Students practice techniques and strategies for understanding the parts of a story to help them remember what they've read. They review and analyze the elements of a story and how to find them first in a paragraph and then in a book.

Fourth graders examine the new vocabulary associated with the book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly before listening to a teacher read aloud of the book. They complete a choral reading of the story, sequence it, and write...

Your developing literary critics discuss 'perspective' and discuss how the same occurence can be interpreted by two different people in two different ways. They read Ryszard Kapuscinski's untitled poem, infer meaning of the poem, and...

Fifth graders will enhance their typing skills and practice using Pages, a software for Mac computers, by writing their own children's book. Note: This lesson plan refers to a template that is not included, however, you can adapt this...

Using Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, guide your class in the process of identifying unknown terms using context clues and formulating text-based answers. The lesson plan includes a useful worksheet incorporating scaffolding questions on an...

Third graders examine two well known sayings, and write responses to the sayings. They read and analyze various Lewis Carroll poems and his life.

Students research representations of self-esteem in music and literature, reflect on their meanings and use in developing positive attitudes. They make a presentations based on their research. They also keep a daily journal.

Students complete the reading of an age appropriate piece of literature. They think critically about their reading and discuss it with a group of peers. Students make connections among their reading, their own lives, and the discussions...

Students respond aesthetically to a piece of text. They give book talks about a picture book their small group read and rate it. Each student has a different job in the literature cirlce during the discussions. Finally, the students...

Students examine the newspaper. In this writing purposes lesson, students read the newspaper and discuss the purpose: to inform, entertain and persuade. Students identify facts and opinions. Students write an article and discuss acts of...

Sixth graders set and are encouraged to meet their reading goals and demonstrate knowledge of literary elements in this lesson.

Learners examine their position within their school and discuss qualities they need to be productive citizens outside of school. they culminate the unit by writing an autobiography that includes the concepts of responsibility, choice,...

Eighth graders study Langston Hughes, "Thank You Ma'am" to discover the elements of plot, character motives and reactions. They express the effects of trust and kindness by writing a reflective personal narrative. They illustrate the...

Ninth graders examine a character from the short story, John Steinbeck's, "Flight." students respond to questions about the story and illustrate the character's journey.

Literature containing life cycle information is available from many sources. Several examples of this type of literature are listed below with a synopsis and sample questions for each. These examples have been taken from a variety of...

High schoolers conduct a character study using the literature of Sherlock Holmes. They use a database with different cases that need to be solved. Students use the computer software to work through a list of suspects and match them with...

Students explore different types of student literature; they then write their own fiction pieces, in either fantasy/adventure or memoir/realism style.

Students use the programs Pics4Learning and ImageBlender 3 to apply their knowledge of characters, plot, setting, symbolism, and conflict to design and create a book cover. Designed as a culminating literature activity.

Young scholars analyze the attitudes, ideas and beliefs of characteristics that assist humans in living a positive, proactive life that values self, family, community, nation and world. Students identify their own strengths as...

Learners examine the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March. They view pictures reflecting their perceptions of their most important rights as citizens, write journal responses, create collages illustrating courage, and read...

Eighth graders investigate the concept of jargon and how it is used in different contexts in relation to the study of vocabulary. They practice interpreting jargon by concentrating on the comprehension strategy of using context clues.

Students listen to a story and then use the words from the book to generate dance movements.

Ninth graders analyze Chekhov's "The Bet". They repsond to a journal quesiton and use examples from the novel. In groups, they take on different roles analyzing the novel and then write one of my prompts to complete the lesson.

Students read a story about a young Japanese boy and his mother who decide to not banish the community's elders to the hills. They create origami helmets. They work together to make posters appreciating senior citizens.