Lots of questions arise when reading Cold Sassy Tree. As your class encounters the twentieth chapter, encourage a rich discussion with some of the questions provided here. Then, either independently, or for homework, ask your readers to...

Chief Seatle's "Letter to President Pierce, 1855" provides the text for a skills exercise that asks readers to consider how writers use metaphors to contribute to the meaning and impact of a work. Participants then apply what they have...

Expand on eager bookworms' independent reading by engaging them to define various genres of literature. Readers collaborate and use technology to find what goes into their assigned or previously read genres. Time is given for independent...

Present information about simple sentences and compound sentences. Learners use this information to complete a quick exercise and as background for learning about sentence combining. 

Young oceanographers conduct independent online research to learn about ocean life, explore limerick and cinquain poem structure and syllabication, and produce poetry that conveys the information they found. Links don't work, but it's...

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 view a video about the value of museums. They discover how they preserve history and culture and at the same time educate the public. They discuss other ways they can learn history.

Math scholars observe and demonstrate how to calculate the surface area and volume of cylinders. They analyze pictures of various cylinders on a handout, solve problems on two worksheets independently, and discuss the answers to the...

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...

Here's a great way to practice handwriting and word recognition. In this letter identification instructional activity, learners identify eight words with pictures to help them learn vocabulary and reading skills as they use lowercase...

As guided practice, class members work together to revise a model persuasive paragraph. Then they practice independently with their own writing. The included rubric looks at prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, nonfiction text...

Here's a strategy that can be used with any narrative, whether read by the instructor or as independent reading. At the end of each chapter, learners predict, using prior knowledge as clues, what will happen in the next chapter. Readers...

This worksheet is ideal for a bell-ringer/writing warm-up in your class to review what was learned in a previous lesson, and includes identifying important terms and facts associated with a historical topic. Encourage learners to...

Students learn basic facts about the Supreme Court by examining the United States Constitution and one of the landmark cases decided by that court.

Scholars read Maniac Magee and create epitaphs for each of the major characters using precise words reflecting the individual characters personality and nature. They will learn what an epitaph is and practice writing their own. They can...

Aesop’s Fables offer young learners an opportunity to study figurative language. After reviewing theme, simile, alliteration, and metaphor, model for your pupils how to identify examples of these devices in the fable. Class members then...

Students observe leaves in hands-on ways. As they observe attributes, they will group the leaves according to these attributes and consider any patterns they see emerge. In addition, they will communicate what they have learned about...

Choo, choo! Do your youngsters like trains? After studying the target sound, have your learners read A Peach for Chad. Do a class read and an independent read to increase fluency. At the lesson's close, consider creating a ch train...

Middle schoolers, through modeling and independent practice, are introduced to the different methods of brainstorming. They explore and engage in these different approaches individually, in pairs, and as a group.

Students use Maggie's Learning Adventures online activity. They play a matching or memory game to become aware of homophones. Students recognize that there two ways to use many words. They practice with noun or verb identification by...

Students identify and demonstrate a positive learning attitude and use basic concepts and skills. Learners also communicate clearly in oral, artistic, written, and nonverbal form. Finally, students participate in the daily data...

Help your learners read a text and summarize it using their own words. The main idea and important details of an article are discussed before individuals write their summaries. To support discernment about what to include in a summary,...

After you've begun identifying the cause and effect relationship within literature, it's time to give scholars some independent practice. Review the concept before handing out this graphic organizer. Learners use the book they are...

There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of a local news program. Read this passage independently or as a whole class to learn about all the different people that work hard to bring us the news. Afterward, young learners determine...