Make real connections in literature and in life. While reading, class members fill out links for a chain, circling the connection type, noting the page number, and commenting on each one. When they've completed all the links, they cut...

Whip up some wind in your class with this blustery lesson plan about the Lake Turkana wind energy project. Pupils view a video clip about the pros and cons of using wind turbines to generate electricity. They read two articles and take...

A 10-lesson unit takes high schoolers through a novel study of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. To start, students learn about Fitzgerald's background and gain historical context that prepares them for a reading of the book. The...

Incorporate technology into a literature instructional activity with an innovative language arts instructional activity. Middle schoolers read an electronic version of original stories or fairy tales, and after determining the point...

What was Shakespeare's intent? That is the question at the heart of a summer assignment designed for AP English Literature. Class members focus on five scenes from The Tempest and compare the interactions of Prospero, Caliban,...

Learn the ins and outs of hurricanes through a series of lessons answering, "What is a hurricane? How does it travel? How is one formed, measured, and named?" Information is presented through informative text and images, while...

Scratching your head when it comes to engaging writing prompts? Check out a list of prompts designed for middle school classes, which includes topics for persuasive writing, expository writing, how-to essays, personal narratives, and...

America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a instructional activity that focuses on speeches...

Here's a resource that deserves a place in your curriculum library, whether or not your school has adopted the Common Core. Designed for middle and high school language arts classes, the packet is packed with teaching tips, materials,...

Wow! Here is a most-impressive series of lessons and activities that revolve around the classic story, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The purpose of the lessons are to provide an agricultural theme in the reading, writing, and science...

Brian Jacques’ novel Redwall provides the focus for a series of lessons involving the analysis of folklore. Adopting the persona of a character, groups write letters in the voice of their character, assemble a collage using Microsoft...

Five worksheets are included in this resource based on Norman Bridwell’s, Clifford and the Big Parade. Class members complete a vocabulary word search and a crossword puzzle, sequence the events in the story, answer eight comprehension...

Middle schoolers view a PowerPoint presentation in order to show the five jobs involved in a literature circle. The literature circle is to be used in the class for the reading of novels. A graphic organizer is also used to increase...

Study Cubism and Cubist art by examining a number of images with your students. They look at the relationship of Cubism to society architecture, and literature. Finally, they design a Cubist self-portrait using a variety of mediums after...

Looking for a new way to have your students complete book reports? Then, this lesson is for you! Young learners read literature of their choice and complete diorama, filmstrip maker, costume and letter, or puppet making activities...

Unsuspecting George McFlys are presented into the craft workings of the science fiction genre of literature. Speculations are developed through teacher-led dialogs about how science fiction impacts science, technology, and comments on...

Your students have mastered using textual evidence in literature, but what about using this skill in informational texts.  Uh oh! That is right—they are not the same thing. Darn the Common Core! See options on how to differentiate...

Students investigate and distinguish between primary and secondary sources when analyzing works of literature. They present their information on transparencies that are displayed to the class.

Students examine illuminated manuscripts from the Gutenberg Bible. Using the examples, they use the internet to explore the effects of the printing press on the value of literature and art. They create their own illuminated initial...

Fourth graders read the book "Teammate" after participating in pre-reading activities that include examining the concepts of segregation and discrimination. In this six week literature study, they make timelines, discuss what they know...

First graders engage in a literature study that helps them to focus on the concepts of goods and services. They describe the various skills people may need at home, school, and work. Students create a map of businesses found in the city.

Learn about the events that helped shape the United States of America. Elementary schoolers explore the Civil War with six different activities. Each activity has a different focus: literature connections, primary sources, vocabulary,...

Young geometers explore the concept of circumference and area of circles. They discuss what information is needed to find circumference and area. The resource employs several instructional methods: Frayer Model for Vocabulary, literature...

Second graders listen to the story Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard and James Marshall. In this literature lesson, 2nd graders predict the story's ending with drawings and discussions within groups.