Young scholars check their comprehension skills and apply what they've learned to their own writing. They write two or three sentences that tell what happened to make the Learning Tower of Pisa dangerous and describe what was done to...

Students explore the trait of voice. In this language arts lesson, students focus on the writing trait of voice. Students view a video and practice writing.

Students practice combining sentences. For this writing lesson, students view essays and discuss how it can be revised, using sentence combining. Students practice this skill in their own essays.

Young writers use the provided Halloween-themed template to record information gathered after researching a topic related to the October holiday. Six different expository text structures are suggested as a guide; however, information on...

What would you do if you had to go to school all day every day? Tillie tackles this problem in Sharon Creech’s A Fine, Fine School. After a discussion of how Tillie got the principal to change his ways, brainstorm with your class...

Build the skills your budding authors need to develop to compose well-structured paragraphs. Give them the topic sheet (included here), and have them write a cohesive paragraph using the ideas listed. Consider having them include two...

Explore the world of amazing mammals with your kids with special needs. Each child identifies one mammal from a previous lesson and writes a short paragraph on that mammal. This lesson states that it is intended for all levels, but not...

Does your pupils’ writing present the probability that they need practice with the plural possessive? Help is here! Learners combine pairs of sentences using a plural possessive noun. An answer key is provided.

Following a brief definition of the required components of a complete sentence, and models of incomplete or sentence fragments, learners are asked to revise a series of sentence fragments into complete sentences. Suggested rewrites are...

How are subjunctives incorporated into the writing process? Young grammarians investigate the proper usage of the subjunctive mood, and combine parts of sentences from one column with those from another column to make eight logical...

This is a great way to polish the writing skills of your third and fourth graders. Have them read through the 16 sentences to determine which are complete and which are incomplete. Looking to extend the activity? Consider asking your...

Reinforce what constitutes a complete sentence using this presentation. Colorful arrows point to missing parts and clear explanations are presented for missing verbs or incorrect prepositional phrases. Avoid sentence fragments in writing...

Young grammarians revise a series of sentences to correct fragment errors. No definitions or examples are provided; however, the worksheet could be used to assess pupil understanding of the principle.

First, have each English language learner fill out the 15 sentence frames. Then, pair up your learners and have each share their completed sentences. There's a place for the listening partner to record his or her partner's sentences....

This is an outline for a geography project which requires learners to research, compare, and construct a book about various mountain environments around the world. Even though this is a simple outline, it contains some useful ideas and...

Use this lesson to reinforce the importance of a strong thesis statement. After viewing samples, middle schoolers identify the three parts to a thesis. Additionally, they create their own thesis including and labeling the three parts and...

Discuss controversial issues with your charges. More importantly, discuss how you have to research both sides of a controversy before taking a stance. In groups, middle schoolers research the controversial issue of dog sled racing. They...

As part of their study of Elie Wiesel's Night, individuals assume the voice of an Auschwitz survivor and craft a letter to a former SS officer who worked at the camp and claims he is not guilty of any crime. 

Here is an excellent presentation on creating complex sentences. Young writers discover that a complex sentence is a sentence that joins two or more sentences together. There are many ways for these types of sentences to be constructed,...

The world may indeed be a stage, and players certainly need to know drama vocabulary. This list of 16 terms (and their definitions) often found in scripts will prompt actors to perform their role.

Don't allow those polynomial functions to misbehave! Understand the end behavior of a polynomial function based on the degree and leading coefficient. Learners examine the patterns of even and odd degree polynomials and apply them to...

Is a college education necessary for success in today's world? The class investigates the question, along with others at the end of the sixth workshop in a 15-part series. The lesson has four parts with multiple activities and...

Students examine what the word "family" means today. They identify cultural traditions that are still popular in the United States. They read primary source documents and discover how advice is passed on from generation to generation.

Stella Louella’s Runaway Book launches a study of point of view and storytelling. After reading the tale, class members retell the story from the point of view of another character. The scripted plan, developed by a teacher candidate,...