Combine literature and history with the poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling. Pupils read the poem and answer four questions about the text. 

After completing The Call of the Wild, have your learners go over the plot. In small groups, pupils map the plot, making sure to include the important events listed on this page. Following this activity, individuals write about...

Get down the basics of an essay in response to reading on a graphic organizer. The sheet includes space for an introduction and conclusion as well as four supporting ideas with textual evidence. 

In argumentative or persuasive writing, a writer's opinions must be backed up by reasons and evidence. This graphic organizer provides a space for pupils to write in an opinion, three reasons with support, and a conclusion.

Gear up for analysis with a graphic organizer. Learners identify the text, select a focus for their analysis, draft a thesis, note down supporting points paired with textual evidence, and write a quick conclusion.

Take note of six different character traits on a straightforward chart. Individuals write down the character's name and provide an example that demonstrates each character trait they note down.

Unfortunately, not all books are intended as entertainment, many are written to educate and inform readers. In the second lesson of this series, the teacher reads aloud the children's book Apples by Gail Gibbons, pointing out the...

Support a class reading of the novel Song of the Trees by Mildred D. Taylor with this series of discussion questions. Covering a variety of topics from character and setting to historical accuracy and symbolism, these questions challenge...

Prepare for a research project or just use this learning exercise on its own. Class members choose a topic, write a big question about it, and note down information they find about it. The final product is a longer written assignment in...

Use this page to quickly identify the central idea of a text and organize ideas for writing an informational or explanatory text. The worksheet is split into two parts. In the first part, pupils note down the main idea and supporting...

Telling fact from opinion can be tricky. Direct your class to practice their reading and comprehension skills by taking notes on the facts and opinions in a text. Pupils fill out a two-column chart and write down how they know a...

Why do people and characters act as they do? Require your class figure out the motivation of two people or characters they read about in a given text. In the short charts, pupils note down who, what they do, and why they do it. After...

After reading any short informational or fictional text, ask your class to analyze the important events. They note down three important events on a short timeline, describing the events with either words or drawings. After this, pupils...

Get your writers ready to compose a constructed response essay in response to either an informational or fictional text. Pupils note down the big idea they wish to address as well as up to nine examples from the text that they wish to...

Examine cause and effect by asking pupils to fill out a basic graphic organizer. The template is for any story or event and provides a line for writing in the story or event title. Pupils write in two causes in the circles and the change...

In order to support an idea, writers must use evidence. Your class members can prepare their evidence with this basic learning exercise. Writers note down the topic they are learning about and their own idea. Next, they come up with...

We all love to be entertained by the books we read, but how do we as readers know if that is the author's true intent? The first lesson in this series begins with a class reading of the children's book The Adventures of Taxi Dog by Debra...

Most young readers are aware that authors write to entertain or inform the audience, but it's also important for them to understand the art of persuasive writing. In the third lesson plan of this series, the teacher reads two letters to...

Throughout any piece of writing, words and phrases are used that provide the reader hints about the author's purpose. Teach young readers how to pick up on these clues as they learn to identify writing that entertains, informs, and...

The ability of young readers to cite textual evidence when discussing a piece of writing is essential to the development of their reading comprehension skills. The second lesson in this series allows learners to practice this technique...

Show your class what poem the famous line "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways" comes from. Class members read Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem and respond to one question with a short paragraph. The question asks learners to use...

Familiarize your class with folktales and hit Common Core standards along the way. Before reading the provided short story, readers practice drawing and supporting inferences and analyzing the point of view in two short exercises. They...

Lesson 7 focuses on building academic vocabulary and writing an explanatory letter with supported textual evidence. For the first five minutes of the lesson, the educator reminds the class of how to read and refer to the accordion...