Students use the Story Grammar strategy to outline the main elements of the story which will help them with free recall and cued recall. The strategy includes: identifying the main characters in the story, recalling where and when the...

Third graders explore a variety of ways to represent text. They represent text in story maps while on the playground. Students depict the elements of a story on a story map. They create a poster for character, setting, problem, and the...

Students read a short selection of a story individually or as a class. On their own, they create a story pyramid for the selection and write a one page summary. They use text from the story for their supporting details. To end the...

Young scholars work in groups to create a story that will be presented to the class.  In this story writing lesson, students complete a project planning sheet, work together to create a story that includes a hero and at least two...

Students read the book Ta-Na-e-ka and identify the elements of plot in the story. In this plot lesson plan, students also create a journal response to the story.

Second graders read a short story and discuss whether they would give it a thumbs up or down and why. students write a group review on that story supporting why they gave it the up or down thumb. They choose and read a short story and...

Students write a fantasy story about travelling back in time to the period of the Oregon Trail. They conduct research and take notes about the Oregon Trail, and write a first and a final draft of their short story about their visit to...

Identifying themes in literature is the focus of the language arts lesson plan presented here. Learners read short pieces of fiction and practice the skill of identifying the themes present in each one. The bulk of the lesson consists of...

What better way to explain the concept of point of view than from an ant's perspective! After reading Two Bad Ants, pupils identify the point of view of the ants by studying the text and pictures. Then, they fill out a...

An engaging and unique instructional activity that combines literature and economics is here for you. In it, learners read the short story, "The Doghnuts" found in  the book Homer Price. Pupils define "capital resources," and...

What is a proverb? This is the leading question of this resource. First, explore proverbs and their meanings. Then, read aloud The Hidden Feast: A Folktale from the American South by Martha Hamilton and Mitch Weiss and partake...

Combine math, creative writing, and leprechauns in a fun St. Patrick's Day activity! Using a bag of gold coins and marshmallows, kids write a math story about a leprechaun that includes a multi-step equation to solve.

Use a Mad-Libs like activity to create modern poetry! Writers will identify different words and their parts of speech and study "The Red Wheelbarrow" by Williams Carlos Williams. Then, use the sheets attached to craft your own poem! An...

Everyone knows a tree makes a sound when it falls, but what do we know about dying trees? Class members learn background information about Laurel wilt disease from a teacher-led presentation. Team members work with partners to read and...

Robbers see a house from a different perspective than real estate agents. That's the big idea in a lesson about point of view. Groups assume the role of either robbers or real estate agents, note important details in a description of a...

Students retell the story The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. In this early childhood lesson plan, students identify the various trains featured in the story, focusing on the descriptive words. Students then create their own...

Eighth graders listen to a read aloud of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken." They examine the attributes of poetry focusing on stanzas, imagery, and punctuation. They participate in choral readings before completing the associated...

Students complete a variety of activities as they explore/review the letter 'o' and the short /o/ sound. They recite short /o/ tongue twisters, practice writing the letter 'o', and listen to stories, identifying words with the short /o/...

Students create story quilts. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read a book and create a paper quilt square to display illustrations and events from the text.

Students participate in a free reading project to improve their reading skills. In this reading project instructional activity, students spend 30 minutes reading each day and complete journal entries for the instructional activity....

First graders practice the short o and sh sound. In this phonics lesson, 1st graders listen to the stories Hot Pot: The Sound of Short O by Alice K. Flanagan and Shoes: The Sound of SH by Peg Ballard. They create word webs with...

Students examine how reading with expression makes stories more interesting by listening to a reading in monotone and one with expression. Reading in pairs, they practice with passages of Judith Voirst's, Alexander and the Terrible,...

Fourth graders read two books  In this compare and contrast lesson, 4th graders read a science fiction or fantasy story and compare it to the story, "Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library." Students also have the option to listen to...

Students read African folktales. In this literature lesson, students share prior knowledge about South Africa, Morocco, and Nigeria. Then students work in groups to read an assigned African folktale and answer response questions about...