The rich language of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is only appreciable if you understand the words. A short lesson reviews 13 words from the story and prompts class members to apply each word and its definition to other situations.

First do this and then do that. Next do this and after do that. Young readers read about the order each person in the story gets dessert, before answering the who, the what, and the how in the reading passage.

In this vocabulary formation activity, 5th graders read eight sentences and fill in each blank with a new word formed from the base word found at the end of each sentence.

As fun as a barrel of monkeys, this figurative language activity will engage your students in learning to write similes. Asking them to first think of adjectives describing the six nouns listed on the page, this exercise has...

Bingo! Combine the thrill of bingo with Lois Lowry's The Giver in a fun vocabulary instructional activity. Kids write selected vocabulary words from the novel onto a bingo chart, and then listen for the correct definitions in order...

Veronica Roth's popular young adult novel shows a vivid dystopian system in an action-packed, thrilling storyline. Revisit Divergent with a crossword puzzle that features characters, plot, and important quotes from the book.

Take a close look at a few paragraphs of Martin Luther King, Jr.s' famous speech, "I Have a Dream." Class members fill in the missing words using the bank of words provided and then respond to a question about the speech and modern day...

Spark interest in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with an anticipatory exercise that begins with a brainstorm around the words heroic and good boy. Pupils then complete an anticipation guide, discuss the results in groups, and...

Five vocabulary activities help kids to put words into context while reinforcing their definitions. They find synonyms and antonyms, finish analogies, and use context clues to study ten words on the list.

Collaborate with your class after reading William Shakespeare's The Tempest with a group labeling activity. As you note key concepts or words from the play on the board, class members suggest associations and connections...

Teach learners how to interact with both fiction and non-fiction text with a packet of activities and worksheets. After looking over text structure and the difference in text features between different types of writing,...

Water is the source of life. It appears in poetry in both peaceful and torrential descriptions; it appears in earth science in its liquid, gaseous, and solid states. Combine these interpretations of our planet's most precious and...

Ring in the spring with a study of adverbs. These spring worksheets cover when and how to use adverbs, provide plenty of adverbs to try out, and use images of spring as inspiration for students to tap into as they write original sentences.

Spring has sprung with a fun grammar activity based on Easter words. Kids use the plural version of nouns such as bunny, egg, and basket to complete eight sentences.

What would you wish for if you were granted one wish? Kids read a story about a taxi that bestows wishes upon its passengers in a short cloze activity. They use ten words at the bottom of the page to fill in the blanks throughout the...

Soccer stars and fans alike will enjoy a fun cloze activity about Sarah the soccer player. Using the word bank below, kids find places in the reading passage to place the words most appropriately.

Surprise! is the theme of this series of challenge activities. The surprise comes from the information your scholars will discover when researching topics such as alligators and crocodiles, living in other countries, becoming a...

For scholars who need a challenge in the classroom, here is a unit for you. Learners explore topics such as animals, sports, helpers at home, the past, and funny things that have happened in their lives. Youngsters also engage...

A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes a single word can go a long way as well. Practice making inferences about character traits with a letter written from the perspective of a soldier in the American Revolution.

A packet full of old-fashioned short stories could be a review activity for a reading comprehension lesson. Learners read 14 stories before answering multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank sentences, and vocabulary exercises.

Would your ideal science lab be filled with bubbling beakers and zapping Tesla coils? Or would it contain state-of-the-art computer technology and data analysis? Dream big with an innovative lesson that connects math and language...

After reading about a book that leads two friends on a treasure hunt, class members respond to four short answer reading comprehension questions. Skills include describing the characters, retelling the story in their own words, writing...

Looking for a lesson that teaches class members how to analyze nonfiction? Use Joseph McCarthy's famous "Enemies from Within" speech as a instructional text. Worksheet questions direct readers' attention to the many historical...

A good concept map requires high thought processes. This makes it a great tool for teaching and evaluating your pupils. A helpful article describes a great approach for teaching young scholars the art of concept map building and how best...