Lisa Storm Fink

Grades   3 – 10  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

A Case for Reading - Examining Challenged and Banned Books

Students examine books, selected from the American Library Association Challenged/Banned Books list, and write persuasive pieces expressing their views about what should be done with the books at their school.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

A Genre Study of Letters With The Jolly Postman

Students read The Jolly Postman, in which a postman delivers letters to storybook characters. They explore different types of mail and categorize letters from the book and their own mail.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Alphabiography Project: Totally You

The traditional autobiography writing project is given a twist as students write alphabiographies—recording an event, person, object, or feeling associated with each letter of the alphabet.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Alter Egos and More with Avi’s "Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?"

After reading Avi’s novel "Who Was That Masked Man, Anyway?", students create an alter ego for themselves and use it to write their own radio show, modeled after the book.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Book Report Alternative: Creating a New Book Cover

Students explore book covers of a variety of books then create a new cover for a book they have read.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Book Report Alternative: Examining Story Elements Using Story Map Comic Strips

Comic frames are traditionally used to illustrate a story in a short, concise format. In this lesson, students use a six-paneled comic strip frame to create a story map, summarizing a book or story that they've read. Each panel retells a particular detail or explains a literary element (such as setting or character) from the story.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Book Report Alternative: Writing Resumes for Characters in Historical Fiction

Students write resumes for historical fiction characters. They first explore help wanted ads to see what employers want, and then draft resumes for the characters they’ve chosen.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Characters in Because of Winn-Dixie: Making Lists of Ten

The list of ten things about Opal's absent mother that her father shares in Because of Winn-Dixie serves as inspiration for students to create their own lists describing literary characters.

 

Grades   1 – 2  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Choosing One Word: Summarizing Shel Silverstein’s “Sick”

Students select what they believe to be the most important word in a text that they have read and justify their choice using examples from the text.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Genre Study

Multidimensional, challenging, and popular with students, comics provide an excellent way to introduce the concept of genres.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Narrative Structure

This lesson uses comic strip frames to define plot and reinforce the structure that underlies a narrative. Students finish by writing their own original narratives.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Unit

Creating Classroom Community by Crafting Themed Poetry Collections

Students create poetry collections with the theme of "getting to know each other." They study and then write a variety of forms of poetry to include in their collections.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Dear Librarian: Writing a Persuasive Letter

Students write persuasive letters to their librarian requesting that specific texts be added to the school library. As they work, students plan their arguments and outline their reasons and examples.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Engaging Students in a Collaborative Exploration of the Gettysburg Address

In small groups, students closely examine one sentence from the Gettysburg Address and create a multigenre project communicating what they have discovered about the meaning and significance of the text.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Figurative Language Awards Ceremony

Students will be as happy as clams when they have the chance to nominate their favorite examples of similes, metaphors, and personification for a figurative language award.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Finding the Science Behind Science Fiction through Paired Readings

Students read science fiction texts and then use nonfiction texts to extrapolate the scientific principles presented as they discuss the “what ifs” within the context of scientific principles.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Recurring Lesson

Genre Study: A Collaborative Approach

Students explore multiple genres through genre studies. They record evidence of genre characteristics on bookmarks as they read, and finish by giving a book review for their classmates.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Graphing Plot and Character in a Novel

In this graphical mapping project, students assign a value to the events, characters, and themes in a novel and think about how the elements of the story are all interconnected.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Investigating Junk Mail: Negotiating Critical Literacy at the Mailbox

Students increase their media literacy skills by critically examining and revising junk mail.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Unit

Literature as a Jumping Off Point for Nonfiction Inquiry

Students use text sets to research a topic inspired by a fiction book they have read. A text set is a collection of multiple text genres with a single focus.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Literature Circle Roles Reframed: Reading as a Film Crew

Capture students’ enthusiasm for film and transfer it to reading and literature by substituting film production roles for the traditional literature circle roles.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Recurring Lesson

Literature Circles: Getting Started

Students practice different ways of collaborating to read a work of literature. They work in different roles as they compose and answer questions, discover new vocabulary, and examine literary elements.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Looking at Landmarks: Using a Picture Book to Guide Research

This lesson uses Ben’s Dream by Chris Van Allsburg to highlight ten major landmarks of the world. Students research the landmarks and present their findings to the class.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Looking for the History in Historical Fiction: An Epidemic for Reading

This lesson pairs the reading of historical fiction with nonfiction to introduce students to the large themes of history.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Mapping Characters Across Book Series

Students work on a guided characterization project, using a graphic map to illustrate the ways a character from a book series grows and evolves over the course of the story.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

On a Musical Note: Exploring Reading Strategies by Creating a Soundtrack

Students create a soundtrack for a novel that they have read, as they engage in such traditional reading strategies as predicting, visualizing, and questioning.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Once Upon a Time Rethought: Writing Fractured Fairy Tales

Students read and analyze fairy tales, identifying their common elements. They then write their own “fractured” fairy tales by changing one of the literary elements found in the original.

 

Grades   3 – 6  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Opening the Door for Reading: Sharing Favorite Texts to Build Community

In this lesson, students build classroom community by exploring environmental print and a teacher-created display that focuses on a favorite book. They then create and share their own presentations.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Our Classroom: Writing an Owner’s Manual

Students write an owner’s manual that helps them get to know their classroom, provides them with a sense of ownership, and lets others know about their classroom.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Minilesson

Research Building Blocks: Examining Electronic Sources

In this lesson, students evaluate and rate the relevance of electronic resources as they research information about their state.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Minilesson

Research Building Blocks: Hints about Print

In this lesson from a research skills unit, students examine abstracts on selected books to determine their relevance and helpfulness.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Minilesson

Research Building Blocks: Notes, Quotes, and Fact Fragments

Students are guided through the process of taking notes while reading factual information, then turning those notes into new sentences and paragraphs written in their own words.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Research Building Blocks: Skim, Scan, and Scroll

In this lesson from a research skills unit, students read informational text, looking for supporting details. They practice skimming and scanning print resources, and scrolling through electronic resources.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Research Building Blocks: “Cite Those Sources!”

Students learn the importance of crediting others for their words and ideas, and then learn the paraphrasing and citation skills necessary to avoid plagiarism.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Minilesson

Research Building Blocks: “Organize This!”

In this minilesson, students organize information they compile while doing research for a written report on a selected topic.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Rummaging for Fiction: Using Found Photographs and Notes to Spark Story Ideas

In this lesson, students use found notes and found photographs as inspiration to help them identify subjects, settings, characters, and conflicts for pieces of creative writing.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Unit

Teaching Language Skills Using the Phone Book

Through a series of activities using the phone book, students learn to use text aids, collect information relevant to a topic, organize information, synthesize information and use key words.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Unit

The History Behind Song Lyrics

Students research the items listed in the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel, noting their historical relevance, and then document their findings using an online chart.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Travel Brochures: Highlighting the Setting of a Story

Readers are often transported to the places mentioned in texts through words and descriptions. This lesson invites students to create travel brochures about the setting of texts they have read.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Unwinding A Circular Plot: Prediction Strategies in Reading and Writing

Students use graphic organizers to explore plot in circular stories while focusing on prediction and sequencing. After exploring the features of circular plot stories, students write their own stories.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Using Snowflake Bentley as a Framing Text for Multigenre Writing

Using Snowflake Bentley as a model, students create a working definition of multigenre text and then use that definition to create their own multigenre piece about winter or another theme.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Using Picture Books to Teach Plot Development and Conflict Resolution

Students read picture books to explore the concepts of plot development and conflict resolution. They first learn about the connections between reading and writing, and then revise their own writing.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Weather Detectives: Questioning the Fact and Folklore of Weather Sayings

Students adopt a skeptical stance and become weather detectives who ask “Why?” and “Why not?” as they investigate the history and validity of some common weather sayings.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Writing ABC Books to Enhance Reading Comprehension

Using the alphabet as an organizing structure, students analyze literary elements in a book they have read and organize their observations in an alphabet book.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Lesson Plan  |  Unit

Writing and Assessing an Autobiographical Incident

Students build upon their knowledge of biographies to write their own autobiographical incident. After going through a process of revision, they use a rubric to assess their work.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

You Know the Movie is Coming—Now What?

In this lesson, students read a literary text with the eye of a director, selecting scenes from the text and putting a cinematic spin on them.

 

Grades   K – 2  |  Activity & Project

Acting Out with Mother Goose

Act out a story after reading it. Work together to create a script and make costumes and props. Then invite others to watch and hear your story!

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Creating Comics and Cartoons!

Using published comics and cartoons as examples, children can create their own while playing with images and language.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Activity & Project

Design a Travel Brochure

Invite children and teens to create a travel brochure to share information about a special place with others.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Exploring the Library

Plan a visit to a library to discover more about this magical place.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Fairy Tales and You

Children will draw on their knowledge of story structure and fairy tales to write their own.

 

Grades   K – 2  |  Activity & Project

Friendship: Exploring Similarities and Differences

After reading a book about friendship, children will reflect on one of their own friendships and look at how they are like their friends and maybe how they are different.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Go Ape with Webcams!

Can't make it to a zoo? After reading a book about apes, observe animal habits and habitats using one of the many Webcams broadcasting from zoos and aquariums around the United States and the world.

 

Grades   K – 2  |  Activity & Project

Learning Your Address and Phone Number

Children will learn their address and phone number to help keep them safe.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Let’s Play a Game

Playing board games or card games can be a fun activity, so why not make your own?

 

Grades   K – 2  |  Activity & Project

Let’s Play Bingo!

Work together, create a bingo board that can be played while walking around town, going to the zoo or a museum, or traveling on a vacation.

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Mail Time!

Sort through your junk mail and talk about what you find for a fun literacy activity before recycling it!

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Read All About It: Neighborhood News

Children enjoy sharing their thoughts, ideas and opinions in talking with others. Encourage them to write these down and more to share in a neighborhood newspaper!

 

Grades   3 – 5  |  Activity & Project

Take a Virtual Field Trip

Can't make it to a zoo? Observe animal habits and habitats using one of the many Webcams broadcasting from zoos and aquariums around the United States and the world.

 

Grades   6 – 8  |  Activity & Project

Write Letters to Friends and Family

Invite young adults to write letters to classmates, postcards from travels, and e-mails to family and friends.

 

Grades   K – 2  |  Activity & Project

Writing and Math with Shopping Lists

Children will use a variety of mathematics and literacy skills as they create shopping lists to use at the store to buy their favorite treats.

 

Grades   6 – 12  |  Tip & How-To

Helping a Teen Plan and Conduct an Interview

Interviewing family members or friends can be a valuable way for teens to learn about themselves and their families.