An interesting article on editors helps young writers understand the conventions of written English. They read a news article about an editor traveling America correcting spelling and punctuation errors on signs.  They discuss...

Now is the time to identify the great teachers in your school! Discuss the characteristics of persuasive writing and analyze an example. Then, each pupil chooses a teacher who they feel should be named teacher of the year. They plan and...

Fourth graders demonstrate and evaluate the six traits of writing. They read and identify good writing and bad writing, utilize a rubric to self-evaluate their own writing, participate in a Reader's Theater, and publish a class book.

Second graders review the basic elements of a story. Individually, they write their own original story as they use a software program to help them map out their ideas. With a partner, they exchange papers and read them for grammatical...

Third graders, while working in groups, identify five sets of words that rhyme in order to write and illustrate a storybook using rhyming words through a journal entry. They assess proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation in their...

Students explore and apply their proofreading skills in order to prepare their project essays for peer editing and final drafting. They refine their final project essays by identifying and correcting spelling and grammatical errors.

Students create a story about an unknown planet invaded by humans as a pre-reading activity for the novel, A Wrinkle In Time. They discuss good versus evil, and identify examples of the theme good vs. evil in books, film, and their own...

High schoolers participate in an oral story telling activity designed to show how story embellishments occur. They read "Beowulf" and identify incongruities that suggest additions and embellishments over the years.

Students use the Internet as a research tool. they read, comprehend, identify, evaluate, and select the correct answers to contextual questions.They write a rough draft, edit/revise, and a final draft summarizing the information located.

Third graders explore communications by utilizing technology. In this e-mail writing lesson, 3rd graders identify important elements to include when writing an e-mail based on whether it's to a friend, colleague or employer. Students...

Learners examine examples of poems and identify the prepositions in them. They write original poems using prepositional phrases and create illustrations to go with them.

Students listen to and discuss various fables, and identify the moral and central themes. They write their own personal fables and create illustrations to go with them.

Ninth graders read and analyze The Odyssey. They apply note-taking skills to identify enemy, type of enemy, and traits demonstrated throughout the book. Students create a storyboard that illustrates the selected episode from the book...

Students review the causes of World War I and draw timelines of the 1914 events. They conduct Internet research to discover the role of the balkans in the war and how it spread to a worldwide conflict. Students then research the recent...

After brainstorming, middle schoolers write an expository essay for a writing project. They focus on supporting points, organization, and writing conventions to develop a well-integrated paper. In addition, they revise, proofread and...

A reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech launches a study of rhetorical devices such as hyperbole, allusion, metaphor, simile, personification, connotative language and parallel structure. Class members then...

The class works together to tackle easily confused words. Each learner receives a word and he or she must create a flashcard with the following things: the word, its definition, an original sentence that uses the word, and a picture...

Fourth graders study Chaucer as a master of details. Then, they create a short story linking unrelated details into a logical plot with a clear setting and established characters. This instructional activity has some excellent worksheets...

Third graders read and discuss the selection "Paul Revere's Ride" (included with the lesson). Students imagine they live in one of the villages that Paul Revere stopped. They are awakened by his knock on the door. Students write an essay...

Third graders research an insect and creates a brochure on that selected insect. Each student develops a Venn Diagram comparing similarities and differences between moths and butterflies.

Third graders gain the necessary skills to write a descriptive paragraph. They see the evaluation and decision making process that are used in good wriitng. The bible is used to see illustrations and then used to paint a picture in...

Students investigate the process of writing an expository paper. The purpose of the paper is established in the introduction and the supporting details are sequenced in a logical order. The paper possesses punctuation and grammatical...

Learners read a current science article. They write a summary of the article, take notes, write and edit a summary, and print their work.

Third graders read, discuss, and memorize the poem "Jenny Kissed Me." as an example of lyrical poetry. They write a letter to Jenny reliving the memory of her kiss from an elderly person's point of view. They illustrate their poems.