Whitewater Valley Railroad
Teaching and Learning with The Polar Express
Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take their...
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Autobiography
In this autobiography form worksheet, students complete a book analysis for an autobiographical book. Students must know the title, author, and difference between a biography and autobiography. Students must be able to answer several...
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Mark Twain, Volume 1
Learners read and answer questions about the life of Mark Twain. In this biography activity, students read about the life and work of Mark Twain. Learners complete a worksheet about the reading.
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E.B. White
In this biography worksheet, students read a short passage detailing the life of author E.B. White. Students then answer 6 questions about the passage they have read.
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Judging a Book by Its Cover
Students explore the relationship between the form of books and the content inside. For this book exploration lesson, students use a piece of their creative writing as inspiration; they author a written book and design a cover that...
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Following Their Footsteps
Students research and create a book report on a famous person. In this character education lesson, students examine the positive traits exemplified by a famous person and present an oral presentation for their classmates.
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Up Close with Author Allen Say
Students explore the Asian-American culture. They read several books written by Japanese-American author Allen Say and create questions to ask the author. Students write letters to the author.
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Author, Author!
Third graders, in groups, select and research a favorite studenT author or illustrator. They answer questions about the author, conduct research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation with their findings.
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Reading: The Beginnings of a Writer
In this reading: beginnings of a writer worksheet, students read a short biography of J.K. Rawlings and answer true and false comprehension questions. Students answer ten questions.
Seussville
Oh! the Places You'll Go!
Honor Dr. Seuss on his birthday with a read aloud of the story Oh! the Places You'll Go! and a variety of activities that inspire scholars to dream of their future endeavors. Readers take part in conversations, research the life of...
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You
Ask not what the lesson here can do for you, but what you can do with the lesson. The answer is quite a lot! Young scholars revisit JFK's famous inaugural address with a focus on his plea for civic engagement. There's a letter to JFK...
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Pablita Velarde: A Biography
Students listen to Pablita Velarde: Painting Her People, a story by Marcella J. Rich. They discuss the book and why they think the author wrote it. They make a concept map of their ideas using Kidspiration software.
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Miss Spider's New Car
Learners read Miss Spider's New Car by David Kirk. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of spiders. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections.
Curriculum Corner
Academic Reading Vocabulary
From A to Z, learners define, draw, and find examples of specific reading focus skills in an alphabetized reading vocabulary packet. Words include dialogue, theme, text structure, genre, paraphrase, and many more.
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Biographical Research Paper
Students choose a subject for a biographical research paper. They use books, the Internet, encyclopedias and articles to gather information on a determined subject then follow a rubric to write a research paper.
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Story Dolls
Young scholars express themselves through art and writing at the same time in this lesson. Students create paper doll versions of themselves. Young scholars write a biography of their dolls.
Read Works
Famous Inventors Alexander Graham Bell: You Rang?
Scholars read a brief informational text about the famous inventor, Alexander Graham Bell and his invention of the telephone, then show what they know by way of eight questions—six multiple choice and two short answer.
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Critic's Choice
Third graders read three to five genres and choose one as a favorite. They write an essay persuading the class to read the genre. This lesson serves as a nice introduction to different styles of literature.
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Literature: "Harriet the Spy" By Louise Fitzhugh
Students examine websites about the book, "Harriet the Spy." There are suggested classroom activities, such as having students keep a journal of their observations. Also includes tips on how to teach students to use descriptive writing.
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Book Cover
Students choose chapter book and prepare front cover for the chapter using a drawing made with any art materials. They can include a scene from the chapter, title, author etc. They then write a summary of the chosen chapter.
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Reading Log
In this reading log worksheet, students fill in a reading log, noting title, author, genre and rating on a scale of 1-5. Students then write, "telling about the book."
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Happy Birthday Hans: How To Celebrate International Children's Book Day
Honor Hans Christian Andersen while encouraging young readers with enjoyable projects and activities.
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Box O' Love
Students create a Valentines Day poem using an empty cereal box as their canvas. In this poetry lesson, students create their poems using rhyming words and create sentences.
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Exploring Animals in Literature
Celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week while teaching empathy and allegory with creature-related texts