Before and After Organizers

Conduct a lesson that leads into a writing assessment. After reading an excerpt from From Seed to Pumpkin, first graders demonstrate their interpretation of sections of the passage by sketching the details from each part.

Teach young learners how informational texts are organized and formatted. Have them read the short, three-paragraph passage about spiders before answering questions about the basic format of the text. 

Address a multitude of skills with a series of nonfiction reading graphic organizers. From making predictions and accessing prior knowledge to think-pair-share and retelling information, the activities are a solid addition to any...

After watching West of the West's documentary on Catalina Island, The Magic Isle, class members research how Walt Disney's and William Wrigley's different visions impacted the island.

Whodunnit? Craft a thrilling mystery with a narrative writing lesson. After individuals select a writing prompt, groups engage in a writing round activity to craft mystery stories. 

To help learners better comprehend informational texts, they work through a series of activities. They discuss strategies, make predictions, skim passages, focus on key words, and practice taking notes. This lesson focuses on what to do...

Students create tables in a word processing program which helps them organize their text clues when reading a mystery story. They develop reading comprehension strategies while using a computer based graphic organizer in order to solve...

Second graders read stories about relationships and record their thoughts using a "Before" and "After" organizer.

Young writers explore character arcs, conflict, and narrative in this complete and ready-to-use lesson plan from Scholastic. As a class read The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig and discuss the dramatic change the pig undergoes...

Clifford the Big Red Dog is here to introduce some new vocabulary terms in context to young readers. Although this activity is designed around Norman Bridwell's picture book, the strategies are applicable for any text. Introduce the new...