Reader and Author Teacher Resources

Students examine a variety of songs, poems, and books exploring and analyzing the theme of self reliance and being true to one's self. They write a poem, essay, or letter that captures their true spirit and individuality and then they...

Tenth graders, after reading a variety of passages and watching a video on "Children Remember the Holocaust," explore the concept of brutality of deportation and analyze conditions in concentration and death camps. They review maps and...

Learners recognize that music brings out feelings and emotions in people. In this music themes lesson, students explore the relationships between culture and music. Learners answer questions about favorite choices in music.

Students read a narrative selection and select a literature circle role. In this reading comprehension lesson plan, students work in groups to identify vocabulary, make text connections, or other reading comprehension strategies....

Fourth graders read "The Runaway" by Robert Frost and analyze it for its literal and symbolic meanings. They compare their personal experiences with the poet's suggestions about youthful attitudes and behaviors. Some nice worksheets are...

Fourth graders discuss the roles and responsibilities of family members in their homes today. They decide what they do to help their families both inside and outside the home. They realize why it is important for each person to...

Students read or listen to a story, and discuss how it relates to them. In this personal event writing activity, students write about recycling. Students read "The Giving Tree" a Shel Silverstein poem and discuss the poem's meaning....

Students identify the characteristics of a hero. In this character development and writing instructional activity, students listen to music with a hero theme and discuss the common traits of heroes. Students explore individuals and...

Second graders examine the reasons for human migration. For this human migration lesson, 2nd graders make lists of reasons why people migrate. Students view pictures of people who have migrated and discuss why. Then the students watch a...

Young scholars read the book I Am Tall and complete several reading response activities relating to the poems in the book. In this reading response lesson plan, students focus on the subject of fathers and make speculations about what...

Eighth graders study the Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. They review vocabulary and literary elements and write a "Brother Against Brother" essay about coming face to face with a brother in one of the battles of the...

Fourth graders share their thoughts and feelings about friendship and death and connect them with those of the characters in the book, The Bridge to Teribithia. They complete a friendship picture book and write a letter as one of the...

Students examine the class systems of New Spain. In small groups, they create a five-day diary about the family life, food, occupation, and government involvement of an assigned personality from the time of Colonial Latin America.

Students engage in scientifically oriented questions. They give priority to evidence, draw conclusions/formulate explanations and connect/evaluate explanations with scientific knowledge. Students communicate and justify proposed...

Third graders practice identifying characters and story elements by creating a character cluster in class.  In this story analysis lesson, 3rd graders discuss the story Snow White and identify the characteristics of the evil witch....

Middle schoolers produce an ongoing journal in which they relate their personal response to literature. They examine the theme of the rights of the individual versus the whole. They explore conflict in Panther in the Basement.

Students examine the different types of poetic conventions. They write a poem about philanthropy using these conventions. They illustrate their poem with artwork of their choice.

Use psychodynamic theory as a part of analyzing a career cluster.The class defines vocabulary words, brainstorms a list of career traits, and completes an online career analysis inventory. They analyze 5 concepts of psychodynamic...

Use this SMART board activity with any short story in your unit plan. The SMART board file contains a step-by-step guide to plot diagrams, including an interactive practice page and an assignment. This resource is beneficial for language...

How do your pupils believe others see them? Invite them to write narratives to explore the image they present to the word. The narratives, inspired by The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, are to be set at each pupil's hypothetical funeral.

How do different communities celebrate special occasions? After researching celebrations in their countries, class members investigate other festivals like those associated with Ramadan, Diwali, Chinese New Year, Halloween, Easter,...

Teenagers could use a little help with their decision-making process. Guide them through the steps of mature choices, outside influences, and expected consequences with a lesson about making decisions.

Whether it's Earth Day or another average school day, there are always ways we can protect our planet. An environmental science project combines The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and the Flat Stanley Project to create an innovative...

Life isn't always sweet in Alabama. A study guide for the novel Gone Crazy in Alabama introduces readers to life in the rural South and explores one character's experiences there. In addition to answering basic reading comprehension...