Young scholars share their opinions in a brainstorming session on the factors that contribute to their quality of life. They read the article "Life Is Better; It Isn't Better. Which Is It?," from the NY Times and discuss the article as a...

Students listen to the story A Is For America and make predictions before reading and recall details after reading. In this America lesson plan, students listen to this story and learn important facts about America.

Young scholars examine the growing prevalence of processed sugar in the American diet, first through a demonstration that makes graphically clear the amount of sugar an average boy and girl consumes on a daily basis.

Students use a New York Times article about the first free election in Indonesia in over four decades as a tool for learning about the government and politics, economy, religion, international relations, and people of Indonesia in the...

First graders read the book Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. They consider when they have shared with someone or expressed caring. They write, illustrate and compile a fish book that tells of their caring and sharing experiences.

In this emergent reader activity, 1st graders trace the letters in each simple sentence and write a word that will finish them. They can use animal to finish each sentence which reads, "Come here," said the ... .

Ninth graders will speak and listen to explore, clarify, extend, and reflect on their thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences. They will be able to communicate information and ideas effectively and clearly, and to respond personally...

Fifth graders explore the positive and negative consequences of choosing to fight against discrimination. They read the story of Rosa Parks. Students discuss the movement against segregation. Students read other books about...

Students use books and an art activity to study the stages of a frog's life cycle. After listening to a book about frogs, students engage in a fun art activity. When finished, students work is displayed as a pond on the bulletin board.

Fourth graders read the book, Good Dog by Alexandra Day. In this writing instructional activity, 4th graders re-write the story from a chosen character's point of view. This instructional activity can be used with many other...

In this reading learning exercise, students respond to the book It Begins with an A by completing an activity card at home with a parent. Students cut out the 4 pictures and paste them in the correct space with the riddle clue. Example:...

Learners identify the moral in a fable. For this folktale lesson, students read an included book, Fish Tale, and identify the message in the book. Learners discuss what kind of lessons can be learned from reading this fable.

Students write a praise chorus and discover the composition of the Earth's crust.  For this Biblical creation and the Earth's crust lesson, students read a praise passage from Psalms and perform a choral reading.  Students...

Students use literature to examine how the structure of families in Mexico has changed over time. In groups, they examine how their life now relates to their ancestors and the Spanish conquest of the area. As a class, they are read...

Students read a story and retell it to the class by role-playing one of the characters. In groups, they use the correct facial expressions along with body language and voice to convince the others in their group that they are actually...

For this newspaper worksheet, students read about emotive language, then choose headlines that are most likely to excite a reader, re-write headlines, replacing words with more emotive words, and read a short article and answer 3 related...

This lesson asks young readers to predict what will happen to Harry Potter. While the question has been answered by the last book and film in the series, the concept and links provided by The New York Times’ Learning Network are...

Differentiate instruction with this crafty approach to demonstrating comprehension. Learners choose a fictional book at their reading level, and afterward create a quilt square. The square is "decorated" with words, illustrations, and...

Second graders explore the books in the Elizabeti Series. In this reading comprehension lesson, young readers discuss pre-reading focus questions about their feelings on the first day of school. They investigate the book and describe the...

What can young scientists discover from dissecting an owl pellet? Explore the owl food chain, beginning with an introduction to these predatory birds. Suggested strategies here include creating a podcast and purchasing a poster, however...

Students examine what daily life is like for children living in other countries around the world. They read different books in the "Maya's World" series of books by Maya Angelou, write and illustrate an original story about a child in...

Use drawings as inspiration. Have learners doodle for 10 minutes before beginning the lesson. Then, have them use their doodles to inspire a story. Several writing activities are included here to play with writing. One of my favorites...

Considering including Juliet Marillier's young adult novel, Wildwood Dancing as part of your language arts curriculum? Check out an overview that examines some of the themes and issues presented by the novel.