Sixth graders write multiple pieces and create a writing portfolio each marking period.  In this writing lesson, 6th graders spend several weeks developing each piece of writing, conference with their parents at home, and decide...

After completing an essay on the American dream, learners revisit their thesis statements. To remind your class what a good thesis statement should look like, show them the rap video, and flip through the PowerPoint presentation. Then...

Students examine how a hook grabs the readers attention. They read an example of a hook from the book "Charlotte's Web," and discuss the process of writing a hook. Students listen to the story "Hey Al," identify the hooks in the story,...

Students read the story I Know a Lady by Charlotte Zolotow. They discuss the details from the story. Students draw an illustration of what they expect their Thanksgiving dinner table will look like. They list details that describe their...

Students work together to brainstorm using a software program. Individually, they decide on a topic to write about and begin their pre-writing activities. They write about their topic using the pictures they previously drew and...

Learners listen to a story, "My Mama Had A Dancing Heart." They discuss the feeling they had after reading the story and define "mood." Students brainstorm a list of moods and discuss the mood of each character. Afterward, they write a...

Students listen to a read aloud of Kevin Henkes, Owen, while listening for the beginning, middle, and end. They listen as the teacher describes the need for story organization and write down the story sequence. Finally, they create a...

Fifth graders explore and examine the book, "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs," by Jan Scieszka. They assess that an author's voice and individual style is an important part of keeping a person interested in a story. Each student,...

Students, after brainstorming what the concept of idioms are, listen for idioms while the book, "Chocolate Moose for Dinner," is read to them out loud by the teacher. They then write a short narrative incorporating at least one idiom...

Fifth graders listen as the teacher reads "Voices in the Park." They discuss the character's feelings and write vivid descriptive words to indicate how the character feels about his experience. Students select one character in the story...

Students read "Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge" to explore the flow of ideas. They record events different character of characters in the story. Students write a story, concentrating mainly on the flow of ideas from event to event or...

Students explore and study the literary genre of internal conflict while reading the book, "Stellaluna," by Janelle Cannon. They discuss the main character and make a chart of different situations where the main character experienced...

Students analyze a poem set in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and defend their own interpretations of the work. They demonstrate understanding of poetic technique by writing their own poems of living on the border.

Introduce your young readers to the book review. Groups of writers practice the basic steps of writing a book report and complete an Accordion-Book Summary activity. The lesson includes book report basics and directions to make...

High schoolers examine the spoken work poetry of Abiodun Oyewole. They discuss the West African Griot tradition, listen to spoken word poetry, write and perform a poem, and watch a video excerpt of a poetry workshop.

Students research the surrealism movement and its primary artists. Language is also analyzed, and students will create their own original poem utilizing surrealistic techniques.

Elementary students explore African American culture by reading children's poetry. They read the book, The Palm of My Heart which features poetry by an assortment of young African American boys and girls. Students define several...

Students practice writing surprise endings to their short stories. After listening to the beginning of a short story, students make predictions about the story's surprise ending. They write their own short story with a surprise ending...

Seventh graders practice the skill of writing a personal narrative. They bring in an object that is related to themselves. Then students discuss the importance of the items and then write a personal narrative about the objects. As an...

Students read the book "Tight Times." They discuss what they believe a mood is. Students write a list of moods the characters in the book feel. They tell reasons for the moods that were selected. Students discuss similar and different...

Students use information from a variety of media to evaluate different artists' views on the human relationship to nature. From these sources, class discussion, and personal experience, students will synthesize a thoughtful,...

Students read excerpts from Annie Dillard's memoir, "An American Childhood," with the teacher. They experience opportunities to connect English, science, nature and art together from a new and unique perspective. This approach serves as...

Students in a teacher education program write their own children's book. Using books already written, they review age appropriate for their grade level placement. They write their own story and illustrate it using various software...

Seventh graders engage in a study of adjectives using the story "Clara The Caterpillar". They read the story and take notes while listing the adjectives that are in the story. Students then use the adjectives to write their own story or...