Curated OER
Judging a Book by Its Cover
Students explore the relationship between the form of books and the content inside. In this book exploration lesson, students use a piece of their creative writing as inspiration; they author a written book and design a cover that...
Curated OER
Author, Author!
Third graders, in groups, select and research a favorite studenT author or illustrator. They answer questions about the author, conduct research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation with their findings.
Curated OER
Critic's Choice
Third graders read three to five genres and choose one as a favorite. They write an essay persuading the class to read the genre. This lesson serves as a nice introduction to different styles of literature.
Seussville
Oh! the Places You'll Go!
Honor Dr. Seuss on his birthday with a read aloud of the story Oh! the Places You'll Go! and a variety of activities that inspire scholars to dream of their future endeavors. Readers take part in conversations, research the...
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You
Ask not what the lesson here can do for you, but what you can do with the lesson. The answer is quite a lot! Young scholars revisit JFK's famous inaugural address with a focus on his plea for civic engagement. There's a...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Miss Spider's New Car
Students read Miss Spider's New Car by David Kirk. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of spiders. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections.
Curated OER
Biographical Research Paper
Students choose a subject for a biographical research paper. They use books, the Internet, encyclopedias and articles to gather information on a determined subject then follow a rubric to write a research paper.
Curated OER
Box O' Love
Students create a Valentines Day poem using an empty cereal box as their canvas. In this poetry instructional activity, students create their poems using rhyming words and create sentences.
Read Works
Famous Inventors Alexander Graham Bell: You Rang?
Scholars read a brief informational text about the famous inventor, Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone, then show what they know by way of eight questions—six multiple choice and two short answer.
Curated OER
Happy Birthday Hans: How To Celebrate International Children's Book Day
Honor Hans Christian Andersen while encouraging young readers with enjoyable projects and activities.
Curated OER
"Fantastic Mr. Fox" Lesson Plans
With "Fantastic Mr. Fox" lesson plans students can learn about foxes and read some great literature.
Curated OER
Exploring Animals in Literature
Celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week while teaching empathy and allegory with creature-related texts
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed
Students engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple seeds and...
Curated OER
Making Choices
Students explore the life of Harriet Tubman. They examine a painting of Harriet Tubman and consider the tools used to communicate information about her. Sudents describe how the color of a painting explains the mood of the illustrator....
Curated OER
Inventors & Trailblazers
Students are introduced to a groups of African American inventors. In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries. They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the...
Curated OER
When Jessie Came Across The Sea
Students engage in a study about immigration by using children's literature. They conduct research about the immigrations to New York City in the past and the current status. Students conduct class discussion about Ellis Island and what...
Curated OER
Connection Stems
Students connect their lives to a story or nonfiction text. In this reading connections lesson, students make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections as they complete connections stems based on a story.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Author Study
During this lesson, students will learn more about their favorite authors by researching them on the Internet and presenting to the class, school, and community. Students will see that authors are real people thereby developing an...
McGraw Hill
Glencoe Literature Library: "Tuck Everlasting" Study Guide [Pdf]
Reading guide on Natalie Babbitt's "Tuck Everlasting" with a variety of resources, discussion and writing questions, and brainstorming activities. Provides pre-reading material, such as an author biography, novel introduction, and...
McGraw Hill
Glencoe Literature Library: "The Slave Dancer" Study Guide [Pdf]
Great study guide for Paul Fox's "The Slave Dancer," complete with pre-reading materials, including an author biography and vocabulary preview, brainstorming activities, thought-provoking questions about plot, theme, and character, and...
The Book Report
Kids reads.com: Brian Jacques
This site gives you a biography of Brian Jacques as well as an interview with him about his writing.
McGraw Hill
Glencoe Literature Library: "Missing May" Study Guide [Pdf]
A great resource for students reading "Missing May," complete with a brief biography of author Cynthia Rylant, pre-reading material, diagramming activities, personal response and analysis questions, and an essay prompts for students who...