Explore how the library or Internet resources function as textual information. Young writers research a chosen topic then read and comprehend the collected information. They structure the information with texts and graphics for a...

Learn about the government's role in everyday life in a guided reading activity. Groups create a KWL chart concerning the government's impact on the community.

Help your class develop the ability to determine a main idea with a packet of materials that you can introduce and use over a period of time. The packet includes some information for the teacher and rationale for the exercises. There are...

Third and fourth graders complete a vocabulary log which includes a definition, and a sentence that demonstrates the meaning of the word. Then make an illustration that represents the definition of the word. The trick is that they may...

Learn how to summarize by identifying main ideas and supporting details. Readers cross out unimportant information as they read through a text. Is it a random detail? Cross it out! They then draw a concept map, placing the main idea in...

Who was Abraham Lincoln? Help your English language learners recognize Lincoln's impact on the United States. After reading a short passage, learners answer five reading comprehension questions and five vocabulary questions. 

Teach your class about neutral rights with a brief reading selection and related questions. Pupils read the passage and answer the four questions on the bottom half of the page. Useful for a homework assignment or a quick warm-up, this...

Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...

Third graders discuss research topics and write a paragraph on one of the provided questions. They focus on including key words from charts that the class has been compiling. They underline supporting details within the text they write....

If you could travel anywhere in the United States, where would you go? Use this question to interest your fourth, fifth, and sixth graders as they experiment with Mapquest or other direction-based resources. They choose where they'd like...

Aligned with the Common Core writing standards, this resource has Spanish language learners create a question, write an explanatory paragraph, and identify the main points. You can either suggest an overarching question for your class to...

Beginning with anticipation guide strategies is a powerful method for improving reading comprehension. First, list initial ideas for a topic the class will be reading about. These ideas are formulated into statements, some of which are...

Explore differing points of view with your upper elementary and middle schoolers. Learners watch a video segment called "Ancestors Talk through Drums" and determine what perspectives are presented. Then, using the included worksheet,...

Help your high schoolers navigate the cross-curricular text Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass with this reading guide. The questions guide learners through composing a summary of any given chapter in the text. In addition,...

Analyzing historical legends is a fun way to develop critical-thinking skills. Pupils will use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast two historical legends relating to volcanoes. While this lesson focuses on the image of Crater...

Although this legislative process lesson is designed to accompany a specific text, it is valuable independently. Young learners participate in a picture walk (worksheet included) through My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View...

Pupils examine and discuss author's purpose and the influence of an author's perspective in his or her writing. In groups, they read scenarios and respond to them from the perspective of a designated character. Materials are attached.

Practice makes perfect, and this lesson provides a rubric to prove it! To improve their ability to read with fluency and expression, readers listen to a series of online stories in order to hear how a well-read story should sound. They...

Scholars discuss purpose of search engines, define World Wide Web, become familiar with website addresses, demonstrate understanding of site updating, create a list of topics about which they would like more information, and visit at...

Third graders practice typing in a web address to find a specific web page and how to use a search engine to locate specific information. They access a search engine to locate information about geology to answer the questions on a quiz.

Travel to New Orleans for their warm, sweet beignets, or bring a piece of New Orleans to your classroom by baking the delicious treats with your third and fourth graders! If baking them isn't possible, at least review the recipe for a...

Elementary schoolers investigate nonfiction stories by analyzing facts and opinions. They read nonfiction stories about the Lewis and Clark expedition. Pupils utilize a T-chart to list the facts and opinions on opposite sides, and then...

Third graders identify cause and effect. In this cause and effect lesson, 3rd graders use a graphic organizer to predict effects for certain causes. They read a non-fiction text and put sticky notes marking causes and effects. 

A handy TFDC (topic/fact/detail/conclusion) graphic organizer (included) allows young writers to outline and record their main ideas and supporting details in the prewriting phase. They then continue to add details to the topic sentences...