There are so many different ways to help learners make text-to-self connections. Here, fifth graders will create tableaus that show an event from a chapter in the class reader. They'll discuss why they chose that event to dramatize and...

Students explore the patterns of text structure to anticipate the kind of information that a reading might present. The instructional activity examines some of the components of reading writing and using nonfiction.

Have learners choose activities to complete based on the books by Laura Joffe Numeroff. They are introduced to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and the other books in this series through prereading activities. They then construct a portfolio...

Historical fiction novels give readers a chance to step into someone else's shoes. An educator's guide from Penguin Common Core Lesson Plans provides resources to accompany three historical fiction novels written by Ruta Sepetys: Between...

Students discuss New York City architectural developments.  In this architectural history lesson, students create Reader's Theater scripts based on imaginary conversations between two women who contributed to New York City's...

Get your class going on one of the final assessments for a unit on short stories by introducing iMovie and its main features. For this tenth lesson in a series of fourteen, pupils take some time to explore iMovie before conducting an...

To conclude a study of A Raisin in the Sun and to prepare for a visit to the Lewis Museum, class members analyze Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem." Learners then draw connections to characters in the play and to their own experiences...

Integrate history, math, and art into a study of The Grapes of Wrath with a series of activities that ask learners to investigate the social, political, economic, and environmental factors at play during the 1930s. Designed to be used...

Who was Bill Picket? Interested readers work through an informational passage to find out about a famous "bulldogger" from the old West. They answer several reading comprehension questions and use a seven step process to decode new...

Students discuss equality and fairness by reading a Maya Angelo poem.  In this U.S. history lesson, students read the poem I Know Why Caged Birds Sing, and discuss how the era it was written in affected the words.  Students...

Third graders demonstrate the ability to make an emotional connection to A Quilt Story.

Students examine the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado." In this character lesson, students discuss and analyze the characters in the story. Students make personal connections to the characters and create a brochure...

Make connections about animal characteristics and the animal's environment. In this animal characteristics lesson, students use a piece of art as a springboard for a discussion about animals and camouflage. Students choose an animal that...

Pondering Rembrandt’s portraits provide readers of The Chosen an opportunity to “listen to [the] silence and learn from it,” as they consider Reb Saunders from a different perspective. After examining several paintings, viewers write...

First graders explore language arts by reading a classic story in class. In this word choice instructional activity, 1st graders read the story of Johnny Appleseed and identify the descriptive words and sentences the author used to...

Young scholars learn of the comparisons between Shakespeare's play, King Lear, and the actual King James. They make historical connections through internet research.

Third graders are introduced to the story elements of fairy tales. As a class, they rewrite the story Little Red Riding Hood, told from the wolf's perspective. Then they create a class PowerPoint of the story, each partner group creating...

Third graders practice following and writing directions through the use of simple recipes. First they write directions for creating an ice cream sundae. Then they make the sundaes using the recipe written by their classmates.

Fourth graders read James and the Giant Peach, write a chronological narrative, and complete a webquest dealing with the life of Roald Dahl.

Middle schoolers compare lyrics from hip hop songs with monologues from Shakespeare's plays, and perform both for the class.

Students create a pictorial narrative based upon John Keats' "Ode on a Grecian Urn" and the Japanese techniques of "lacquer jar" stories in this three-day Language Arts/Art instructional activity.

Students experience a shared reading regarding the importance of feeling like a valued member of the community within a family. In this family member feelings lesson, students discuss the feelings and the motives of the characters....

Fifth graders recognize the characteristics of poetry. In this poetry lesson, 5th graders listen to poetry by Dionne Brand and discuss the meaning of the poems. Students construct their own poems and present them as an assessment.

Fifth graders explore the elements of theatre. In this dramatic performances lesson, 5th graders discuss the structural elements of theatre and dramatize "The Origins of the Season," an explanation myth.