Students examine Shakespearean language. In this word study lesson, students investigate the meaning of words that Shakespeare invented. Students draw and pantomime with the words prior to writing short stories that feature Shakespeare's...

Fifth graders use context clues to help them understand unknown words. In this context clues instructional activity, 5th graders practice identifying context clues on a worksheet, then work with a peer to write their own story. Stories...

Students identify the colors in various pictures. In this art lesson, students create book using card stock and yarn and match pictures that show a specific color to each page. Students write the color of the pictures at the top of each...

Given the two-sentence skeleton of a news story about a car theft/joy ride, budding writers create their own version of the story varying diction and sentence structure to heighten interest and complexity in their writing. Resource...

Learning how to deliver good literacy instruction is key to becoming a successful teacher. This resource isn't so much a lesson as it is a guide to leading children in an interactive read-aloud session to increase fluency, comprehension,...

Primary learners complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book First Day of School. They will  complete journal entries, answer short answer questions, have discussions, and much...

Inspire first grade artists to learn about abstract and realistic art while reading Eric Carle's Where are you Going? To See My Friend. Young artists design and make a mural collage by tearing shapes of paper while comparing English and...

The class explores the truths and lies regarding Zach's Lie through a well-written anticipation guide. First in a series of seven resources, the guide addresses themes within the text. The class collaboratively discusses their...

Reading snail mail is a great way to go back into history and to understand others' points of view. The resource, the second in a five-part unit, covers the Dreyfus Affair. Scholars, working in two different groups, read one letter and...

Use a vocabulary asssignment as a quick activity between reading chapters of Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. Young readers choose their favorite words from the vocabulary word list to describe Sal, Phoebe, or any other character from...

Learners write interrogative and declarative sentences in a short message. After seeing many examples of these types of sentences, students write sentences of their ownl.

Use the class textbook to read a full story about Martin Luther King, Jr. The class writes facts about him and outlines his life, then they read the author and illustrator summaries at the end of the story. They compare and contrast the...

How can you interest your reader? Here is a great lesson on reading and discussing the characteristics of a narrative. Elementary schoolers explore writing techniques to hook the reader. They identify their hook and share their...

Pupils examine the Industrial Revolution and write an essay about the problems it brought to cities. They also examine the environmental impact of the Industrial Revolution. They take a quiz to test for comprehension.

Third graders read the story "Trapped by the Ice" which is about the Antarctic adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton. They identify, write and share examples of respect and responsibility demonstrated by the stories' characters. Students...

Students identify artifacts discovered from the exploration of the Jamestown fort in order to help them create a short fictional account about the lives of Jamestown's first inhabitants. In this history lesson, students research the...

Students examine the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students write essays for perform plays that feature the importance of the first ten amendments. Students imagine the United States without 1 of the amendments that...

Students read Ray Bradbury's "The Fog Horn" and complete reading and vocabulary activities. In this reading and vocabulary lesson, students review the vocabulary for the story and take turns reading the story. Students discuss the story...

Students observe and demonstrate the process of summarization using the book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. They silently read the story, and as a class discuss the five W's. Students then write a short summary of...

Third graders pose questions about the subject of a short story based on the title and cover illustration; then read the story and determine if their questions actually pertained to the story line, and, if so, how the story answered the...

Young scholars examine a short story and add possible adjectives. They re-read the story and add adverbs. They also add other information to make the story interesting.

Students explore the letter 'a' and the short /a/ sound. They practice making the /a/ sound and recite tongue twisters with words containing short /a/. They listen to a story and, while listening, identify words from the story that...

Students complete a variety of activities as they examine the letter 'a' as it makes the short /a/ sound. Through instruction and modeling, they explore the sound the letter makes and how the letter is written. They recite tongue...

Students complete a variety of activities as they explore/review the letter 'a' as it makes the short /a/ sound. Through instruction and modeling, they explore the sound the letter makes and how the letter is written. They recite tongue...