Students identify the American language, how it has changed and effected culture, and become familiar with idioms. In this American language lesson, students study the eight parts of speech, identify literal and figurative speech, study...

Introduce expository writing with a unit that asks writers to craft an essay to explain a belief, value, or priority that is important to them. Mini-lessons within the unit focus on crafting thesis statements and conclusions, selecting...

Sixth graders can identify five basic elements that most mysteries contain. They put the elements of mystery into a graphic organizer they can follow. They construct meaning after reading Poe's short story and identify or infer the...

Young scholars explore different types of student literature; they then write their own fiction pieces, in either fantasy/adventure or memoir/realism style.

In this "book club" worksheet, learners complete a sheet on a book they bring to the "book club." Students fill in basic information about the book, then information about characters, scenes, genre, etc.

Students investigate historical context by reading poetry.  In this language arts instructional activity, students discover the work of Michael Longley and examine his poem "Ceasefire."  Students identify the sonnets used in...

Students compare Reggae to other musical genres and identify rhythms. They study the history and musical significance of Reggae as a musical genre.

Students read excerpts from Jon Scieszka's novel, 2095, prior to presenting their vision of the future in a creative project accompanied by written explanation. They design a museum exhibit which shows a scene from a science fiction book...

Eleventh graders explore the World Wide Web for information concerning the period known as "The Harlem Renaissance." They study the contributions made by African Americans in the areas of literature, art, and music during this period in...

Students read the fractured fairy tale, The Frog Principal by Stephanie Calmenson and compare it to the original version in order to gain deeper understanding of the fairy tale genre. In this fairy tale lesson, students identify and...

High schoolers discuss works of science fiction that they read, highlight aspects that made each a part of science fiction genre, identify formal literary elements, and discuss ways each can be developed through science fiction.

Fourth graders choose a fantasy genre to research and summarize information on in text. They utilize a variety of communication techniques, including oral, visual as well as written/multimedia reports and then present information...

Learners analyze graphical forms of Eudora Welty and interpret the shorts stories in the representations. In this graphical representations lesson, students analyze the short story genre in comic strips. Learners then create their own...

Seventh graders examine words of Greek origin and discuss character development in fiction. They read a list of Greek word parts and create words on a worksheet. Students then read and discuss an informational handout about character...

Students explore journalism by reading a book in class. In this factual research lesson, students read a portion of a Magic School Bus book and identify parts that seem to be factual and fictional. Students view an episode of the Magic...

Students discover how storytelling can shape a person's tradition.Students examine different methods of storytelling such as music, biographies, and African folktales. They then demonstrate their knowledge of storytelling by writing...

Students engage their families to write down a folk story from their primary language. In this family literacy lesson, students rewrite the story or fairy tales in English. Parents and students are invited to present the stories in both...

Eighth graders analyze lyrics from songs from a variety of genres. In this musical analysis lesson, 8th graders write an essay about their life plans in which they discuss the lyrics of U2's song, "One." They tell how the writings of Dr....

Students discover how to identify historical fiction. For this historical fiction lesson, students read the story Meet Addy: An American Girl by Connie Porter. Students listen to the first chapter of the book read aloud. Students list...

Students investigate the concept of time travel and quantum physics. They complete a Webquest, read excerpts from the book, 'The Time Machine,' play an online time traveler game, and read and evaluate newspaper articles about time.

What makes a character good or evil? Young readers discuss the characteristics and actions of good and evil characters in given fairy tales. They then read Snow White and discuss the characters in the story.

Students identify fantasy details from a fairy tale they have read and give an explanation of how they know it is a fantasy detail. In this fantasy detail lesson plan, students make a list from the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.

Exploring and characterizing myths can be fun. The class reads a version of "Pandora's Box," add to their myth chart, and discuss how gods and goddesses are commonly used in mythology. They work in groups to identify the gods and...

First graders explore rhyme through the use of poems. For this language arts lesson, 1st graders read poems and identify words that rhyme within the poem. Students circle the rhyming words within a poem as they listen.