources. Descriptions of the...

High schoolers work in a small group to create news stories, feature stories and editorials/letters to the editor and organize them in a podcast, video-based program, or newspaper/magazine focused on Hurricane Katrina.

Students use wordless picture books to examine elements regarding a story, the plot, and characters. In this wordless picture books lesson, students select a book to creatively discuss. Students then listen to the teacher read the story...

A biography is a factual book or narrative about a real person. The book, The Story of Ruby Bridges is used to introduce non-fiction texts about real people and event to a Kindergarten class. A chart is used to highlight text...

Students create a map of their community. For this mapping lesson, students identify various geographical features and the cardinal directions on maps displayed in the classroom. Students are divided into three groups to create a large...

Help your historians comprehend perspectives of the Versailles Treaty by paralleling the event to a peace meeting in the classroom, which 2 participants aren't invited to. Consider making it more relatable: instead of the class going to...

Create a "Double Bubble" to organize information in a Venn diagram-like graphic organizer.   There are a few options included to differentiate this assignment, but unfortunately, there are no topics for selection. Provide your...

You set the rate! Step into the shoes of a taxi driver in New York City, and also pretend to be a person who uses taxis to get around town. The class will conduct collaborative research to learn about the history of taxis. Then, they...