How do you read when you know you're going to be summarizing a text? Summarize a nonfiction text with your upper elementary schoolers. Your pupils independently read a nonfiction article and write a summary paragraph using the six-step...

After viewing slides and reading about child labor, young authors compose an original narrative story. They practice note-taking skills and work to effectively engage a reader by incorporating plot, logical order, complex characters,...

Discuss the reading comprehension strategy of summarization with your elementary schoolers! They read a chapter from their social studies textbook, Regions Near and Far, and create a map, or word web, for the chapter. They identify...

After identifying the parts of a persuasive piece of writing, young writers explore different prewriting activities for the persuasive essay. They have the option to write a news article, personal narrative, or persuasive essay to...

Use drama to study and practice dialogue. Creative minds discuss what dialogue tells about a character, and how it can be used to advance the plot. They read a play, think about what they gleaned from dialogue, and record their...

Need a recipe for a paragraph? Young writers cook up the opening paragraph for a speech on food preparation. They prepare by reading the directions and cutting out the provided sentence strips. Then, they mix up the strips and paste the...

Encourage your pupils to support their claims with textual evidence, whether is is from literary texts or informational texts. You might use the assignment example, which suggests an assignment on what it's like to be an immigrant in...

Shrink up a section by asking pupils to write down the main idea for each of seven paragraphs. There is a space provided for each main idea. When students have completed this portion, they write down what they think to be the central...

Help your class tackle chunks of text with a simple graphic organizer. Pupils read three paragraphs and, as they read, draw pictures in the provided boxes that demonstrate what each paragraph says. There are three boxes on the page and...

In order to support an idea, writers must use evidence. Your class members can prepare their evidence with this basic worksheet. Writers note down the topic they are learning about and their own idea. Next, they come up with information...

After reading a text or covering a new topic, have class members fill out the four boxes on this page with facts. Individuals can use words or drawings to represent the facts.

Bring the imagery of the desert to your classroom with this ELL lesson plan. After reading Madeleine Dunphy’s Here in the Southwestern Desert, learners complete a graphic organizer about the features and images of the poem. The...

Students identify main idea and supporting details from a short reading selection using a two-column note taking process. In this literacy activity, students work in groups of three to four, then compare their papers with the other...

Students identify and define fashion details that are used in garment design. They play Bingo with fashion detail terminology. They create a fashion sketch using fashion details and write an essay.

Eighth graders identify the main idea and supporting details in paragraphs. In this language arts instructional activity, 8th graders review organizational patterns in paragraphs and determine which pattern is best for a given situation....

Students create a rap using story details.  In this creative writing lesson, students examine the use of rap lyrics to list important details of stories.  They view a video example, and use their notes to create their own raps...

In this setting and character worksheet, students provide details about the setting and character in this graphic organizer. Students provide 3 details for each.

Students examine articles from a number of sources to determine their main ideas and details, and discuss them as a class. Using a worksheet, they practice outlining a report after watching a teacher demonstration of the outlining...

In this recognizing details activity, students examine the two pictures and finish the picture of the duck on the right with the same details as those in the picture of the duck on the left.

In this recognizing details worksheet, students examine the two pictures and finish the picture of the painting easel on the right with the same details as those in the picture of the painting easel on the left.

In this recognizing details worksheet, students examine the two pictures and finish the picture of a fish on the right with the same details as those in the picture of a fish on the left.

In this recognizing details worksheet, students examine the two pictures and finish the picture of a guitar on the right with the same details as those in the picture of a guitar on the left.

In this recognizing details worksheet, students examine the two pictures and finish the picture of a frog on the right with the same details as those in the picture of a frog on the left.

For this recognizing details worksheet, students examine the two pictures and finish the picture of the bird on the right with the same details as those in the picture of the bird on the left.