Curated OER
The Gingerbread Man
Students complete a variety of activities related to the Jan Brett version of the book "The Gingerbread Man." They compare and contrast two versions of the story, prepare and eat gingerbread cookies, describe their gingerbread man...
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
When Jessie Came Across The Sea
Young scholars 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...
Curated OER
Connection Stems
Pupils 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.
Curated OER
Using Scholastic News to Introduce the Net
Third graders log on to the net, type in the address for Scholastic and browse the subjects for the week. They select one area of interest and generate five interesting facts about the article.
Curated OER
True Settlers of the Pacific Northwest: Who was there with Dr. John Mcloughlin?
Students discover who was present when the city of Vancouver was founded. Using the internet, they research the various cultures of the area and which were present at the Hudson Bay Company. They discuss each person's role in how the...
Penguin Publishing
Penguin Random House: Random House Kids
This comprehensive publisher site links to interesting activities, author biographies, synopsis of books, and links to other sites. Games, recommended reading levels, and writing activities provided for students. Teachers resources are...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Author Study
During this lesson, young scholars 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...
Other
Advice for Young Writers: 10 Tips for Students in Writing Biographies
Children's author, Kathleen Krull, writer of many biographies, shares some tips for making biographies come alive. Perhaps her most interesting tips are to be nosy, and look for juicy details.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Madeleine L'engle's Biography
A first-person biography of Newbery Award winning author Madeleine L'Engle. L'Engle discusses her childhood, her personal life, and her writing.
Scholastic
Scholastic: The Great Gilly Hopkins
This site features the book "The Great Gilly Hopkins," by Katherine Paterson. This online resource offers discussion questions, a writing prompt and more.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Biography Writer's Workshop
This tutorial has students follow a step-by-step guide to write their very own biography using that of Frederick Douglass as a model.
Books in the Classroom
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site: Lyddie
What do you know about the characters and setting of "Lyddie," by Carol Hurst? Gain insight into the characters through the discussion questions found a this site.
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...
McGraw Hill
Glencoe Literature Library: "Shiloh" Study Guide [Pdf]
Explore Phyllis Reynold Naylor's "Shiloh" with the help of this study guide, which provides pre-reading material (author biography, vocabulary, introductory article), reading activities, brainstorming ideas, and thought-provoking writing...
Other
Mem Fox
Read all about favorite author Mem Fox in this very comprehensive website. Features her biography, her books and some stories even read aloud.
Other
Linda Sue Park
This is Linda Sue Park's personal website. It is about the author's views on reading and writing but also gives the reader information on her books and a biography.
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.
The Book Report
Kids reads.com: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor shares her experiences of struggling to learn to read and what she loves about writing stories.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Ann M. Martin Books
Comprehensive site about the author Ann M. Martin. Book lists and excerpts provided as well as biographical information about the author. Trivia quiz and letters from author also included.
Other
The Diana Wynne Jones Homepage
Photos, biographical information, a list of all of Diana Wynne Jones' books, and a lengthy article by the author about the difference between writing for children and writing for adults.
EL Education
El Education: Discovering the Genesee Volume 1
Discovering the Genesee was created by third grade students in Rochester, New York, as part of a Learning Expedition on local history. Student work was guided by four questions, which became the chapters of their book: Who were the...
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...