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"Voicing" - A Believable Account with "The Glory Fields" by Walter Dean Myers
Dr. Seuss and Walter Dean Myers team up to cover the topic of prejudice. Using The Sneeches (about the culture clash between star-bellied and bare-bellied Sneetches) and The Glory Fields (about a boy coming to America on a slave ship),...
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Heavy Boots: Group Discussion
Jonathan Safran Foer's phrase, "heavy boots," becomes the focus of a class discussion of grief and sadness. During the reading of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, individuals place examples of their own experiences with these topics...
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Collaborative Discussion: Common Core Basics for Back-to-School
Listening may be the most important skill of all for Common Core collaborative speaking standards. Prepare yourself for a class experience that boosts listening and speaking skills, with a great article. Attached lessons, excellent...
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Stories! Imagination! Joy!
Rekindle the art of storytelling through imagination and oral tradition.
Film English
Make It Count
Where would you go if you were to take a trip around the world in 10 days? After a discussion about famous inspirational quotes, pupils view a short film that shows a trip around the world in 10 days paired with these quotes. Class...
Planet e-Book
David Copperfield
Don't let the length scare you away. An eBook version of David Copperfield contains all 1,307 pages of the story. This digital version of the classic coming-of-age novel follows the title character from childhood into adulthood, giving...
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Blubber: Discussion Guide
Pupils read Blubber by Judy Blume. For this Blubber discussion lesson, students answer pre-, during, and post- reading of the novel to assist them with comprehension. Themes addressed are problem solving, perspectives, leadership, and...
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I am the Walrus
Students research walruses using the library and the Internet, then write an essay from what they find in their research. In this investigative lesson plan students view a video on walruses then write an essay after researching.
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Congruent Figures
Students read "Congruent Figures," by Takahashi Takako. They conduct small group discussion using the role sheets and their reading logs.
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What's the Point? A Lesson on Point of View
Fourth graders read the book, Good Dog by Alexandra Day. In this writing lesson, 4th graders re-write the story from a chosen character's point of view. This lesson can be used with many other wordless picture books.
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History Telling
Tenth graders examine the different parts of history that make up people's lives. In this American History lesson, 10th graders explore how historians learn about events that happened in the past by looking at events that happened in...
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The Power of Autobiographical Writing
Students explore the concept of injustice. In this nonviolent resistance lesson, students discuss how autobiographical writing may be used to promote justice. Students read an excerpt from Gandhi's autobiography and determine how his...
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My Deaf American Hero
Students study and discuss famous deaf people that are role models for students who are deaf. They research a famous deaf American and create a ten frame multimedia presentation to showcase the information.
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Guided Reading with Twister's Tricks
Pupils participate in pre-reading activities before reading the book, Twister's Tricks. They read the book independently, but are guided by directive questions from their teacher. A discussion follows, as well as repeated readings for...
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The American Mosaic
Young scholars discuss what it would be like to be new to a town. They are then asked questions related to the immigrants coming to America. Extensions of this lesson are available.
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Author's Day
Have your learners choose an author to study. One resource link gives a list of approved authors. Scholars read at least three works produced by that author and produce three separate book reports as well as a two-page author report....
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Journal Writing in American Studies
Students write their thoughts about political cartoons, photographs, and articles in their journal and then discuss them in class.
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I Am Special and You Are Special Too #6
We are All Alike…We Are All Different is the springboard for the creation of an illustrated book in which young writers record their impression of themselves, their families, and their interests. Sharing the completed books in circle...
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Vocabulary: Multiple Meaning Words in Context
Learners use context clues to define words with multiple meanings. After extensive practice with their teacher, learners read through six sentences, they then identify a word with a multiple meaning, and determine its meaning based on...
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Jacob Lawrence's Freedom Trail
Young scholars read excerpts of autobiographies from Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. After listening to excerpts of an oral reading of Frederick Douglass' book, they discuss the ways African Americans were treated on plantations....
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Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse
Learners complete activities to analyze points of view in different texts. For this point of view lesson, students read Hansel and Gretel and The Magic Circle and discuss the points of view. Learners choose a character from the story and...
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Developing Environmental Awareness Through Problem Solving
Students examine the relationships among living and non-living parts of the environment. Using their senses, they identify the objects in their classroom. In groups, they participate in experiments to discover where electricity comes...
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Family Ties
Students explore what life is like for immigrant women in the United States. In this immigration lesson, students study about immigration through reading and watching a video, then share their thoughts and ideas by participating in an...
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Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 12 multiple choice questions based on Their Eyes Were Watching God. Students may submit their answers to be scored.