Play with words and word meanings involving the suffix -er. After reading a sample list of words, young readers look up each one in the dictionary to decide which words refer to people, animals, or objects, or have three or more...

Students examine and discuss the basic elements of a newspaper article. They listen to articles, discuss the 'inverted pyramid' style of a breaking news article, and list imaginary current events based on mythological characters.

Students recall and use previous knowledge of the library's reference and nonfiction sections. Also they utilize various forms of reference (encyclopedias & dictionaries) and nonfiction books.

How did the world react to Austria's declaration of war? This activity, guided by the McDougall Littell text, World History, has historians examining the beginnings of WWI through cause and effect analysis. Groups reference the text as...

What information would you find in an almanac that you would not find in an atlas? What is the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus? Using a Cite Your Sites worksheet on which they record their observations, groups participate...

Fifth graders brainstorm a list of holidays celebrated by a majority of people in the United States. They each select an American holiday from the list as well as another country that may have a holiday that is similar. Next, they...

Students brainstorm and discuss essential traits for success. They develop a group list that displays essential traits of the successful classroom and journal about the experience.

Sixth graders write example paragraphs. The term "example paragraph" refers to a paragraph where the supporting sentences provide examples of the subject/idea described in the topic sentence. Students write a basic example paragraph...

Explore the solar system with this lesson. Learners create a model of the solar system using toilet paper. With this creative approach, learners create a solar system according to distance and scale parameters, and write down a list of...

Engaged in a read aloud, kids use the story to define new vocabulary words, raising their hands when they hear new words in the story. Additionally, individuals refer to the text to show how the word was used in context....

Translate transition words for your class with this handout and brief exercise. Fairly straightforward and informative, it includes sample sentences and a working link to a more complete list of transition words. There are two different...

A list of 95 nouns provides a great example to define nouns for your class. They can keep this at their desks for reference. Also, you can cut the list into strips to keep in a "noun jar," or have kids circle their favorite ones! This...

Choosing words from a provided list, learners use context clues to fill in each blank on this online, interactive vocabulary activity. Class members receive immediate feedback when they click submit. Consider this list as part of a unit...

If you are interested in practicing Latin word roots in your class, consider this resource. Focusing particularly on the roots fin, sed, and fer, these brief fill-in-the-blank activities provide a word bank for reference. Learners look...

Explore word roots with this online resource. Learners fill in twelve blanks using a provided word bank and context clues. Since this is an online resource, participants can receive immediate feedback for their responses. You might use...

Despite the formal nature of academic writing, personal pronouns frequently appear in high school and college papers. While your first instinct may be to cross them out, sometimes it's okay to use them, an idea covered in a handout that...

Learners view a list of careers and choose one to research.  They discuss each career, gather information, and list their resources, and they should compile. They write a flyer about their career and print it.

Cover Latin roots, antonyms, and synonyms with this online resource. Learners have a word list to refer to as they fill in an antonym and synonym for each of six words. They will need to have some instruction in these vocabulary words...

Scholars read books and discuss emotions that lead up to the American Revolution. They also discuss vocabulary and use reference materials to research the Internet for causes and sentiment that led to the American Revolution.

Students are given the United States Constitution, students generate a list on the board of Grandpa's constitutional rights that might help him keep his home and property. Students become "experts," by reading and group discussion, on...

Students list the qualities of a good leader as well as the various roles of group members. They discuss how good leaders help make the group more successful and identify people in their community who are good leaders. Students offer...

Students practice appropriate behavior during a mock job interview. In this interview skills instructional activity, students identify a career using the given websites. Students answer questions in preparation for the job interview and...

Learners dissect and build words from parts like prefixes, base words, suffixes, and inflectional endings. Etymology skills help us find the meanings of words by identifying the different parts that constitute them. Class members use...

Looking for a vocabulary list and activity? This online exercise, which provides instant feedback, asks participants to match a list of words with their definitions using a drop-down menu for each word. This could work as a review or...