Characters often change over the course of a story or novel. Use the sample graphic organizer provided here to track how the narrator has responded to the sequence of events in chapter four through six of The Cay. In addition to this...

The opening of J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit provides a model of how to use rich details to create a setting. After reading the description of Bilbo Baggins’ abode, young writers create their own magical home for a fantasy creature. The...

Young scholars practice sequencing. In this sequencing lesson, students listen to the book Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I'm Off to the Moon. They put the story events in sequential order using a graphic organizer. 

Students sequence the main events of the story, The Gingerbread Man, into chronological order and rewrite the story changing characters and settings.

First graders listen to traditional and nontraditional Cinderella stories and watch a video entitled "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters." Individually, children draw and illustrate the stories they have heard, create a story sequence, and...

Students analyze the writing process through the ten lessons of this unit. The expository lessons address topic and detail sentences, paragraph organization and development, note taking, reports and letter writing.

After reviewing a comic of a dog and his bone, learners draw their own pictures on the top and write what they think happens next in the story. This activity is a good transition into longer story writing, as well as a good practice in...

Students read stories from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and create their own tale. In this writing applications lesson, students read the tales and analyze the specific details that Chaucer use. Students work in groups to...

Students build a variety of comprehension skills through the nine lessons of this unit. Picturing events, monitoring understanding during reading, forming questions, and summarizing stories form the core of the lessons being taught...

Students get to know the characters and events that shaped American folktales through writing, drawing and singing activities. Handouts and worksheets are included.

Students explore the traits of writing in this six lessons unit. Poems, fiction, and drama are evaluated to identify writing strategies. Utilization of vocabulary and writing rubrics help students judge the effectiveness of their own...

Second graders identify the traits of good writing in poems and stories in the six lessons of this unit. The traits analyzed are used to improve the student's own writing skills.

Students write a biography. In this biography instructional activity, students discuss what a biography is and how to write one. They research Mark Twain, answer questions, and write a biography about his life. 

Students evaluate jazz music and a jazz music performance. They collaborate and create an improvised group short story. They improvise a musical piece on found objects.

Students write in their journals at the beginning of class. They create a poster of what they just wrote about in their journals. Pictures are to be labeled and dictionaries are encouraged.

Students write a cartoon story as a whole class, then in small groups and for homework as individuals. They practice asking and answering questions about location and time sequences.

Students write an original journal of words they can read.  In this sight words lesson, students draw pictures and write words they recognize in their personal journal. 

Students fold paper into 8 boxes and number the boxes, then print the name of the story and their own name. They draw pictures of what they think the story might be about.

Students write a one act play. Students work in groups to write and edit a one act play called, "On the Job." After writing the play, it is cut into sentence strips and another pair puts the strips into proper sequence.

In this grade 2 writing prompt worksheet, students are give a writing prompt from the book The Polar Express about using their senses to write about going on a trip around the world with Santa Claus. Pages include a rubric and teacher...

Students compare and contrast creation stories.  In this Bible studies lesson, students work in groups to read and summarize creation myths and share with their peers.  The class goes on to create a chart to compare and...

Ribbit ribbit! Hop through a series of activities based on A Tale of Two Frogs. Kids read the Russian folktale and answer reading comprehension questions before working on phonics exercises, tracing dotting lines to make a path...

Designed for third graders but appropriate for older learners as well, this packet of materials underscores the necessity of teaching kids how to summarize, how to identify main ideas and supporting details, and how to ask questions...

If you need to bulk up your reading comprehension worksheet collection, take a look at a resource that includes graphic organizers and reading comprehension questions. The series of 50 worksheets addresses novels such as Julie of...