Young writers identify the characteristics of a bat and write an essay about bats. They construct a book about bats that includes information that they have learned through print materials and online resources.

Third graders discover how to write diamante poems and review the parts of speech contained in them. After writing poems about their teacher, they create ones about themselves. The poems, assessed for creativity and handwriting, are then...

Students observe and identify the various types of clouds. They compare clouds to clouds on a chart, and in small groups compose and present a group poem about clouds and weather.

Learners create poems using selected newspaper headlines, magazines, on-line publications etc. They choose headlines and compose their poems using their selected material. They add punctuation, photos and/or drawings as desired.

Learners write a poem by choosing a word and then creating a poem out of the individual letters of their word. They brainstorm words for each letter of their poem then create it and publish it using a word processor.

Students compile a portfolio of poems.  For this poetry portfolio lesson, students work in groups to share poetry ideas.  Students write their own poems and create a portfolio of their practice poems, rough drafts, and final...

Sixth graders research famous poets. In this poetry lesson, 6th graders investigate poets and discover their famous literary works. Students conduct research using Internet resources and prepare a presentation.

Young scholars discuss elements of effective writing in small groups. They work together to critique individual and group writing focusing on including supporting details.

Elementary schoolers develop an awareness of the literary form known as the fable. They explore how authors write fables to pass along moral lessons. After reading and discussing many famous fables embedded in the plan, learners attempt...

The documentary, The Legendary King of San Miguel Island, introduces the fascinating tale of Herb Lester, his family, and their life on San Miguel Island. Viewers have an opportunity to expand their study of the island and of...

Students enrich their writing of an original scene by incorporating imagery, visual pictures and scenes painted in the readers mind by using one of their senses as a unique writing tool.

Young scholars read or listen to a story, and discuss how it relates to them. In this personal event writing activity, students write about recycling. Young scholars read "The Giving Tree" a Shel Silverstein poem and discuss the poem's...

Students explore how poems represent the social, historical, and cultural times that they were written in. In this poetry lesson plan, students compare and contrast poems with music of the time and explore implications of writing poems...

Second graders write a dinosaur poem using information from a research activity. In this dinosaur poetry and music lesson, 2nd graders listen to the book Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp in music class. They work in small groups to...

Students explore mountain formation. In this cross curriculum earth science and legend writing lesson, students listen to the poem "The Way to make Perfect Mountains" by Byrd Baylor and identify examples of vivid language used. Students...

Learners research basic information about owls. They complete a class KWL chart, and conduct research on owls using the Internet and a variety of resource books. Next, they write an owl acrostic poem and a report using their research...

Students listen carefully to a portion of the Poetry Out Loud CD. They focus on the tones the poet uses in his recitation of a poem. Then they map a poem of their own so that a classmate can read it using the tonal qualities intended...

In this spelling worksheet, students master their weekly spelling words by choosing activities from this spelling menu. Students examine the list of choices which each have points. By the end of the week, students need to have completed...

Students view photographs from the Civil Rights Movement and write an essay from the point of view of someone in the photograph. They artistically represent various aspects of the Movement.

Students recite the poem "Jack Be Nimble". In this poetry lesson, students read the poem and discuss other action words to use instead of jump. They rewrite the poem using their own name and a new action word. 

Students interact, answer questions, and extend the story plot. They write a Haiku or basic poetry with their words, name characters, create a new ending for a story, and write a new story with one of the characters.

Students write a poetic response to the Holocaust as a culminating activity to a unit on the Holocaust. They listen to and discuss a rap song about the Holocaust, complete various handouts, and write a poem for future generations.

Students create new words to convey their thoughts. They find, list and discuss the poetic devices used by the poet in creating his or her war poem and create their own war poems. They use sensory perception words and memory in...

Sixth graders explore their individual identities. In this personal identity lesson, 6th graders write biopoems using the provided template. Students share their poems and respond to the poetry shared.