Students investigate Southwest Indian Reservations. In this Native American lesson plan, students research Southwest Indian tribes on the Internet and by reading the book, Arrow to the Sun.

Students examine learning theories and principles through children's literature. In groups, they select theories and create multimedia presentations exemplifying them. Students discuss the various themes related to human growth,...

First graders create a venn diagram with two folktales. For this folktale lesson, 1st graders read Cinderella and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe. They find the similarities and differences and chart these on a...

Students sing, dance and play instruments that are integrated with the book, "Charlie the Caterpillar."

Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...

Upper elementary and middle school scholars study the economic factors that caused so many Arkansans to migrate to different parts of the country looking for work. Use this history lesson plan to help your charges gain a better...

First graders examine the culture of the ancient Gullah people. As a class, they practice saying and writing the days of the week and numbers in Gullah. They are read a Gullah folktale and put the events of the story into the correct...

Connect literature to narrative writing by researching descriptive writing techniques. Elementary and middle schoolers identify the importance of a narrator and voice in the storytelling process. They read writing samples and identify...

Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the role of Chinese immigrants in America. They investigate literature, history and cultures of Chinese-Americans. This ambitious plan takes two weeks to complete, and it brings in elements...

Students are able to answer basic questions about the region and the use of natural resources, sketch a mental map of the story's setting, and find their way through the thematic maze/map.

Young scholars create a children's book version of the Japanese folk story "Momotaro Boy of the Peach" and present the story to elementary students. In this children's book lesson, young scholars design their book to explain Japanese...

Elementary schoolers take part in a very good lesson plan which has them watch video, conduct experiments, complete hands-on activities, and work in cooperative groups. The educationally-rich activities are clearly-explained, and the...

Young scholars determine that a quest is central to many folk stories. They name stories from their own literary traditions that involve quests and write their own, incorporating a quest. They design a board game that illustrates the...

What do Robert Downey Jr., Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Fritz Weaver, Roger Moore, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Daffy Duck have in common? Why, it’s elementary, my dear Watson! They all have portrayed Sherlock Holmes. Literary detectives...

Second graders analyze color theory and collage techniques through the creation of collages in the style of artist/author Eric Carle. Color experiments and may hands-on section allow this lesson to be very informative and fun for the...

Students demonstrate beginning reading strategies. In this Chicka Chicka Boom Boom lesson plan, students identify upper case letters of the alphabet while relating them to a selection of literature.

Students explore butterfly life cycles and movement.  In this integrated fine arts and biology life cycle instructional activity, students listen to the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and identify the related life...

Students pantomime the story of The Great Kapok Tree for younger students.  In this The Great Kapok Tree instructional activity, students warm up with a game before volunteering for parts in the story. Students practice acting out...

First graders practice their letter writing skills by writing to a fictional character.  In this formal writing instructional activity, 1st graders read the books The Jolly Postman and Frog and Toad are Friends to examine the...

This short presentation provides an overview of the types of things students will learn about as they conduct an Author Study. The focus of this PowerPoint is author Chris Van Allsburg, but you could replace him with any author your...

Create a cross-curricular learning experience around a shared reading of Cynthia Rylant's book Snow. From writing poetry and a singing a song about snow, to creating paper snowflakes and solving math story problems, this resource...

Here is a worksheet presenting many ways to create topics and start sentences. The writing prompts are best used for young writers who are creating reading response journals or literature logs. Sometimes, all a writer needs is a good...

Students examine cultures, traditions, and feeling throughout cultures. In this cultural lesson, students use literature, maps, and cultural information to examine how people have universal feelings despite their different cultures and...