A simple activity for young readers, this introduces the idea of author purpose. Learners analyze various types of texts (newspaper articles, magazines, books, advertisements, etc.) and determine if the author's purpose for writing was...

Here's an alternative to a traditional book report for your class to demonstrate that they understand and can articulate the main character's evolution and the social themes presented in Voltaire's satirical novel Candide. Your young...

Graphic organizers are a wonderful tool for young writers to use to help them get their thoughts in order for a piece of writing. Here, learners are coached on what a piece of narrative writing is, and how they must have a distinct...

Use this model, based on urban youth poetry competitions, to create an engaging venue for your poets to share their work out loud, with expression. Build class community, have fun, and celebrate your authors' original verse....

Start the flow of writing with music! Help learners free-write and brainstorm by playing various selections of music. After each selection, scholars talk about the theme and mood and then practice free-writing on their own. Lighten up on...

Eighth graders identify and explain the connections between new ideas and information and their previous beliefs, values, and experiences. They understand that certain themes are relevant to their lives. They realize the harm of clicks...

Students, after reading and discussing, "The Metamorphosis," by Franz Kafka, explain the symbolism of Gregor's metamorphosis moving beyond a literal view of "he turned into a bug" into the idea that society/family/stress/environment led...

What effect do the prevalence of televisions in homes have on the American political stage? Challenge your students to consider this idea with these ten questions, both true/false and multiple choice. You could use this worksheet as a...

This dance activity focuses on lots of arm movements. Arm circles, raise-the-roof, swinging arms, and clapping are the main arm movements. There is movement stepping right and stepping left as well as steps forward and steps backward. It...

Newspapers and broadcast news. Social media, blogs, and blogospheres. Class members generate a list of news sources they use to get information about events. The big idea here is to introduce the necessary vocabulary and to establish a...

Examine American political culture with your scholars using this self-assessment lesson. Individuals rate a list of 14 values from highest to lowest, including ideas such as financial security, right to private property, justice,...

Read the story Gingerbread Baby and use these various activities to connect to grammar, art, and point of view. In one activity, learners create character masks. They practice writing verbs on the back of the masks to tell what each...

Woody Guthrie will capture the imagination of even your most reluctant learners. Using his work, your class will develop their skills in non-fiction reading comprehension, interpreting primary source material, and use of multiple forms...

Ornithology is the study of birds, and young scientists do just that with an interesting science lesson. They identify the parts of a bird, realize that birds have different types of beaks, wings, and feet, and take a close look at bird...

Out with the old and in with the new? Not so in this lesson plan, which explores the idea of writing older characters in fiction. Learners learn the value of varying their characters, exploring different perspectives, and avoiding...

Seventh graders define the term microbe. They identify the five main groups of microbes. Students give examples of ways in which microbes have impacted or currently impact human life. They create a hypotheses for where they expect to...

Students review and brainstorm the signs of autumn through a PowerPoint presentation/ lesson with embedded video clips. After brainstorming ideas as a group, Students use Kidspiration to develop a graphic organizer and follow the writing...

Tenth graders engage in a study that is about Julius Caesar while reading a play. The role of the main character is examined while looking for motive and tension presented by Shakespeare. They write a summary and critique of the play.

Get ready to have some fun and make some noise! Your youngsters will love getting to scream as loud as they want, but they have to run at the same time that they are screaming. There are a couple of other ideas that you could use to...

Identify literary elements in fiction. In this reading comprehension lesson, learners read the book Pigsty and record literary elements onto a graphic organizer. They specifically discuss the main characters and events in the text.

In this story structure lesson, young scholars read the book A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and identify the characters, setting and main themes of the book. They answer a list of study questions about the book.

Build reading comprehension and critical-thinking skills as learners focus on discerning fact from opinion. First, introduce the two terms as you test prior knowledge and explain their meanings (there is a scripted explanation here for...

As the culminating activity in a unit study of science fiction, young writers demonstrate their understanding of the genre by producing their own graphic novel. After deciding on the main elements of their story, individuals use a comic...

Talk about healthy lifestyle choices... in Italian! Class members categorize food cutouts into a food pyramid and discuss why some items are healthier than others. The plan offers additional vocabulary reinforcement ideas for...