Help readers understand the roles of authors and illustrators and why they have been recognized by medals of excellence. Your class will discuss and then create illustrations for a book. When they have finished, you can hold your own...

Every child is an author with this engaging reading activity. First the class reviews the various parts of a book such as the title, author, dedication, and author-biography. Then each individual will choose a story of their...

Students analyze the components of a book to use it as a model for the creation of their own book. The title, author, illustrator, front cover, back cover, dedication page, and author are examined in this lesson.

Create meaningful illustrations to accompany stories in a web-based art and literacy lesson focused on "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling. The class takes a virtual art safari with the Museum of Modern Art and then discusses how...

What a lovely way to incorporate artwork into your language arts lesson. View artwork in illustrated manuscript pages, depicting insects, animals, plants, flowers, and ornate writing in the Getty Museum. Practice using figurative...

Students create their own illustrated book. In this illustration instructional activity, students review books given the Caldecott award. They create their own illustrations for a book and digitally scan them to a computer to make their...

In these book cover illustration worksheets, students fill in the title, author, and illustrator. Students then draw a picture of the cover of their book and explain what they like about it. Students then illustrate a new cover and then...

In this excellent music and history lesson, 1st graders watch movies and listen to music sung by Elvis Presley, then draw and write as if they were a famous singer. This entertaining and inventive lesson has a terrific assessment...

Students complete a craft project.  In this Mother's Day lesson, students learn about Mother's Day around the world, write an essay about their mother, create a Mother's Day card, create coupons for meaningful time with their...

Learners participate in a variety of emergent and early-literacy activities based on a "friendship" theme. Learners listen to the book Do You Want to Be My Friend by Eric Carle, then echo read, choral read, and independently read...

Art, music, poetry, and the beauty of the seasons is what you'll find in this very nice unit idea. You can use any of the suggested books and activities to engage your second graders in an exploration of the changes that take place...

Explore children's literature by researching a book and it's author. Youngsters read the story The Mitten by Jan Brett and discuss the animals and characters mentioned in the story. Then, they practice retelling their favorite portion of...

Students create a mixed media collage. In this visual arts instructional activity, students look at the work of Jane Ash Poitras. They create their own collage that shows their personal and collective history and experiences. 

Fourth graders explore storytelling by reading a classic story. In this vocabulary identification lesson, 4th graders read the story The Emperor and the Kite and define the different vocabulary terms that appear in the story. Students...

Young scholars explore kamishibai stories, Japanese stories told through illustrated picture cards, and become familiar with their form. Afterward, they develop their own illustrated kamishibai story. Students discuss the process of...

Students read and illustrate silly sentences.  In this sentence structure lesson, students draw illustrations to reflect the parts of one of the silly sentences.  Students pictures should show all the parts of their...

Learners write a story about an animal using rhyme. In this literacy lesson plan, the teacher shares different versions of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" with the class and that becomes the basis for the creation of a picture and story for...

Students practice number sense with the book Cool Cats Counting by Sherry Shahan.  In this number lesson, students listen to the book and count from 1-10 in English and Spanish. They practice their alphabet, rhyming words, and...

Learners investigate animals that hatch from eggs. For this hatching animals lesson plan, students investigate which animals are born alive and which hatch from eggs. Learners read It Started As An Egg and practice reading comprehension...

In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students use the book "The Magic Pot," to explore many concepts including; story elements, sequencing, and phonics. Students also practice making doubles using coins and "magic pots."...

Learners complete activities with the story The Three Billy Goats Gruff.  In this literature lesson, students listen to the story and then participate in shared reading. This lesson offers three extensions which link the story to...

Students canvass the important elements of art in the seven lessons of this unit. Story structure and in particular, color is perceived as essential to the development of the idea of a picture.

Students read Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the life of the 20th century composer. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and...

Students explore the relationship between the form of books and the content inside. In this book exploration instructional activity, students use a piece of their creative writing as inspiration; they author a written book and design a...