The big idea in this poetry unit plan is that structure and content work together to create meaning. Class members learn how to identify and mark the metrical patterns and line lengths used in poems. They study the structure of various...

Who or what do you miss? That's the question that launches an activity that asks writers to craft a paragraph filled with sensory details that shows how they feel. Next, they listen to Richard Blanco reading his poem, "Translation for...

Today's discussion of The Autobiography of Malcolm X focuses on the precise words, the telling phrases, and the sensory details Haley uses to enliven his story. Writers then work to incorporate these same techniques in the draft of their...

The fourth instructional activity in this narrative writing unit focuses on how Leslie Marmon Silko uses telling details and sensory language in her "Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit" to bring alive the people of Laguna Pueblo and...

Sometimes, sensory details can bring you back to a familiar place. Study the setting descriptions from a critical chapter in Amy Tan's A Joy Luck Club, and discuss how they enhance the book's plot and contribute to a central theme.

Vivid quotes and strong sensory language compose Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, bringing the women to life as they navigate through issues surrounding identity and maternal relationships. Examine Waverly's relationship with her mother...

How does this sound? It's a rockin' video starring two teenage girls talking about music, hearing, and the ear. Listeners hear that the ear does not only gather sound waves, but also helps us maintain balance. They also will get an...

Fourth graders gather data and simulate a Mars spacecraft mission using multi-sensory observations.

Finger painting is fun, but finger painting with sounds is really fun. Finger painting is important for many reasons, it can help children develop a sense of creativity, foster social skills and emotional skills, it helps develop large...

Students make chocolate chip cookies. In this cooking lesson, students follow a recipe by doing each step in sequence.

Young scholars identify the slope of a line given two points on the line. In this algebra lesson, students solve linear equations by finding and comparing slopes of lines. They differentiate between the steepness of the slope and the line.

Learners write a short paragraph using strong descriptions.  In this using modifiers lesson, students define modifier, adjective, adverb, metaphor, and simile.  Learners then write a journal entry in which they write about a...

A world without adjectives would be a sad place indeed! Make sure adjectives stay around by teaching your class about what they are and how using them can make a boring story truly interesting. Learners put this idea into practice by...

To gain insight into the many different types of habitats, individuals must first get to know their own. Here, scholars explore their school environment, draw a map, compare and contrast their surroundings to larger ones. They then...

Alliteration and imagery are two vital parts of any well-written poem. Encourage your young poets to include these devices with a set of activities designed to get them thinking, writing, and creating.

Water is the source of life. It appears in poetry in both peaceful and torrential descriptions; it appears in earth science in its liquid, gaseous, and solid states. Combine these interpretations of our planet's most precious and...

Students explore 5 senses poetry.  In this poetry writing lesson, students visualize a special day and brainstorm related vivid adjectives and phrases.  Students create mindmaps of the five senses to go with their visualization...

Pairs of socks can be the same and they can be different. Use socks to emphasise the meanings of the words same and different. Your special ed class will examine each pair of socks you provide to determine if they are the same or...

Beauty is only skin deep, but knowledge goes deeper with this brief presentation! Three of the five slides are photos of a hand touching an object, one is a colorful graphic display of the epidermis and dermis, while another may be an...

Students go outside to the playground and write a piece in the style of beat poets based on what they see and hear outside.

Students examine the process of cooking a meal. In this cooking background lesson, students explore cooking utensils, recipes, songs, and literature. They go through stations that encourage dramatic play and hands-on exploration of...

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...

Car For sale! In this GED prep lesson, writers develop a classified advertisement to sell a car. After a discussion of precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language, sellers draft their ad for review, revision and...

Young readers travel back to the time of the dinosaurs in this literature unit based on the story Dinosaurs Before Dark. Intended for use with upper-elementary special education students, this resource provides reading...