Learn about George Washington Carver's important contributions to agriculture by studying the sweet potato. First graders read about the inventor's observations and prepare sweet potato slips for the class garden. Additionally, they...

To continue their study of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the beginning of the civil rights movement, class members watch the YouTube video of Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit" as an introduction to an examination of...

Ninth graders analyze a work of literature about an author. In this biography analysis lesson, 9th graders research an author and work in groups to discuss the author with other students. Students research and discuss the authors Edgar...

Students explore California's authors and their lives. In this author study, students research different authors from California. They create podcasts about their authors, walking the audience through the author's life and points of...

Students listen to short biographies of famous individuals and discuss what it means to be famous for something. They write a short autobiography stating why they are a famous first grader. They take turns being interviewed by the rest...

The ninth in a fourteen-lesson series, this plan marks a sort of midpoint in a unit devoted to the study of short stories. Pupils learn about theme and work on their short story projects by adding to their blogs, checking in with the...

Students match scientists with their major discoveries, choose one figure to research further, and co-author articles profiling the scientist and his or her achievements.

Young scholars explore the influence of African-American artists, writers, and musicians on American culture. After researching different figures in these areas, they create collages representing each person's life and legacy.

In this literature and literacy worksheet, students follow directions for writing a book report based on a biography. They fill in the title, author, illustrator, and publisher before listing the character traits of the person they read...

Explain the differences between fiction and non-fiction and the characteristics of a biography. Learners analyze three pieces of literature on the same topic to determine which is fiction and which is non-fiction. In the end, relate the...

The ambiguity in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre makes the novel a perfect choice for a shared inquiry discussion. Readers respond to open-ended questions with evidence drawn directly from the text. 

The Cay has been criticized by groups such as the Council on Interracial Books for Children because of the way race is portrayed. Explore the argument against the book while taking the author's perspective into account. Class members...

Third graders examine different types of non-fiction texts. In this non fiction lesson, 3rd graders use different types of texts to gather information. Students work in groups to analyze the texts for author's purpose, common...

Students prepare an oral book report on a biography they have read. They bring in a bag of objects they associate with the report's subject and use them as props for the report.

Students use the Internet to research someone's biography.

Learners read a biography, present the six focus statements (areas of information) onto a 3-D box, photograph their box with a digital camera, and create a HyperStudio card with voice and text.

A deserted island, a sea lion, and a volcanic eruption ... adventure awaits! Using a helpful novel study, scholars complete a brief vocabulary exercise and answer 10 reading comprehension questions about Nim's Island. Next, they write...

If called, would you go? Should the US government have the power to impose a draft during any war? The Selective Service Act of 1917 (aka the Conscription Act of 1917) authorized the drafting of men into the military for only the...

Students gather information from a senior friend to write a biography. In this living history books lesson, students organize information to complete a book about their senior friend. Detailed teacher instructions for completing the book...

Learners create mock interviews with revolutionary heroes. For this U.S. history lesson, students select a U.S. revolutionary war hero or British general, research their biographical information and the battles they participated in,...

Students, while reading and discussing the two texts by Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys, compare/contrast the two main characters and juxtapose them as the same character told from two different points of view. They gain insight of how to...

Bring language arts and U.S. history together in this instructional activity, which prompts middle and high schoolers to gather biographical information about Abraham Lincoln. They compare and contrast information written about his...

Use the class textbook to read a full story about Martin Luther King, Jr. The class writes facts about him and outlines his life, then they read the author and illustrator summaries at the end of the story. They compare and contrast the...