Curated OER
A River Runs Through It
Students study the novel A River Runs Through It. In this language arts lesson, students apply a pre-reading strategy to help them better comprehend the text. Students use guided imagery and write down what they saw. Students apply this...
Curated OER
Visualization
Students practice visualization as a strategy to increase reading comprehension. They practice while the teacher reads a poem to them before reading a poem silently to themselves. Next, they practice making mental images while reading a...
Curated OER
Persian War Defeated and Persepolis Goes Up In Flames
In this Persian War and Persepolis activity, students read 2 passages about each and then answer short answer, multiple choice, and matching questions. Students answer 14 questions each.
Curated OER
Do Your Best At School
In this poster worksheet, students read strategies and encouragement for doing their best work in school. They read reasons for doing their best, listening well, trying new things, and trying hard.
Curated OER
Teaching Comprehension Strategies
Reading Comprehension Lesson Plans can help students develop the right strategies.
Curated OER
Think & Learn As You Go!!!
Students examine a KWL chart as a tool to generate questions about reading texts. They fill in a KWL chart for the beginning, middle, and end of a book before reading portions of the book. Next, they finish the book, complete the KWL,...
Curated OER
Cultivate Active Discussion of Assigned Texts
A flexible and adaptable method for opening learners up and engaging every individual in on-topic conversation.
Curated OER
Translating Teacher Talk
Interpreting the world of teacher vernacular to improve communication.
Curated OER
Introduce: Prediction
What will happen next? Leave readers at a cliffhanger as they practice prediction strategies while listening to a story. Pupils start by making guesses based on the book's cover and title, discussing the techniques they use to make these...
Institute for the Professional Development of Adult Educators
Using Context Clues with Signal Words
When you come across an unfamiliar word in a text, do you skip it and move on? Practice using context clues to identify words you don't know with a thorough set of language arts lessons. The resource reinforces close reading and critical...
Curated OER
Predict and Clarify with The Old Woman & Her Pig
Primary readers predict and check for understanding by using comprehension strategies. Prepare readers the first day by frontloading vocabulary and using pictures to visualize the words. On the second day, read the story The Old Woman...
Curated OER
Speak Anticipation Guide
Although labeled an anticipation guide, this plan is designed to be used about 22 pages into Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. A guide is provided with 10 statements. As they read each one, they mark whether or not they agree and whether...
Brigham Young University
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Word Squares
Encourage your class to use a variety of strategies to learn and retain vocabulary words. The plan suggests that near the beginning of your reading of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead pupils should find words in the text that are...
Curated OER
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Fishbowl Discussion Instructional Routine Guide
What exactly does make life worth living? In preparation for a fishbowl discussion of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, readers of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel highlight sections that show a character grieving, coping, or suffering...
Novelinks
The Winter’s Tale: Putting the Play on Trial
After reading the first act of The Winter's Tale, class members conduct a trial and consider Leontes' accusations against Herminone.
Curated OER
Finding Equal Groups
Build counting fluency in your kindergartners with this counting and grouping timed learning game. Provide various groups of objects to count such as a clear plastic bag filled with 7 beans or a cup with 5 pennies. There are many other...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (Aardema)
The African plains come alive as scholars learn vocabulary in context through Verna Aardema's story Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain (tip: this strategy can be applied to any book). Precede reading by...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? (Yolen and Teague)
If you are reading Jane Yolen's fun story How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, use these strategies to enhance the experience for budding readers. What new words will they learn? Find detailed comprehension questions for these...
Curated OER
Quick and Sticky Context Clues
Discuss strategies for defining word your young readers don't know. They read sentences with key words covered by sticky notes and guess from the context what the word might be. They peek at the first letter and guess again.
Curated OER
Adapting "List/Group/Label" to Literature
Need a prereading activity in line with the Common Core Standards for Language? Although designed for grades 11 and 12, the procedure detailed in this resource could be used with most grade levels. Prior to reading, select 20 – 25 words...
Curated OER
Prewriting, Using Pictures
Young readers practice getting information from both the text and the illustrations found in books they are reading. They see that quite often, authors use pictures to help them get their writing process started. Youngsters are invited...
Brigham Young University
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead: Fishbowl Discussion
After reading through Act II of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, take some time to discuss the references to death in the play. For this fishbowl discussion, learners prepare questions, practice answering individually and with...
Curated OER
The Final Word
Although this instructional activity is based on “Final Word,” Craig Wilson’s USA Today column, the strategies could be adapted to any local columnist. After reading three articles independently, groups share observations about content...
Curated OER
Proofreading: Lesson 4
Examine the key strategies to proofreading a piece of writing for errors in sentence structure, usage, mechanics and spelling. Eighth graders practice putting into correct passage commonly confused words (too, two, to) when writing to a...