Second graders survey a favorite story he/she has read or heard read aloud. They use the graphic organizer to draw illustrations that show the beginning, middle and end of the story. They tell the title of the story, whether it is...

Young scholars explore and practice the strategy of summarization and scaffolding while mastering how to recap the details from a story and/or singling out what is important to recall from a story. They summarize the book, "How the...

Students read a traditional story from India and discover how two people can see the event in different ways. Using their own experiences, they examine how each of their classmates is affected by them in how to read a situation. They...

Students explore folktales. In this folktale lesson, students listen to a story from another country and discuss the characters. Students retell the story using puppets and do coloring sheets. Students do a sequencing cut and paste...

First graders use question words to answer comprehension questions.  For this reading strategies lesson, 1st graders use picture cues and predict events in a story. Students use context clues to understand unfamiliar words....

Students analyze changes between winter and spring. In this seasonal changes lesson, students read the story "Spring is Here." They record changes between winter and spring on a large chart paper. Students compare and contrast the...

First graders explore human psychology by reading a book in class. In this friendship lesson plan, 1st graders identify the benefit of friends and strong relationships while reading the book The Rainbow Fish. Students analyze the images...

Students read folktales and identify the plot of the story by making a mobile. In this inventive and colorful lesson, students listen to a variety of famous folktales, and practice identifying the plot. Then, they work together to create...

Students trace their own family's migrations and history. They listen to the story, 'Blue ow.' They design a plate which is shared at an open house.

Second graders practice asking the 5 W questions by reading a Boxcar Children book.  For this journalism lesson, 2nd graders read a single story from the Boxcar Children series and answer the 5 W's about each specific chapter....

Fifth graders are introduced to opera, its vocabulary, definitions and are given an opportunity to listen to an opera sung by children. They identify phrases and events in the story, "The Emperor's New Clothes." Each student creates a...

Students complete activities to analyze points of view in different texts. In this point of view lesson plan, students read Hansel and Gretel and The Magic Circle and discuss the points of view. Students choose a character from the story...

Students develop a flow chart using computer software to show a food chain combination.  In this food chain lesson, students are first read The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, then they create a story map of the story.  Next,...

Eighth graders read and discuss the Haitian folktale, "Owl." They compare it to the story, "Brer Possum's Dilemma," using a Venn diagram to show how they are different and alike. In groups, they retell the story in a skit format.

Students listen to the story The Contest between the Sun and the Wind.  In this Sun and Wind story students answer comprehension questions and retell the story through role playing with character puppets.  Students create paper...

Students dramatize the story, Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. In this readers theatre lesson, students read the story and then dramatize the events during readers theatre. There is an included script.

First graders identify and discuss the characteristics of a good friend. They read the book "Just My Friend" by Mercer Mayer, and watch the videos "My Wet Pet" and "The Berenstein Bears: Road Race." Students identify the friend...

Fifth graders read and analyze the books "Snow White in New York" and "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughter." They analyze the characteristics of the characters in each story, write thoughts of characters in speech bubbles, and write a letter to...

Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...

First graders read a book with the teacher while encountering unfamiliar words and learning how to use context clues and visual clues to understand the material.  For this reading comprehension lesson, 1st graders...

Students make kites from patterns. They write haiku poetry. They listen to stories about kite festivals in different countries.

Students complete a variety of activities related to the Jan Brett version of the book "The Gingerbread Man." They compare and contrast two versions of the story, prepare and eat gingerbread cookies, describe their gingerbread man...

Students understand the meaning of alliteration. In this alliteration lesson, students write sentences using alliteration and recognize how it changes the writing in a story.

Mitch Weiss and Martha Hamilton's Rooster's Night Out, a retelling of a classic Cuba folktale, launches a cross-curricular study of Cuban cultural traditions. Class members draw the characters from the book, participate in math and...