Review the components of a well-written paragraph with your class. Be sure your writers include a topic sentence supported with main ideas and followed by a conclusion. Unity, coherence, and transition words are emphasized. Experiment...

Investigate national unity in a month-long lesson. After creating "I am from" poems, 5th graders will construct accordion flip books, listing and illustrating reasons for settlement. Choosing illustrations, essays, or Powerpoint...

Your class can construct a well-written paragraph. They utilize a sequential method which assists them in formulating a concise expository piece. The paragraph must contain a topic sentence, five supporting sentences, and a conclusion.

Students participate in a game that promotes group unity while spelling words with letter cards.  In this teamwork lesson, students have to work together to win the game, but may find it hard to do so without making a lot of...

Introduce S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders with a bell work journal that asks class members to define loyalty. Key words (patience, unity, honesty, caring, etc.), drawn from their musings, are posted around the room, and groups search for...

Students examine life in Pennsylvania during and after World War II. Using primary source documents, they compare the unity of the United States during World War II and the Iraq War. They also discover how citizens adapt to the war at home.

Fourth graders read a poem or short paragraph and have students picture it in their minds. They relate the topic to something in their experience and illustrate, 4th graders generate questions with a graphic organizer, use Prewriting2...

Students complete a variety of computer file pre-writing activities to help them prepare for writing a personal narrative. They focus on including a beginning, middle and end to their narrative. They make a class book.

Fourth graders participate in a virtual field trip to the San Diego Zoo and complete various computer lab excercises to expand their understanding.

Fourth graders complete a writing project and tutorial using word processing on a computer. They focus on voice, word choice, details, sentence variety, staying on topic, supporting details and connecting sentences. They edit, save and...

Fourth graders practice generating questions to text as a prewriting activity. They complete a computer file - Prewriting 1. They review their assignment and review how to search for a topic.

Eighth graders complete a computer file assignment - Petrochemical Technology. They use editing marks to proof and correct their work, save and print. They type a report, including illustrations, on the manufacturing of a petrochemical...

Learners can practice their reading strategies and comprehension skills with a sentence completion worksheet that comes with a detailed answer key. Whether you use the worksheet as an assessment or as a group or individual practice...

Students explore choreographic narrative. For this choreography lesson, students explore the elements of Appalachian Spring as they develop a series of written responses to assignments that challenge them to investigate the structure of...

Fifth graders write a speech.  In this history lesson, 5th graders define the word infamy and listen to a speech by FDR.  Students work in groups to summarize his speech and rewrite sections of the speech.

Mary Anne Evans, better known by her pen name George Eliot, wrote Silas Marner in 1861. While you're compiling materials for your Victorian unit, consider printing off these essay questions to help readers really explore the text. Some...

What is a paragraph? This question drives the PowerPoint. Viewers discuss important elements of a solid paragraph, transitions between paragraphs, and strategies for editing. Show this presentation and then look at an example...

Students gain appreciation for the work of Eric Carle. They speculate about a work of art, what materials, techniques and skills were used. They study Carle's work to determine how he did it and explore various water color techniques.

Learners study the history of Olympic emblems. In this Olympics instructional activity, students examine the Olympic designs and symbols used to represent different Olympic game years. Learners then collaborate to create Olympic emblems...

Fourth graders use a word processor document to refine and practice their grammar. They focus on subject and verb agreement and/or run-on sentences. The document can be used as assessment.

Fourth graders write a fictional narrative using the computer. They can use files to help them focus on including a beginning, middle and end, characters, setting and plot or planning a story by answering questions.

In this The Tempest worksheet, students answer 15 multiple choice questions on the plot, characters, and theme of Shakespeare's play.

Students create literature pyramids. They read selections of various societies, eras, and ideas. They complete two pyramid sheets for the same literary element including either plot, character, setting, or theme. They color-code their...

Students create a literature pyramid. They review and discuss their assessment task and rubric and select the literature for their pyramid. They read the literary selection and complete a pyramid sheet for one of the four literary...