Looking for a great lesson on how to write a biography? Here, middle schoolers draw from magazine articles, novels, historical figures, and current events to choose a person, or character to write about in a biography. They follow a...

Misplaced modifiers can alter the meaning of a sentence, and take away from a writer's intended message. Use the reference sheet and activity to show middle schoolers how to edit confusing sentences with misplaced modifiers. A great...

Expository writing is the focus of the language arts lesson presented here. In it, young writers review what expository writing is through a class discussion and teacher demonstration. Then, learners write expository text that describes...

Growing writers explore what it takes to develop and support a thesis statement with pre-fabricated ideas provided by the Virginia Department of Education. Learners take notes on what makes a thesis statement and a topic sentence, and...

A strong essay eliminates weak or unnecessary material. Determining what information contributes to an essay and what information should be deleted is a skill readers and writers of informational text must develop. Class members practice...

To celebrate National Poetry Month, young writers focus on the role letter writing has played in the development of poets. They begin by journaling three to five associations to a writing prompt that requires them to identify their...

In a fun and informative simulation, your learners will act in groups as lead chefs, menu writers, and nutrition inspectors in deciding a new school lunch menu. They will then compare and contrast their experience to the interaction...

Young writers complete a timed persuasive writing assignment in which they argue for a club they would like to see established at school, and are then provided with real student samples of responses. 

As part of their reading of Michael Morpurgo's novel Kensuke's Kingdom, young castaways create diary entries describing their own time left alone on an island.

"I don't know what to write about!" How often have you heard that lament? Here's a list of 10 prompts that provide a starting place for suspense stories.

This, the fourth in a series of ten poetry writing activities, asks young poets to craft couplets.

Whether you are teaching mainstream, advanced, or intervention language arts classes, you will find something helpful in a thorough writing packet. It includes prompts, rubrics, responses, helpful hints, graphic organizers, and many...

Muhammad Ali was the greatest, as he'd tell you himself. A set of reading comprehension worksheets walks through parts of Ali's life and promotes individuals to become good readers and writers.

Need some ideas for poetry lessons? Check out this packet loaded with suggestions for elementary, middle, and high school writers.

Love is in the air! Young learners use the provided worksheet to identify someone they like, explain why, and then create an illustration to accompany their Valentine's Day tribute.

Middle schoolers describe the characters of Walk Two Moons as they write biopoems. Following the pattern provided, young writers depict their chosen characters' traits and experiences to make their poems unique.

Encourage your young writers to thoughtfully plan and organize their work. First, model how this is done and vocalize your thought process as you work. Next, create a class list of strategies that they can use during independent writing...

The fourth activity in a unit on crafting a research paper focuses on cohesion within and between paragraphs. Class members examine models that lack cohesion and ones that are cohesive and logically developed before using what they have...

In this English worksheet, students choose a word to fit the tone. Students choose a word from multiple choices that describe the tone of the writer of a short passage.

In this writing worksheet, students read a quote by Isaac Singer which says, "The wastebasket is a writer's best friend." Students explain what this means to them and how they view the writing process.

In this discourse markers and colloquial expressions worksheet, students identify the writers and artists in the box and match them to the colloquial phrases listed. Students also choose a subject from the provided list to organize a...

Learners read slave narratives. In this Federal Writers' Project instructional activity, students explore slave narratives to discover details regarding legal status, roles of slaves, religion, family, and treatment of slaves. 

Students examine American humor and character through analysis of works by Mark Twain. In this cross curricular lesson, students develop a definition of American humor and determine how and why some consider Twain the 'first truly...

Students explore current events by completing a list of worksheet activities. In this William Shakespeare lesson plan, students identify a resident of China who wishes to undergo plastic surgery to give himself the face of William...