To celebrate National Poetry Month, young writers focus on the role letter writing has played in the development of poets. They begin by journaling three to five associations to a writing prompt that requires them to identify their...

Young poets demonstrate their understanding of a character from Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street by crafting a biopoem that captures the essence of this person.

High schoolers examine the poem To Walt Whitman by Angela de Hoyos. They divide into groups. Each group creates a poem written from one of two perspectives: to Walt Whitman or to de Hoyos from Whitman.

Students read about Calligraphy of Thought, a collection of poetry linking Islam to the West. In this art and poetry lesson, students read about the poetry collection and complete a culture flower.

Learners write three fictitious letters each on the same topic but to three different persons. They compare letters to decide how the voice of the writing changes depending on the person who is receiving the letter. They apply this...

Have your scholars ever known someone who was a copycat? Approach this issue as you study vocabulary in context by reading Peggy Rathmann's book Ruby the Copycat. Proposed focus words are: recite, murmur,...

In this voices of Louisiana worksheet, students choose at least three quotations from the Voices of Louisiana webpage and look for clues about each person's folk groups and the genres they mention; for example, oral tradition, folk...

First graders examine the relationship between numbers and number families. They listen to the poem "Kangaroo and Toad" by Shel Silverstein and create a list of the largest animals they can think of. Students then order the animals...

Learners lie in the grass on their backs for fifteen minutes. They let go of any inner dialogue and simply see, feel, hear, and smell. When the time is over, students write down words about what they experienced.

Learners investigate dog breeds and write a short story from a dog's perspective. In this dog research and writing lesson, students watch the film, "Dog: The Early Years. They apply critical thinking skills to determine which type of dog...

Help your class participate in hands-on activities to get them back into the swing of going to school everyday. This list is designed for all grade levels with unique ideas for each (note that many ideas are geared for elementary, but...

Seventh graders describe an event, a situation, etc. through the eyes of two people or two inanimate objects.

Students create individual representations of Chinese calligraphy symbols in this cross-curricular lesson for the elementary Language Arts or Art classroom. One enrichment activity is included.

Students listen to Navajo poetry and create various responses to what they have heard. Students may create an illustration for the poems, create an original work of poetry, or write about how the poem relates to Native American culture.

Twelfth graders read the poem "Man and Wife" and then write their own poem that uses two perspectives.

Students develop a sense of historical empathy as they discuss The Holocaust and roll play activities designed to highlight prejudice in today's society.  In this Holocaust history and The Diary of Anne Frank lesson, students...

Students listen to tapes of animal sounds while they hold up a puppet of the correct animal. They perform different sounds to their classmates in which they have a chance to guess. Using a Venn Diagram, they compare and contrast the...

In this New York State Testing Program English Language Arts worksheet, students read several passages and two poems and answer reading comprehension questions.  Students then write an essay response to one of the passages. 

Tenth graders use Microsoft Word to create an original short story. The setting must be Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The characters must be animals found at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The story must contain...

Eighth graders study personification in published works of poetry, then create their own through the use of diamante or cinquain poetry. They read and discuss poetry by Shel Silverstein, William Jay Smith, and Elinor Wylie.

Eighth graders study poems to see how punctuation, line length, rhythm and word choice can be used to create a memorable moment. They read and discuss poems by Shel Silverstein.

Eighth graders study poetic devices included in conversation poems and explore their eloquent messages. They read and discuss poems by Langston Hughes and Don Marquis.

Students explore surreal art and poetry. In this visual arts lesson, students examine works by André Breton, Robert Desnos, Salvador Dalí, and Joan Miro. Students then apply the techniques in the works they analyze to their own poetry.

Twelfth graders examine contributions to communities. In this philanthropy lesson, 12th graders discuss the quote, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Students identify issues that exist in their community and...