Provide time to polish paragraphs in class. Pupils, who have been working on these informational pieces for several days now, will have a chance to check for spelling and grammar before publishing their work. Sure to be a rewarding final...

Informative writing is emphasized in the standards. Help your learners reach that goal with the plan for paragraph writing outlined here. After reviewing the work from the day before and adding to their vocabulary notebooks, class...

After a review of what suffixes are and how they are used, middle schoolers utilize a worksheet that is embedded in the plan to work in pairs to strengthen their understanding and skills in using these very important parts of our...

Encourage narrative writing with a clever exercise. Class members watch episodes from movies and describe what happened to a character, including details about the setting, plot, and characters. Writers then craft a narrative about a...

Groups of learners research a city in Arkansas, then plan and create a brochure which would promote business growth in that city. The groups access the Internet in order to find out the necessary information about the town to put in...

What's the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing? Show class members how to find the main ideas from informational text and condense it, restate it, or quote it directly with a series of educational activities based...

While this is considered optional within the unit it is designed for, pupils would benefit from the listed activities. Working on writing and revising a paragraph about librarians who travel to isolated areas, class members can add some...

Determining a theme or central idea is greatly emphasized in the Common Core standards. Target that skill though big metaphors and central symbols in Pam Muñoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising. Help your class reach the standard through...

Transition words in writing are the focus of the language arts instructional activity presented here. In it, learners cut out the word-sort cards (embedded in the plan), and put them into four categories: time, examples, space, and...

Get in touch with your sense of self! The fifth and final instructional activity in a series of college and career lessons for fifth graders reinforces the relationship between interests and career choices. Pupils play a scenario-driven...

A study of onomatopoeia for 5th graders is here for you. Pupils discover that the use of highly descriptive language makes it possible for readers to picture objects in their minds. After engaging in a class discussion and listening to...

The second lesson in a series of fourteen, this plan takes the short story basics a step further. Learners complete a quiz about the story from the previous day, discuss the text, learn about Anton Chekhov, and work in groups to begin...

Pupils take part in a close reading of the poem, If by Rudyard Kipling, in which they delve deep into its meaning and identify its rules to live by. As the grand discussion progresses, learners then relate the poem's rules with those...

Discover how to use search terms effectively! Scholars continue their exploration of Charles Fishman's The Big Thirst, engaging in a read aloud and then answering text-based questions. Next, pupils learn about using search terms and...

Learners are introduced to how to properly write an informative essay. In groups, they review the steps of prewriting and how to make an outline for their essay. Individually, they practice completing their outlines and share them with...

Fifth graders view original artwork, define the art form sculpture, discuss similarities and differences between the examples provided, discuss the three-dimensional quality of each example given, and create and critique their own artwork.

Young scholars create a memoir or poem about their favorite person or pet. In this favorite person or pet lesson plan, students also scan in pictures to PowerPoint and create a presentation about this person or pet as well.

Students design a timeline that they will use as they work through lessons related to philanthropy. They use the vocabulary, first, next, or last as they add personal philanthropic experiences.

Help your class learn the spelling rule for adding -es to plural nouns and third-person singular verbs. The resource suggests using songs daily to reinforce the rules. The songs are contained in a Sing Your Way Through Phonics 2-CD set...

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is a treasure trove of symbolism and literary themes. Help your kids note the richest passages in the book with a activity and graphic organizer. The activity prepares kids to come up with a...

Students practice compassion. In this character education lesson, student read Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud. Students discuss the book as well as ways to demonstrate they care for one another. Students fill buckets...

Elementary learners create an ABC grammar book. The project begins with class members taking digital pictures of items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Depending on level, they then add a word or a complete sentence to...

Review the parts of speech. English Langugae Learners use KidPix to create a paint picture for nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They use the KidPix slideshow tool to construct a slideshow of their work.

Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.