Looking for a way to bring prewriting into your informative writing unit? Use this lesson to reinforce writing skills in your eighth grade language arts class. Young writers use a web graphic organizer as a prewriting tool for expository...

Aesop’s Fables offer young learners an opportunity to study figurative language. After reviewing theme, simile, alliteration, and metaphor, model for your pupils how to identify examples of these devices in the fable. Class members then...

Students research the life of Friedrich Durrenmatt, a German playwright. They listen to a reading of his play "Die Physiker", define key vocabulary from the play and participate in a class discussion about important sections of the play.

A reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech launches a study of rhetorical devices such as hyperbole, allusion, metaphor, simile, personification, connotative language and parallel structure. Class members then...

Students conduct research in order to use primary and secondary sources. They interpret and analyze information from textbooks and nonfiction books for young adults, as well as reference materials, audio and media presentations, oral...

Students explore storytelling by participating in an image analysis activity. In this story structure instructional activity, students read the book Cookie's Week by Tomie dePaola and retell the story to their teacher in sequential...

Get your class up and moving as they explore how to express movement and dance through words. Designed around two poems by Lillian Morrison about break dancing, the activity truly captures the creative and multi-sensory aspects of...

This lesson, which promises to improve the essays of your middle schoolers, contains a list of characteristics an essay should include. It breaks it down into the introduction, thesis statement, body, etc. There's also a list of things...

Fifth through eighth graders engage in a instructional activity in which they study working class people during the Great Depression. They work to develop an understanding of the economic developments in Arkansas during the 1930's....

Seeing how seeds grow into plants is such an enjoyable for learners! They plant lima bean seeds and take pictures to record the growth of their plants. Students write in a journal to describe their daily observations of their plants, and...

Students practice reading a Reader's Digest in French. In groups, they identify new vocabulary and practice prouncing the words. They complete a worksheet in which they practice writing complete sentences. They are graded on a rubric...

Students in a teacher education program write their own children's book. Using books already written, they review age appropriate for their grade level placement. They write their own story and illustrate it using various software...

Fourth graders write persuasive letters. In this letter writing lesson, 4th graders read Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye and discuss their areas or topics of concern. Students select a person to write a letter to and how they...

Students prepare an ad for an element, including properties and uses, in an attention getting format such as that used in the advertising business.

Prior to this lesson, 5th graders will have collected notes from several sources. Students extend their note taking to include at least one example each of summarizing and paraphrasing. They record bibliographic information for each...

Students write a children's story in which the characters are encouraged to speak out for the equality of women. They create a character and plot outline that includes details and supporting statements for women's rights. A brief 2-3...

The teacher models a Picture Walk by using a "think aloud" method while reading a picture book to the class. On the second day, 3rd graders use a worksheet as a guide for a second picture walk. This time, students complete the "think...

Sixth graders explore notetaking procedures. In this study skills instructional activity, 6th graders use text organizers to categorize information.  Students select textbook sections and write headings, subheadings, and summary...

Students work in groups to interpret weather maps. They use latitude and longitude readings to complete a worksheet together and turn in the worksheet along with the maps and a rubric.

Comparing two texts can build a greater understanding of the texts and themes of the works. Take some time to follow the steps here to guide your pupils through the process of composing compare-and-contrast essays.

Fifth graders reflect upon different concepts of Language Arts while reading literature. In the novel Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt, the characters discover a spring of eternal youth. After reading the first several chapters of...

Fourth graders perform research on an animal of choice. The reading of a novel is done prior to the research in order to establish context for the lesson. The use of the library for research is a key skill for this lesson.

Students study plants in the rainforest. They complete a variety of activities surrounding the subject of chocolate. They create new candy bars, invent learning games and write poetry--all focusing on chocolate.