After reading chapter six of Ordinary People with your class, conduct this activity with your class. Turn the lights down, put on your softest voice, and have them try to imagine that they lost a close friend. Then, encourage them to...

Help young learners unlock the joy of silent reading by explicitly teaching comprehension methods such as cross-checking to figure out the meaning of unknown words. Practice and model expectations for behavior, and then set the class...

Students explore the importance of reading with fluency. They listen as the teacher reads a book pronouncing every word by its phonemes -- choppy and broken up. They then practice reading the book "Arthur's Reading Race." They are...

Students examine the importance of reading with fluency and expression in this lesson. They listen as the teacher reads the book "What Will the Seal Eat" first smoothly and with expression, and then slow, choppy, and without expression....

Students use a crosscheck strategy to improve their oral reading rate and fluency. They are timed reading "Bud the Sub" orally three times, and work to improve their time and expression each time through. Students encourage each other...

Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...

Help young readers learn to read and interpret complex text independently. Teach young children to ask interpretive questions and use the text itself to answer them. Use art, word play and drama to provide a deeper understanding of...

How does the Fed manipulate the money supply in the United States? After reading a comic book on monetary policy and answering guided questions, your class members will participate in an interactive online simulation in which they will...

Youngsters pretend they are rocks sitting on a hill. They listen to the provided guided imagery script to conceptualize the process of how rocks change over time. They draw a diagram of what happened to them as rocks during the story. An...

Sit back, relax, and transport to 1787! This lesson plan on the Constitution begins with guided imagery of the Constitutional Convention. The class reads A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution in an...

Here is a unique activity in which learners simulate operations of a fractional reserve banking system, ultimately gaining a better understanding of how banks work and process money creation through lending. It includes a Story of Banks...

Reading Mary Pope Osborne's Civil War on Sunday? Here's a packet crammed with activities, exercises, reading guides, and project suggestions. A must-have for your curriculum library.

HIgh schoolers respond to a persuasive article on using animal research. In this english instructional activity, writers listen to a conversation, and discuss the point of arguments. They write a critique on a certain film and share it...

Students practice one-minute oral readings to increase their speed and fluency. They review several reading strategies, and then they read orally with a partner. The partner times their reading with a stopwatch and tracks their time on...

Students explore reading nutritional labels and making good food choices through simulation. They prepare and design a label for a product. In addition, they create packaging and advertising to ensure access to the population.

Students improve their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing decoding and rereading strategies, students complete a timed assessment of their words read per minute. Their words per minute are recorded...

Students practice reading fluently and with expression. They explore different techniques for reading quickly when coming upon unknown words. They also participate in a paired reading activity in which they read "Make Way for...

Students research the job marketplace and try to find a job for themselves. In this job search lesson, students make a list of possible job sites, read the Child Labor Laws, and complete the application process for a job. Students create...

Students read about the Alaska Gold Rush, its characters and the impact on the history of Alaska. They write a response as if they are a Klondike Stampeder in the late 1900s.

Students study how imagery affects their comprehension of stories. They participate in a guided journey of The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body. They compare the information from the book and their guided journey.

Students explore reading comprehension by completing a graphic organizer. In this journalism technique lesson, students discuss important questions they can ask about stories they read to improve comprehension. Students identify keywords...

Students determine the story elements of typical mystery stories including characters and plot structure. They look at vocabulary that is common to mystery stories before reading and responding to mystery chapter books. Working in guided...

Students, after reading an explanation from a NASA Web-based textbook, you demonstrate an understanding of the text by applying it to questions involving the theories of how a wing produces lift.

Fifth graders research their assigned regions, complete regional guide and prepare presentations about the New World colonists. They refer to "Everyday LIfe: Colonial Times" as well as searching marked internet sites.