Though this presentation is designed for the Texas Academic Skills Program's (TASP) writing assessment, it could work for any class that is preparing to write a five-paragraph persuasive essay. Slides take intermediate writers through...

Introduce youngsters to the purposeful way in which they can use music. After listening to a circus song and view circus pictures, they hear sounds that introduce, create suspense, and set a tone. This is a good introduction for younger...

Kids age 13 and older are asked to read the provided Times article and background information in order to construct a thoughtful blog response to Obama's first Oval Office speech. They work to address each of the related critical...

Given the two-sentence skeleton of a news story about a car theft/joy ride, budding writers create their own version of the story varying diction and sentence structure to heighten interest and complexity in their writing. Resource...

What is the purpose of adverbial phrases? Find out what questions adverbial phrases answer with a worksheet that focuses on grammar. As kids work through 16 sentences, they underline the phrases and use the space provided to mark what...

Work on adverbs and adverbial phrases with a grammar worksheet. After reading 15 sentences with adverbs, learners circle the adverbs and adverbial phrases and note what question they are answering (when, how, where, and how much).

Show your class a colorful and eye-catching overview of Nathaniel Hawthorne's life. His somewhat dark and tragic works make more sense once the reader is enlightened as to his history and habits. This brief but intriguing presentation...

Robert Coles’ The Story of Ruby Bridges forms the basis of this powerful cross-curricular study of civic education and civic responsibility. Class members consider how the book presents authority, responsibility, justice, and privacy.....

Looking to teach your high schoolers how to write a resume? A strong plan for doing so is detailed here. Class members examine a poorly written example and then create their own original resumes using an organizer and Word template. Once...

Create tomatoes in 15-20 minutes using this fun and interactive lesson plan! Learners listen to a book about tomatoes (recommendations listed), and focus on the vocabulary word tomato. They count the syllables...

Sound it out, read it, then sound it out, and write it. Little ones work as a class to sound out simple words. After they have sounded out each word they will write that word on the white board. This is a great way to build a connection...

Having a diverse and well-developed vocabulary make for both good readers and good writers. The class discusses basic grammar, such as nouns, verb, and adjectives. They then view a series of pictures and work as a class to create simple...

In his article about color-blind casting entitled, "Willy Loman Is Lost, Still Looking for Stimulus Plan and Some Dignity," Charles Isherwood quotes August Wilson as saying,  "To mount an all-black production of a 'Death of a...

Context clues can be used to determine the meaning of unfamiliar works; likewise, they can be used to determine the correct answer on a sentence completion exercise. Using context clues is just one of the many strategies detailed in the...

Here's another sentence completion worksheet that will provide your learners with additional vocabulary practice or SAT test prep. A detailed answer key is included so learners could work alone or in groups to study the strategies...

Connect these rhyming images. There are two sets of six familiar pictures here, and scholars draw a line from the left objects to their rhyming partners on the right. The images may be difficult for learners to identify, so be sure this...

Can you tell which words rhyme? Choose a body part as a starting word (i.e. head) and begin saying words to see if learners can identify those that rhyme. Does red rhyme with head? Continue giving examples, some...

As scholars are learning about letter sound correspondence use this activity to help them with the /u/ sound. Learners examine a large u on the board, identifying it if they can. They listen to you make its sound, explaining to...

After reading an informational text detailing the ins and outs of snowflakes, scholars draw their own special design then work cooperatively to role play a snowman building scenario. 

What happens next? Work on story sequence with a lesson that prompts kids to put a story back in order. Additionally, they discuss what would happen if one event was missing from the sequence.

A little bit complicated, but a whole lot of fun. Show your class an episode of the British television game show Just a Minute. After an explanation of the rules (no repetition, hesitation, or deviation) groups develop topics, based on...

Dive into classical Chinese literature with this packet. Provided first is a comprehensive summary and a half-page long historical context of Water Margin. As your class reads the section entitled "Wu Sung Fights the Tiger," pose the...

Practicing and working with -ing words will send your pupils on the road to mastery! Learners complete seven sentences with by writing in the correct -ing words. A word bank is provided to support students.

Give a voice to even the most quiet learners! Post discussion questions in different locations (on the whiteboard or around the room on posters). Class members then either answer a question posed or comment on a peer's response. Instead...