You could spend a full day discussing The Phantom of the Opera and not scratch the surface, but a set of lessons about the literary elements and themes of the musical production is a great start. Young thespians build upon the...

Invite your pupils to express their understanding of a novel through a collaborative video project. Groups choose a novel from those you have studied in class, select four scenes, storyboard the scenes, film the scenes, edit the film,...

Students practice b words, search for sea shells, write on beach post cards, and more, all to learn about the beach. Students also wear sun hats around the room.

Hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, watermelon, corn on the cob, lemonade. Travis the Train introduces foods and drinks that may be taken on a summer picnic.

Rows of Nautilus shells, beach balls, sand pails, and sea gulls array this handout. Kindergartners compare the relative sizes in each row and simply color any that are the same size. This page would make terrific take-home practice for...

In this poetry analysis worksheet, students read the poem "Mutability," by William Wordsworth and then respond to 6 discussion questions. The questions require students to consider the role of religion and the impact of sudden change as...

John Knowles' A Separate Peace is the subject of a literary crossword puzzle that asks readers to identify key events and characters in this coming-of-age story.

Flotsam by David Wiesner and The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole, illustrated by Bruce Degen, begin a reading adventure pack focusing on oceans. With story listening and thoughtful discussion, scholars complete several...

Compare and contrast ideas, hopes and dreams with those of Cassie in Faith Ringgold's, Tar Beach. your students can entries in their journals expressing their ideas.

Do your fourth graders need a little help with punctuation? Use this run-on paragraph to demonstrate proofreading for capitalization, punctuation, and separating ideas into separate paragraphs. At the end of the activity, learners...

In this literature worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about Joseph Helle's Catch-22. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.

Young scholars identify characteristics of good poetry and compose their own.  In this marine poetry lesson plan, students are introduced to several different types of poetry with a marine theme.  After discussing the elements...

Models of and directions for how to write 20 different types of poems are featured in an NCTE resource. The introduction to each form highlights the embedded concepts. For example, tongue twisters encourage poets to use alliteration and...

In this handwriting activity, students practice tracing a set of 4 words related to summer. A reference website is given for additional resources.

Third graders explore the importance of art in Haitian culture by analyzing the cause and effect within the story, "Allie's Basketball Dream." They examine all the aspects of the story and characters including their goals, dreams,...

Students consider feelings about the things we have. They look at their friends, their home, possessions, and things given to us and if we take them for granted, wish for something else, or are grateful for them. Students reflect on how...

Fourth graders read a Haitian folktale. They study main characters in Haitian folktales and explore multicultural information about Haiti. They clarify understanding by retelling a sentence (paraphrasing) and a passage in their own...

Students take a field trip to a local park or beach to collect objects. They practice counting the objects and put them into categories according to type of shape like a cone, cylinder, etc... As an extension to the lesson students could...

Students participate in a visualization exercise. Then listen to an excerpt from a story and discuss what they 'see.' Finally, they read silently and draw a picture of what they visualized in their heads. They explain their pictures,...

Comparing and contrasting works and looking for underlying themes and messages are at the heart of this multicultural lesson plan. Provides links to several background resources, and suggestions for assessment.