Read an article about the migration of our ancestors and write a paragraph. Pupils paraphrase and summarize to restate the information found in a nonfiction text. They write a shortened version of the reading to demonstrate the...

Turn your passive readers into active readers with an engaging lesson on reading informational text. Focused on compare and contrast structured essays, the activity prompts elementary learners to jot down questions and think-aloud...

Students review silent reading techniques as well as summarization. They read copies of "Forest Life" silently and complete a story web to organize the main points of the story. They then use use the points to write a brief paragraph to...

Young scholars investigate the elements found in a media image. The image is used to compose a descriptive paragraph. They exchange papers to discuss the writing and make changes using constructive criticism. Students also make...

Third graders identify the main ideas illustrated in the story "Dancing Rainbows." They identify details from the story that show respect toward self and others. Students write a paragraph to illustrate how the Tewa Indians show respect....

Pupils identify heroic character traits that they admire and that inspire trust and result in service to others. They identify the heroic traits of a character of their choosing and defend their reasoning using evidence from the text and...

Learners discuss what makes their drinking water safe and unsafe. They locate and visit a local tributary and test the water's pH, hardness, dissolved oxygen, and total alkalinity. They compose a summary paragraph about the tests and...

Students discuss the character traits of George Washington. In this George Washington lesson, students read A Picture Book of George Washington, discuss the book, and complete worksheet activities about Washington's self-discipline and...

Spice up your writing! Your amateur writers will benefit from concentrating on understanding and improving verb use in writing. An introductory activity addresses weak verbs. A second exercise helps them see the importance of strong...

Sixth graders are introduced to the jigsaw method of summarizing text. In groups, they create their own summary and work together as a class to create just one class summary. To end the lesson, they read the class summary and review the...

Third graders will be able to cut and paste from Internet into a word document with 100 percent accuracy. They use their research to write a 1-2 paragraph paper about their animal with 90 percent accuracy.

Pupils compare and contrast a website layout and the layout of a Greek theatre. In this Greek theatre lesson, students research the Greek theatre and produce a bulleted list of five facts about the Greek theatre. Pupils complete a...

Eighth graders identify the main idea and supporting details in paragraphs. In this language arts instructional activity, 8th graders review organizational patterns in paragraphs and determine which pattern is best for a given situation....

Students work in groups to paraphrase an article.  In this paraphrasing lesson, each group is assigned a paragraph to paraphrase in one sentence.  Other groups critique the sentences to make sure each is effective. ...

Eighth graders explore the writing process. They respond to the prompt "if I had a million dollars I would..." Students brainstorm ideas they could write about and they use the writing check list as they write.

Students research Internet sites for lighthouses. In this lighthouses lesson, students learn facts about lighthouses in the United States. Students complete a related worksheet and share their information with the class.

Students investigate the history of America with the help of children's literature. The story is structured as a timeline that begins at the time of Columbus and progresses to the present. The teacher reads the story with the class and...

Young scholars explore the concept of response writing. In this writing lesson, Oreo cookies are used as motivational tool and writing prompt. Students develop a summary of the events that took place when the Oreos were given out.

Students locate the parts of a book and respond to a read aloud of that book. In this literacy activity, students participate in an interactive read aloud of Nadia's Hands in which they locate the cover and title of the book. They...

Young learners examine how different traits could give one organism an advantage over another. In groups, they view two different organisms in different environments. To end the lesson, they complete a Venn Diagram on the two organisms...

Third graders summarize information.  In this Hall of Fame lesson, 3rd graders gather information on inductees and paraphrase the information.  Students use this to create decorate and create a sample plaque.  

Eleventh graders examine the role of historians.  In this American History lesson plan, 11th graders analyze document based questions.  Students write a summary of these documents. 

Students explore the topic of summarizing. They read the book, Dolphins at Daybreak, to practice summarizing. They determine what information is important and choose sentences to summarize the passages they read. They write a summary...

Designed for third graders but appropriate for older learners as well, this packet of materials underscores the necessity of teaching kids how to summarize, how to identify main ideas and supporting details, and how to ask questions...