Curated OER
The Kite Runner: Concept Analysis
Considering using The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini’s story of Amir, a young boy from Kabul, as whole-class reading or for book groups? Check out this resource that provides background materials on Afghanistan, a synopsis of the novel,...
Brigham Young University
The Giver: Magic Squares
Combine math and vocabulary in a fun activity based on Lois Lowry's The Giver. Before kids begin the book, they look up the definitions of 16 vocabulary words and complete a puzzle that will give them the same number.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Problem Solvers: Challenge Activities (Theme 4)
Creative activities help bring literature alive. The first of a set of lessons designed to accompany selections from Theme 4: Problem Solvers uses activities such as skits, responses to music, and social studies projects. These...
Curated OER
Problem-Solving Strategy: Use Logical Reasoning
In this logical reasoning worksheet, 4th graders read a paragraph about what three students are brought for lunch before determining what each student eats through logical reasoning. They record what they understand, make a plan, fill in...
Novelinks
Romeo and Juliet: Anticipation Guide
To prepare readers for some of the themes in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, individuals complete an anticipation guide and then share their ideas in small groups.
Curated OER
KWHL Jacob Have I Loved
Your class has just begun reading Jacob Have I Loved, and they're coming upon the fifth chapter. Pause their reading and have them complete a KWHL chart (not included) to detail what they've learned from the novel's beginning. An example...
Curated OER
Rent To Own
Reading can be a good way to learn about many different things, like rent-to-own housing programs. Learners read informational resources about rent-to-own programs and how they work. They complete graphic organizers using the facts they...
Curated OER
Much Ado About Nothing: Guided Imagery Exercise
“Be glad that all things sort so well.” To make text-to-self connections to Shakespeare’s play, class members engage in a guided imagery exercise prior to reading Act IV, scene i of Much Ado About Nothing (the wedding of Claudio and...
Curated OER
Choosing the Correct Questions
Learners ask themselves questions while reading to comprehend the material and improve their memory. They should ask why, when, where and how questions when they are reading an article. Students explore the different strategies on what...
Curated OER
Traveling With Limited Funds; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Students participate in a pre-reading activity which helps them see what it would be like to live in poverty. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students make a list of items they take on a trip considering they have...
Curated OER
Silence for Solo Reading
Young scholars examine how to read silently after listening to a number of teacher given book talks. They review the silent reading techniques of cross-checking, and the cover up method. Next, they complete independent silent reading...
Curated OER
Critical Thinking Strategies
Students explore critical thinking strategies. In this critical thinking lesson, students evaluate multiple choice answers. Students note similarities between incorrect answers and discover how to compare and contrast incorrect and...
Curated OER
Sailing on to fluently reading
Student increase their reading fluency using various strategies. After reviewing good reader strategies , students, working with a partner, complete an initial read of a novel text. With the instructor, they read complete a timed...
Curated OER
On Your Mark, Get Set, Read
Students improve their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing decoding and rereading strategies, students work with the instructor to complete a timed assessment of their words read per minute.
Maine Content Literacy Project
The Process of Reading vocabulary, literary elements
Cover Freytag's Triangle and examine Anton Chekhov's "The Bet" in this third lesson plan in a series of fourteen based around short stories. Learners take a quiz and discuss Freytag's triangle. They apply the triangle to "The Bet" and...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Chalk Talk
Discussion doesn't always need to be spoken. Before you begin The Tempest by William Shakespeare, have kids connect their ideas and experiences to central questions of the play with a silent discussion activity. Once they have...
Virginia Department of Education
Identifying the Main Idea in Fiction
Discovering the main idea in fiction is like uncovering buried treasure; one must persevere to locate it, and the reward is priceless. Scholars delve deep into leveled stories using three questions to aid in identifying the main idea.
Curated OER
Creating Classroom Rules
Perfect for establishing classroom protocols, this activity gets even the youngest learners thinking about rules and their consequences. The lesson begins with a discussion and a reading of the poem Humpty Dumpty that gets youngsters...
University of North Carolina
Essay Exams
For decades, the sight of blue books has struck fear in the hearts of collegians. Those books usually signal an essay exam, the topic of one of the handouts in a larger series on specific writing assignments. Using the handout, writers...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Magic Square Vocabulary
Before getting too far into The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, support your learners by introducing and practicing some vocabulary that might be unfamiliar to them. The vocabulary exercise here includes 16 words from the third and fourth...
Have Fun Teaching
Making Inferences Special Night (12)
Young writers will enjoy clowning around with this instructional activity that asks them to use clues in Katie's story to infer what is happening. Careful readers won't be tricked. The activity is a real treat.
Carstens Studios
Math Doodles
Discover the joy and excitement of improving your math fluency through four different puzzles. Combine those with 25 different ways to represent numbers and you have hours of enjoyment that can be fun outside of the classroom as well.
BrainPOP
Civil Rights Lesson Plan: Tracking History Through Timelines
Use the accompanying assessment to determine your class's prior knowledge on Martin Luther King, Jr. before beginning a lesson plan on the famous civil rights movement leader. The resource has young historians thinking about life for...
California Education Partners
The Road Not Taken
An effective lesson plan truly can make all the difference. Seventh graders read, analyze, and annotate Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" before writing an essay about what they believe to be the theme of the iconic poem.