Fourth graders investigate the early explorers of New York state. They identify their country of origin, reason for exploration, and the results. They produce a PowerPoint based on their results.

Young scholars analyze an article written by an engineer at NASA proposing colonizing Mars with human explorers on the fastest track possible. They are invited to react to the article through several activities.

Students read the novel "Selavi". They relate the story to their own experiences. They also make predictions as they read the story. They research a specific aspect of Haiti once they have finished reading.

Learners study the role of the teacher in various cultures and societies through in-class discussions, literature investigations, and personal reflection. Lesson extensions include a "Living Portraits" activity and a "Student becomes the...

Eighth graders take photographs for a photo essay contest. Using primary source documents, they review various types of artwork and discuss how some of the images have become commonplace. They use the internet to view examples of...

Middle schoolers read literature based on family heroes. They discuss the concepts of friendship, loyalty and death. They write their own stories of courage and post them to a webpage.

Students will create short movies. The integration of technology into the curriculum is important for learners to apply in various ways. This lesson is an example of that kind of integration.

Fifth graders participate in read aloud activities of three books about life in Colonial times. They compare their life to that of children of Colonial times using a Venn diagram. They draw a picture and write about what a day in the...

High schoolers chose a novel which includes social criticism to read. After reading the book, they use the internet to research the issue in the novel and work with others to develop a presentation. In their presentation, they identify...

High schoolers research on a focused topic. They gather information from a range of sources and orally cit it in a presentation. Students connect information acquired in previous lessons with research on the assigned topic. They research...

Students write a story using their journey to school as the setting. In groups, they discuss their experiences and browse through books to get ideas for their story. They practice using a thesaurus to find new verbs or adjectives they...

Students research a selected explorer and teach their small group about their explorer during a jigsaw activity. Independently they write a letter as if they were on a voyage with their explorer, and create a world map that includes the...

Second graders explore Africa. They label the popular places in Africa on a map. Students label the different cities and monuments that are popular in Africa. They discuss the similarities and differences between cities in Africa and...

First graders read "There's A Nightmare in My Closet." They brainstorm what closet monsters could look like. They construct miniature monsters out of construction paper. Students use a variety of different shapes and colors of...

Fourth graders explore the culture and traditions of Native Americans. After reading "Children of the Earth and Sky," students discuss the lives of Native American children in relation to their own. They create replicas of Hopi...

Sixth graders perform research using the Internet about the Tasmanian Devil. The project can be presented in a variety of ways. The use of computer software is important for students to know, specifically Hyperstudio.

Students complete three activities of their choice from a given list surrounding their study of H.G. Wells' novel, The Time Machine. They choose activities from each of the seven learning styles.

Students use position words to describe where their teacher is sitting and read a story that makes use of position words. In this spatial lesson, students make a stick puppet and play Simon Says focusing on using position words in the...

This essay discusses the effects of humor in fiction, and provides some advice to writers on how to incorporate humor in their writing.

This slideshow introduces the genre of science fiction. It presents background information, common elements, common themes, pop movies (from books) showing diverse examples, and three specific examples: "Time Machine," "I, Robot," and...

OnTRACK English II Reading, Module 3, Lessons 1-12, and Practice Lessons 1-3. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry, drama, fiction, and literary non-fiction, and provide...

Contains plans for five 50-minute lessons that ask students to compare and research information about animals from fiction and nonfiction texts. In addition to student objectives and standards, these instructional plans contains links to...

Learners will synthesize information from multiple historical fiction books to find common themes and support them with evidence from the text. Working with a partner who has read a different book, they will share their theme from their...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] To be "in the know" in literature, you need to know the terminology used to describe, interpret, and analyze poetry, drama, and fiction. As you proceed through the sections...