A word bank of intermediate-level words with the Latin roots grad/gress, mot, and cad/cas/cid helps learners fill in the blanks on this interactive online quiz. I'd assign it for review to maximize instructional minutes between whole...

Using context clues and learning root words are two great ways to improve vocabulary. This resource taps into both of those strategies, offering up 12 fill-in-the-blank sentences, a word bank, and information on Latin roots. You might go...

Understanding how visual codes such as long-shots, close-ups, and camera angles affect meaning helps prepare young filmmakers to plan their own productions. The concepts embedded could also be used to analyze photographs and paintings.

The class hears the story of The Ugly Duckling to build vocabulary. They hear the story, then pull three to four vocabulary words from the text. The teacher then helps them use the context of each sentence to construct a meaning for each...

Do your class members know where the phrase "raining cats and dogs" come from? They will after viewing a presentation about metaphors. The concise definitions and clear examples make for a strong introduction to this element of...

Need to assess your pupils’ understanding of noun phrases used as appositives, as direct address, or as parenthetical phrases? Use this two-page instructional activity to determine their level of mastery of these terms and their...

Young grammarians demonstrate their understanding of pronoun reference. They read a series of sentences and choose the best correction for the underlined words. A link to an interactive version of the exercise is provided.

Develop the writing skills of your middle and high schoolers with this worksheet on complex, compound, and simple sentences. This resource assumes your learners are familiar with simple and compound sentences, so only the complex...

Prior to reading chapter 17 of Dandelion Wine, partners look up and illustrate level three words found in Colonel Freeleigh’s many allusions. Pairs then share with the whole class. Detailed instructions for the activity are included. 

Have you heard of the QAR strategy? If your class is reading The Color Purple, provide them with this two-page worksheet to get them thinking. With the strategy, readers are introduced to four types of questions (right there, think and...

How did the period of British Romanticism start? Introduce your class to this period and some key figures who were influential during this time like William Blake, Percy Shelley, and John Locke. This presentation serves as a very basic...

A desk is used as a visual analogy to construct the main idea and supporting details in a story. The top of the desk is the main idea, and each of the four legs provides supporting details. The legs of the desk provide support for the...

Although dated in appearance, this PowerPoint presents current content in how learners can identity a theme, main idea, subject, and topic. The information is formatted for easy note taking, but offers no explanation of the themes...

Provided here are ten example sentences for reviewing and practicing when to use an instead of a. There is no explanation of the rules about when and how to use a and/or an included in the resource. You may want to use this...

Don't let your pupils take everything at face value! They should analyze and evaluate what speakers say. Practice this skill with the two related activities described here. After brainstorming critical questions, learners can listen to...

Participles can be confusing. Practice the present and past participle of three different verbs with a quick matching worksheet. Class members must read each sentence and select the correct form of the verb from the column on the left...

Learners use the provided activity to identify plot elements and then fill in these elements on a plot diagram. Also included is a template for a character map that asks readers to choose a character, identify two traits, and supply...

After reading each chunk of two chapters of Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot, ask learners to respond to related study questions. The instructions at the top of the questions suggest that individuals should read the questions first, read the...

Keep your class thinking about Seedfolks after they read each chapter by requiring them to keep a journal about the story. Hand out these journal entry prompts at the beginning of the story so that your learners know what to expect. For...

There are quite a few characters in Paul Fleischman's Seedfolks, so why not help your class keep track of them? Learners can mark up this chart to show the traits that apply to each character. Along the left, each character is listed,...

After investigating various forms of print, oral, and electronic media as sources of information, class members research a historical figure and produce a résumé for this person. While templates are provided for an initial sorting...

Park/park, spring/spring. do your class members need extra practice with homonyms? The first exercise on this worksheeet asks learners to identify the homonym, while the second asks kids to identify at least two meanings of the...

Rain gauges, thermometers, and wind vanes. After reading a short article about weather forecasting, readers identify the tools meteorologists use to predict the weather.

Guide your pupils through The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with a directed reading exercise. The teacher asks questions as the class reads a chapter to help lead learners toward making well-supported predictions.