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Setting the Tone with Figurative Language
Explore figurative language with your secondary class. Extending a language arts unit, the lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine how an author's word choice establishes a story's tone, possibly using metaphors, similes,...
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From Formal To Slang
Tenth graders define the term slang, explaining its various social, historical, and racial contexts, so as to articulate when it can be appropriately used as a means of effective communication. They use their own personal slang lexicon,...
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Poetry In Motion
Fourth graders read and analyze poetry and examine the process of writing poetry. They read and analyze the poem "From a Railway Carriage" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and answer comprehension questions. They identify the similes,...
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Speeches on the Not-So-Big Screen
Students examine American speeches. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students explore the emotional context of historical periods as they analyze "The Gettysburg Address" and "I Will Fight No More Forever" speeches.
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Vocabulary Building Cards
Students select vocabulary words from their reading each week then complete a card for each word which includes definition, source and a sample sentence. They share their cards with the class and complete vocabulary building cards...
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Valentine's Day hearts
Pupils use Valentine's Day to use figurative language in English. This is a great instructional activity for ESL students (who may not have much experience with this holiday), to engage in social conversation with their peers.
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Holistic Lesson Plan - Potato Writing
Eleventh graders, in groups of three, improve their descriptive writing skills by receiving a numbered potato. They write a description of their potato without disclosing the number. Groups take turns trying to guess which potato is...
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Dreams
Students read poetry about dreams and determine the different types of dreams people have, such as the images in sleep, or as goals.
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Figurative Language: Metaphors and Similes
Fifth graders are introduced to the figurative language using metaphors and similies. They identify the similarities and differences between the two and practice developing their own to use in their writing. They illustrate their...
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Read Aloud/ Narrative Analysis
Fourth graders read passages of Koya's Cousin Del before answering questions in a discussion setting. They listen to a variety of musical pieces before detailing how the music makes them feel in a short piece of writing. They share their...
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Fall Similes and Metaphors
Students interpret what a similies and metaphors are. They give examples of similies and metaphors. Pupils write different similies and metaphors using fall or autumn descriptive words. Students base their comparisons on facts, once they...
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A Water Droplet's Experience in the Hydrologic Cycle
Young scholars write a story from the perspective of a water droplet on a journey through the water cycle. They use the 6+1 Traits writing method to focus on voice in the writing as they create characters that their water droplet has...
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Short Story
Seventh graders identify the various elements of a short story. After reading Rudyard Kipling's short story, "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," students identify the author's purpose in writing the story as well as the elements that make it a short...
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Word Art with King's Words
Students investigate equality and racism by creating a word art project. In this civil rights lesson, students discover the life of Martin Luther King Jr. and create a word art project using the Internet site Wordle Web. Students...
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Native American Literature: A Paradigm Shift
Students explore Native American literature. In this cultural diversity lesson, students read selected Native American books and analyze the themes of the books and familiarize themselves with the vocabulary used in the books.
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Carrying the Torch
Students consider how World War II impacted Holocaust survivors. In this Holocaust lesson, students visit selected websites to discover information about the concentration camps, their conditions, and how survivors went on with life at...
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Hats off to you!
Students learn about cultures through hats. Students complete "hat" writings, puzzles, and language games around the theme.
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Exploring the Personal Narrative
Students define the characteristics of a personal narrative, explain the difference between a 'memoir' and an 'autobiography', and create a reading journal in which they will log their reading activities. For this personal narrative...