Third graders read three to five genres and choose one as a favorite. They write an essay persuading the class to read the genre. This lesson serves as a nice introduction to different styles of literature.

The Clotilde was the last known ship to bring slaves from Africa to the United States - good riddance! Dive into the details of the ship, its cargo, origin, and route, and learn about the future of the Africans on board...

High schoolers research and American author and nominate them for an award. They determine significant accomplishments of their author's career and life. They access the Biography Resource Center and research their author.

Learners explore California's authors and their lives. In this author study, students research different authors from California. They create podcasts about their authors, walking the audience through the author's life and points of...

Young scholars investigate the historical person of Alexander The Great. They view a video in order to create the context for the instructional activity. They read some biographies and conduct research using a variety of resources. Then...

If you're looking for a way to structure your unit on Jack London's White Fang, use a well-organized guide to bring the intrigue of the novel to your middle school classroom. Covering a biography of the author, main background and...

Students collaborate to create a children's book. In this visual arts lesson, student study the components and procedures that go into making a children's book including the shape, size. layout, biographical information about the author,...

If you teach AP English language and composition and are looking for a way to address the differences between written and spoken arguments, consider this instructional activity. Over the course of three days, class members research...

Twelfth graders read the short story The Lesson. They research the socio-economic and cultural context of the story and author. They examine the author's point of view. They analyze the first person narration in the story. They rewrite...

Learners read Spelldown, by Becky Mushko and consider how it portrays the Appalachian community. They define and discuss vocabulary presented in the story and write a comparison/contrast paper analyzing two of the story's characters. The...

Ask not what the lesson here can do for you, but what you can do with the lesson. The answer is quite a lot! Young scholars revisit JFK's famous inaugural address with a focus on his plea for civic engagement. There's a...

Fifth graders write a poem that relates to your person. They make a poster advertising your book/person. Students find a website that relates to your book/person, print out the information and be prepared to share it with class.

Students recognize heroic authors and illustrators and create their own comic strips. In this language arts lesson plan, students examine characteristics of heroes and work in groups to create their own comic strips and hero books.

Students develop a list of famous people and choose an individual from the list. They create a web design for notes. They research their individual and add information to their bibliography. They finish by writing a report on the person.

Students read Miss Spider's New Car by David Kirk. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of spiders. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections.

Students use the Internet to access information about author Kevin Henkes and his many books. They read interviews, explore book-related mazes, recipes and activities and complete coloring pages, etc.

Fourth graders research, analyze and complete a writing project on the history of Virginia. They are assigned a famous Virginian to research utilizing a variety of resources and then prepare a written report and an oral presentation to...

Use the class textbook to read a full story about Martin Luther King, Jr. The class writes facts about him and outlines his life, then they read the author and illustrator summaries at the end of the story. They compare and contrast the...

Students read Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the life of Abraham Lincoln, including, but not limited to, the Civil War. Included are reading, art, math,...

Students discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times.  For this Louisa May Alcott lesson, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the abolitionist movement, relating...

Students, who are adult learners, participate in an Internet scavenger hunt in order to assimilate information about the biography of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist Papers. They look at the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers...

Students watch and respond to a Bill Moyers Now video on the Chilean author, Isabel Allende. They brainstorm a list of recent events that might inspire writers and choose one to write about in poetic, diary, or short story form.

Young scholars reflect on the value of graveyards as places of great historical importance and information. They create an epitaph for and a brief biography of a deceased historical figure whom they admire.

Students explore aspects of Asian-American culture.  In this lesson plan, students use the internet to research American history and the Asian American experience, complete Asian inspired art and read a biography. This lesson...