Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...

Fifth graders explore the elements of theatre. In this dramatic performances activity, 5th graders discuss the structural elements of theatre and dramatize "The Origins of the Season," an explanation myth.

Eleventh graders trace Taylor's use of conceit or extended metaphor in his poem "Huswifery" where he compares the process of cloth making to God's salvation of man, and write a poem in which they compare a personal transformation with an...

Young scholars find out about key attributes, characteristics, and roles of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses by writing a letter or a poem asking them to welcome an Egyptian to the afterlife.

Students read several poems related to the life and culture of the Appalachia region. They are introduced to the poetic forms of simile, alliteration and onomatopoeia and respond to the poems through journal entries and poetry of their own.

Students use poetry to compare and contrast humans and frogs.

Students analyze the poem, "The Colored Soldier" by Langston Hughes to gain a greater experience of how poets use language to create meaning, influence thinking and thus become pioneers of change in American society. They work on the...

Students explore poetry and dialect. They research Burn's Night and how people celebrate it. Students examine the Scottish dialect and its similarities to English grammar. Students write their own poetry.

Third graders develop an understanding of genre by participating in small- and whole-group activities. In addition, they practice presentation and specific listening skills. This lesson assumes students have been regularly exposed to a...

Students explore the concept of theme. In this fairy tales lesson, students read several tales and complete hands-on activities, art projects, and dramatic play that lead to an awareness of the themes of the tales.

Students create a collage. In this collage lesson, students read a poem from Shel Silverstein and create an illustration to accompany the poem.

Third graders draw a picture. In this seasons lesson, 3rd graders name the seasons of the year, discuss what happens during each season, read a poem for each season and draw a picture for each season.

Students read and analyze the twelve short stories in the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." They create their own detective that has to solve a new kind of crime, and write and edit a short story with their original detective as...

Students use the internet to gather information on bats. They write their own bat poem and describe the differences between the parts of a bat's body. They identify how bats are important to humans and how they control the insect...

Second graders demonstrate the ability to examine the elements of a story (theme, plot, setting, mood) and characters, by discussing and writing about each. They have fun with chocolate related activities and enjoy reading about some...

Learners brainstorm possible replacements for blanks in a cloze activity. They work in groups to decide which of their possible replacements are prefered for each blank. They then prepare to present their ideas of the text to the class...

Third graders choose one character from a book they have read recently. Using paper, they create a character map of the character along with a small drawing to show what they look like. To end the activity, they share their character...

Students investigate how to create a vegetable garden and complete related activities. In this vegetable garden instructional activity, students receive agriculture notebooks to complete vocabulary for the gardening instructional...

Students study Robert Munsch's style of writing. In this literature lesson plan, students read many of Robert Munsch's books, write a list of the characteristics found in his books, and write or orally tell a...

Third graders participate in a creative project in order to investigate how a tornado moves. The use of a spiral catcher is used to model the movement of a tornado. Students also watch "The Wizard of Oz" to create context for the lesson.

Sixth graders engage in a project to persuade classmates to read a certain novel. They create a poster using persuasive advertising language. Media can be included in the form of pictures and other graphics to make the visual...

First graders explore the lifestyles of several North American tribes. They investigate about the homes, food, transportation, and daily living habits of each tribe. Pupils use a map to locate several Native American tribes in North...

Students identify money values. In this money lesson, students sort and group coins by value and investigate the cost of supplies needed for a snack. Students prepare snacks for a snack sale.

Students create foam ink stamps.  In this Holocaust instructional activity, students discover the history of the Holocaust and why butterflies represented a symbol of hope during those times.  Students use BalsaFoam to carve...