Newspaper Association of America
A Good Read
Teach your readers strategies for breaking down informational texts. Pupils develop and implement the tools they'll need to decode texts for the rest of their lives with an informational resource that focuses on the structure and...
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Summary and "The Fallacy of Success"
Suggested to accompany a class reading of The Great Gatsby, this plan begins with a discussion emphasizing the reputation of Vanderbilt University. Then, after the class has a working knowledge of the wealth associated with the school,...
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Analyzing Poetry with TPCASTT
Middle schoolers read a poem and complete a TPCASTT chart. They make a prediction about the title (T) , paraphrase each line (P), identify poetic devices and nuances (C-connotation), explore mood and tone (A-attitude), point out shifts...
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Building a Case for Clues
Here's a strategy that can be used with any narrative, whether read by the instructor or as independent reading. At the end of each chapter, learners predict, using prior knowledge as clues, what will happen in the next chapter. Readers...
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Twin Words
Students discuss twin words. They examine the use of homophones and create cartoons to illustrate the homophones. Students play "Go Fish" using synonyms, antonyms, or homophones.
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Growing Patience
First graders, in groups, explore patience through use of the book The Carrot Seed.
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People of the Plains- Spiritualism
Fourth graders study cultural characteristics regarding Native American beliefs. They discuss spiritualism as it relates to respect. (respect for all things, living and dead; connection with the land, etc.) They provide examples they...
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Cool School Poetry
Students generate a word bank drawing on vocabulary from fifteen school related topics. They use the word bank to write poetry in the styles of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky.
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Eleanor Roosevelt, A Leader Who Helps People
Students are introduced to Eleanor Roosevelt the person. They are introduced to how she cared about people. Students are introduced to the concept of leadership. They write a poem about Eleanor Roosevelt as a leader, or they write a...
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Characterization
Students draw pictures to generate ideas about a character. They use prewriting skills to plan written work. They then dictate or write detailed descriptions of familiar person, places, objects, or experiences.
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My Alien
Students listen to text read from "Hello! Anybody Out There?" and then brainstorm what aliens from outer space look like and do they exist at all.
They then will describe the physical features and a special ability or quality of an alien.
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What's So Nice About Fairy Tales?
Seventh graders modernize a fairy tale, then compare their version with he original version and determine whether or not they've changed the author's original intent.
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Surviving the Hatchet
Students read the book, Hatchet, and write their thoughts and reactions about the events in their journals.
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Out of the Dust 4
Eighth graders read the novel, "Out of the Dust," and create a free-verse poem about a treasure of their own. They use the attached checklist to evaluate their own poem.
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Counseling
Students read a book as a group about bullies and being mean to one another. They answer questions as a class and discuss what to do instead if you are ever in this situation.
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A Story of Philanthropy
Help your class define philanthropy and recognize philanthropic activities. Ask them to identify examples of philanthropy in literature and explore the philanthropic deeds of themselves and others. To wrap up, create a class display with...
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Introduction to Mendelian Genetics using Fiction
Students investigate Mendelian Genetics by studying the history of Mendel and what it was like to be a 19th century scientist. They read a pieces of fiction during this investigation.
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What's Your Opinion
Students complete a questionnaire, formulating opinions on issues that be addressed in the novel, Sing Down the Moon. They make predictions about events that might occur in the novel based on the group discussion.
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A Visit to the Rain Forest
First graders preview "The Great Kapok Tree" by discussing the cover and the tree. They read the book and acknowledge the animals. They play a sequencing game in groups to identify the order the animals appeared in the book.
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Knowing Self- Self-Esteem
As a group, young scholars read a book about self-esteem. They answer questions as a class about having high self-esteem and discuss it.
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Guided Reading using Gail Gibbon's book Frogs
Students read to locate information about the stages of a frog's life and organize on a chart.
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"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs": DRA
Students participate in a directed reading of "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," doing word work, comprehension activities, and presentations.
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You've Got a Wocket Where?
Students identify rhyming word pairs, apply generalizations about the principle of onsets and "rimes," and create and classify multiple lists of words, both real and nonsense, based on given rhymes.