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 write essays to persuade their families to use a particular long-distance phone plan. They compare a 10-10 plan to a regular long-distance plan.

In this ESL writing activity, students choose one of ten story starters and write an essay on how to do something. No hints or procedures are provided.

Third graders are given an opportunity to create a visual to accompany their presentations of their persuasive essays. They may use the computer or other media as resources.

Who wouldn't want to create their own holiday? Use the 12 elements of a holiday to have learners of all ages create their own holiday. These days, it seems like we make any excuse for a holiday! Consider having some fun with your kids...

What can you contribute? Scholars read text to determine how ants contribute to the rainforest. First, they categorize and sort facts gathered from reading. Next, readers focus on specific terms in each paragraphs of the text Ants by...

Young writers choose a person from American history, their community, or their family to use as the subject of a persuasive essay. The process begins with a discussion of the characteristics of a hero, the completion of a prewriting web,...

For many emerging writers, essays are completed step-by-step. With the help of this instructional activity, learners will narrow down a topic, develop a thesis statement, develop a preliminary outline, conduct Internet research, and...

Students analyze what characteristics plagiarism can have in student writing.  In this writing lesson, students examine writing samples to identify the differences in papers that are plagiarized and not...

Feeling bored and unimpressed with word choice in your class? If so, consider this activity, which focuses on using specific and precise language. Pupils use highlighters, brainstorm independently and in small groups, and create a poster...

An informative worksheet invites learners to compose essays about animals. Some excellent writing prompts are included in this innovative worksheet. Use these ideas with a variety of grade levels.

Discuss the themes and events of Elizabeth George Speare's The Sign of the Beaver with a collection of journal topics. Each chapter contains two or three questions for kids to consider and write about, for a total of 24 questions.

Test understanding of "The Inn of Lost Time" by Lensey Namoika with an assessment that includes true/false, multiple choice, vocabulary, short answer, and essay questions. The test is not entirely traditional since, for the first 10...

Designed as the final project concluding a study of Mississippi Trial, 1955, readers select a character from Crowe's novel and craft a portfolio of six entries that reveal not only aspects of the character, but similarities between...

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...

This is not your ordinary farm! Using a case study, small groups study two proposed locations for a wind farm. After researching all the information about the sites, the groups choose a site. Each team member writes up the proposal...

How do humans affect ecosystems? Learners read two articles and interpret a graph to develop essays on the human impact on ecosystems. They read about human impact on tigers and manatees as a basis for their overarching papers.

In this writing prompt instructional activity, students are given a prompt and write about a time their parents made then do something they didn't want to do. Pages are lined for writing.

In this set of book review/comprehension worksheet on The House on Mango Street, students complete 8 worksheets about various aspects of the novel. Each worksheet consists of short answer questions and 1 essay writing assignment.

Students read a New York Times article in order to explore the use of handheld electronic devices in schools. They investigate, through surveys and essay-writing, the pros and cons of this technology.

Students consider works of art in their historical context. In this art in historical context lesson plan, students are encouraged to think about and record their prior knowledge of the historical period and to make inferences about the...

Learners practice combining sentences using the conjunction handout provided. They search magazines and newspapers to identify combined sentences that use conjunctions. Finally, these are rewritten again as two separate sentences.

Use this straightforward presentation as a basic guide to your grammar unit. With explanations of the parts of a simple sentence (subject, verb, direct object), the slideshow is a good way to reinforce students' prior knowledge about...

Students study the appropriate formats for giving examples in American discourse style. A ladder approach is used to demonstrate the concept. They write paragraphs about abstract concepts, such as beauty, wealth, and love, using methods...