Students investigate syllabic metre and rhyming techniques by analyzing poetry.  For this language arts lesson, students read the poem Considering the Snail and discuss the nature and mood of the poem with their classmates....

Poetry is not just for romance. Teach middle schoolers about soldiers' experiences during World War I with poetry written by the soldiers themselves. The lesson includes a simulation activity, a graphic organizer activity, and a...

Read this twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Dusty Locks and the Three Bears by Susan Lowell. Kindergartners listen, predict, and discuss the story. They then participate in a dramatization of the story and draw a picture...

Students analyze lyrics and narration by reading poetry.  In this language arts instructional activity, students read and examine the poem Belfast Confetti.  Students discuss the topics and questions asked by the author Ciaran...

How do novels differ from plays? Explore with your class the text features of fiction and drama by reading The Hidden One: Native American Legend and then performing a reader’s theater script based on the story. Class members create a...

Students investigate historical context by reading poetry.  In this language arts lesson, students discover the work of Michael Longley and examine his poem "Ceasefire."  Students identify the sonnets used in the piece and...

Students explore and evaluate poetry. In small groups, they read and summarize poems, complete a handout, create and perform a dramatization of a poem, and write a journal entry in response to their performance.

High schoolers discover the ideas of enlightenment by reading historical poetry. In this philosophical lesson, students read poems by Sir Walter Scott and Sergeant Joyce Kilmer while discussing the themes of the writing with classmates....

Students determine if Lincoln and Whitman ever met and write a dialogue between the two men. In this Whitman and Lincoln lesson, students read Whitman's poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" and connect it to the events of Lincoln's presidency....

Fourth graders research and write an author report on Roald Dahl, including books written by him, birthplace, family life, and other information on his writing. Students read aloud chapters in the book. Students create a newspaper...

Learners read a play and create their own play using Thornton Wilder's Our Townas a resource. In this play lesson, students analyze how theatrical elements contribute to a play's meanings and effects. Learners recognize differences...

Students use Shakespearean sonnets as part of a poetry analysis lesson. In this sonnet lesson, students perform a sonnet by Shakespeare but treat it as a script to be acted out. Students work in pairs to create motions for two lines from...

Learners analyze a poem to find meaning by breaking it into scenes and supporting the text with appropriate images and sounds. They use Frames to create their video poem. Once students have an image, place them all into one folder. ...

Students research links concerning early factory labor, child labor in today's world, and diseases on young laborers. They work on a loom, analyze a mill bell schedule, read a mill girl's diary, and write a poem or song exhibiting empathy.

Students explore children's literature by reading biographies in class. In this history analysis instructional activity, students read books written by Jean Fritz about the Revolutionary War and discuss the events that led up to the...

Middle schoolers research the growth of unions due to issues related to the Lattimer Massacre. They research primary source documents and create posters, skits and role plays.