There's a Writer Waiting Inside Me

When you think of one topic, related ideas and details invariably follow. That's concept mapping! Jot down ideas with a straightforward graphic organizer that works both electronically and as a printed resource.

Considering using Robert Cormier's young adult novel, Tunes for Bears to Dance to for book circles or as a whole-class anchor text? Check out this overview of the key concepts and issues raised by the novel.

There are lots of details that make you who you are! Illustrate what those details are with a personal concept map project. After learners view a step-by-step presentation, the follow a rubric to complete a concept map about themselves.

Define the meaning of a cognate and use the concept to help Spanish-speaking ELLs connect their first language to English. Middle schoolers explore Latin roots to find cognates in both languages. They relate the Spanish and English word...

What would you ask a presidential candidate if you had the chance? Bring politics to your language arts classroom with this lesson plan, in which young readers brainstorm questions they would have liked the presidential candidates to...

Every writer knows how terrible writer's block can feel. Use these five writer's block-busting techniques to help young writers get out of their rut and into a better state of mind.

How did modern language evolve over the course of history? Discover the roots of the English language, spoken by over three billion people in the world today, and explore how historical conquests and intercultural exchanges are...

Using their keen eyes and ears, learners build story observation skills which they will use to create sensory detail in their art. They note all of the things they observed on a walk, categorize them by sense, and then use the same skill...

Knock, knock, knock...Creep out your class with a critical thinking lesson focused on word relationships in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." They investigate  the relationship between word choice, mood, and interpretation of...

Change, growth, and a sense of belonging are the focus of a unit that uses poetry to explore these themes and the distinguishing features of poetry as well.