Students watch an online slideshow that shows Cornelia Funke's transition from an illustrator to a writer. They discuss her writing process from the way she gathers ideas to how and where she writes. Next, they work in groups to choose a...

What are your pupils' favorite memories? Writing is one of the most difficult skills to master and writing every day for short periods of time is a fantastic way to improve overall expository writing skills and ability with writing...

A straightforward tool for practicing writing numbers 1 through 20. Young scribes trace each number once, then write it independently. Ideas for games to make practice more fun and to extend understanding of the sequence of numbers...

Fourth graders develop their writing skills. In this paragraph structure lesson, 4th graders research natural disasters, compile their findings, create mobiles and write stories based on the mobiles.

Students practice their writing skills. In this writing revision lesson, students read the provided writing samples and make corrections to the sentence fragments that are evident in each of them.

Students study examples of each trait in literature. They discuss how each trait adds to the craft of writing and practice revision of a writing piece with a particular trait in focus. They rate their writing on the trait of Ideas using...

In this writing prompt worksheet, students read the questions and story starter about Ellis Island. There are provided lines for the story which the students will write.

Young writers compare writing a paper to building a barn. They write a thesis statement using parallel construction and use transitions to hold the paper (walls of the barn) together. A barn raising video link is included; great for...

Eighth graders practice pre-writing skills using brainstorming methods. Using music and meditation, they examine the difference between directed and undirected free-writing, as well as how and when to apply them to the pre-writing process.

Use a writing transitions worksheet to help your class sharpen their writing skills as they read several examples, and rewrite seven sentences using the words however, nevertheless, still, despite, nonetheless, and even so appropriately.

This cross-curricular assignment could easily accompany a religious studies or imperialism unit. Prior research is required, as historians compare and contrast major religions and describe religious expansion with regard to contributors...

Bring a time machine into your classroom with this writing lesson, in which young writers project themselves back in time and have a variety of choices from that point forward. They either write a conversation with a historical figure,...

The Boston Massacre may be an iconic event in American history, but perhaps the British soldiers had another point of view. Using primary sources, including reports from Boston newspapers and secondary sources from the British...

Young writers develop their fine motor skills one stroke at a time with this simple tracing worksheet. Looking at pictures of eight basic figures ranging from horizontal and vertical lines to circles and triangles, children practice...

Drama is ever-present in our daily lives and eloquently depicted on stage. Middle schoolers practice writing scenes based on different prompts and frameworks, and then perform those creative scenes for their classmates. The...

Is Phoebe a good friend to Sal or not? After reading chapters twenty-five and twenty-six of Walk Two Moons, class members use the provided graphic organizer to develop an argumentative piece. Writers must decide if the two...

Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...

Extend the exhilarating learning experience of Dr. Seuss with five activities designed to reinforce literacy skills—site word reading, dialogue writing, story mapping, and more! Featured stories include The Lorax,...

The lesson guides young academics through the steps in producing a 10-page research paper on any topic in American history. Historians begin by formulating a thesis and gathering resources, then move on to creating an outline, and end...

Should schools continue to teach cursive writing? After reading and considering the merits of a series of arguments on both sides of this proposition, class members choose a side of the issue and craft their own argument, drawing support...

With nine pages of different sentences, you wont run out of practice writing, reading, and drawing. Learners read jumbled words, put the in the correct order to create a comprehesable sentence, and then write it, say it, and draw it.

The practice of developing lyrics by elaborating with sensory details and examples continues in the third instructional activity on songwriting. This time class members examine Jesse McCartney's "How Do You Sleep?" Using procedures...

Sensory details can enhance the reading experience, especially during a guided imagery reading. Young readers close their eyes and listen to a passage from Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons before responding to discussion questions and...

As the story unfolds, readers discover Matilda has a superpower. Take part in an activity that has learners talking about what superpower they would have, how they would use it, and how it could help others. Then, after reading the...