Learners read and analyze sonnets to discover their traditional forms. Young scholars chart the characteristics of the poems, then review the details to identify similarities and deduce the traditional sonnet forms they have in common....

Learners develop strategies for reading comprehension following a teacher model of thinking aloud and asking questions. Students discuss their reactions to the story, comparing it to their own lives. Learners create charts about...

Learners brainstorm texts they have read recently and map their choices using the Graphic Map, looking for patterns that connect those they enjoyed most.

Students demonstrate comprehension of adjectives and synonyms in a variety of ways-by using adjectives and synonyms to describe things that they see, by using alphabet organizers and webs to describe an object, and by identifying...

Students use graphic organizers and interactive Web tools. Students map their information, take a stand on the controversy, and develop persuasive arguments for their position that they present in a class debate.

Middle schoolers explore the genre of menus by analyzing existing menus from local restaurants, including a review of adjectives and descriptive writing based on the language included in the menu examples.

Students explore the connotations of the colors associated with the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Students explore the concepts of connotation and denotation, as well as the cultural connotations of colors.

Learners compare and contrast the characteristics of electronic text with those of traditionally printed text, gaining a deeper understanding of how to navigate and comprehend information on the Internet.

Learners find onomatopoeic words, develop a vocabulary list from them, and discuss why writers, especially comic writers, use onomatopoeia. Students use an online tool to create their own comic strips using onomatopoeia.

Students adopt the perspective of a member of a group involved in the war (e.g., a soldier, nurse, doctor, photojournalist, or TV reporter) and conduct Internet research to explore how that particular group was affected.

Students read and discuss two pieces of children's literature and analyze the authors' styles and techniques for conveying mathematical information. Students write and illustrate an example to explain mathematical details about an...

Young scholars keep a daily diary that records how and when they listen to the radio, music (e.g., songs on MP3 players, podcasting), and other streaming media or archived broadcasts. Students analyze the details and compare their...

Students graphically illustrate the story's plot, then assign positive and negative values to each occurrence. Students then draw conclusions based on their visual representation of the plot.

High schoolers construct a graphic of a novel section using an online tool and newsprint or butcher paper, with crayons or markers. When all groups have completed their graphics, they present them to the class, explaining why they chose...

Young scholars read newspaper articles obtained from websites. Students then identify journalism's "5Ws and H" and complete a template with the corresponding information they have found in the article. Finally, young scholars use notes...

Students examine opening sentences from texts they will read in full in later sessions. They make predictions about the texts and then revisit them throughout the course or unit to discuss the prediction strategy.

Learners explore personification through reading and discussing poems by Emily Dickinson, William Blake, and Langston Hughes. Then they use the poems as a guide to brainstorm lists of nouns and verbs that they randomly arrange to create...

Learners discuss literature through a series of letter exchanges. Exchanged letters can take the form of handwritten letters, typed letters, electronic documents, e-mail, online discussion posts, and even Weblog posts.

Pupils examine the elements of the book Thunder Rose that are characteristic of tall tales and then use that knowledge to write their own tall tales. Students publish their own tall tales with a partner.

Learners answer an open-ended question about an issue that could have multiple perspectives. Pupils take positions, then identify reasons to support their positions. Then they evaluate the reasons and draw their own conclusions.

Young scholars brainstorm lists of their interactions with technology, map these interactions graphically, and then compose narratives of their most significant ones.

High schoolers create a resume for a character in a play. They follow the character's descriptions throughout the play to determine the character's education, skills, extracurricular activities, previous employment, and possible references.

Learners explore a variety of comic strips, discuss components of comic strips, and examine conventions of comic strips. They apply what they have learned about comics by creating their own comic.

Students work with proverbs from home and from around the world, exploring how they are tied to a culture's values and everyday experience. They learn how proverbs work, how to interpret them, and how they can be culturally and...