Make connections across genres and across cultures to engage students in the study of literary voice and themes. Comprehension skills and vocabulary also come into play, especially for English language learners, as students read a novel and related poems, then write and perform original poems related to the novel.
Pairing Fiction With Poetry and Performance
Grades
|
Getting to Know You: Developing Short Biographies to Build Community
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
How well do your students know their peers? Students transform into investigative reporters as they interview a classmate, compile the biographical data into graphic form, and introduce the student to the class.
Grades
|
A Schema-Building Study With Patricia Polacco
2 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students use the Semantic Impressions and Possible Sentences strategies to write about Patricia Polacco's books Chicken Sunday and Rechenka's Egg, complete a character study, and write using a WebQuest.
Grades
|
Once They're Hooked, Reel Them In: Writing Good Endings
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
It's important to "hook" readers at a story's beginning, but it's equally important to keep them interested. In this lesson, students learn to write effective conclusions to their own stories.
Grades
|
Building a Learning Community: Crafting Rules for the Classroom
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students will learn to mind their ps and qs in this lesson on etiquette and appropriate behavior in the classroom.
Grades
|
Is Superman Really All That Super? Critically Exploring Superheroes
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
What makes a superhero super? By comparing popular culture superheroes with heroic characters in children's literature, students learn to think critically about character traits, and consider how cultural perspectives influence the kinds of heroes we choose.
Grades
|
Author Joel Chandler Harris was born in 1848.
9 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students study how regional dialect is written phonetically by reading a segment of Harris' story, as well as two others, and compare them using the Interactive Venn Diagram.
Grades
|
Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese in 1941.
9 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students use the Interactive Venn Diagram to compare the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the attacks on America on September 11, 2001.
Grades
|
Louisa May Alcott was born in 1832.
7 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students brainstorm important events and people that might serve as the beginning of an interesting piece of writing. They then use the Bio-Cube to plan their writing and write an essay about a memorable person.
Grades
|
Poet William Blake was born in 1757.
5 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
As a class, students brainstorm abstract concepts and personify that concept through a drawing or story told about the character who personifies that concept.
Grades
|
Today is World Hello Day!
5 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Holiday & School Celebration
Students study a letter written by a famous author to determine purpose, and words and phrases that make the letter meaningful. They can use the Letter Generator to write their own letter promoting peace.
Grades
|
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863.
7 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students practice the Pre-AP strategy called SOAPSTone, identifying important parts of the Gettysburg Address and comparing it with John F. Kennedy's inaugural speech.
Grades
|
On this day in 1918, the United States passed the U.S. Standard Time Act.
3 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
A video conference with a class from a different country or time zone is planned. Students brainstorm questions to ask and figure out how many time zones they would have to travel through to have the conference.
Grades
|
The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805.
7 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
Students look at Kenneth Holder's paintings of the Lewis and Clark trail and transform their notes into a descriptive paragraph as if they were a member of the expedition.
Grades
|
Veterans Day is celebrated in the United States today.
3 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Holiday & School Celebration
Students write biographical poems about a soldier.
Grades
|
Kristallnacht occurred in 1938.
9 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
To help understand the thinking of German leaders during the Holocaust, students write about a time when they failed to come to the assistance of someone who needed help.
Grades
|
In 1847, Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula was born.
5 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Author & Text
Students brainstorm the superstitions they know and small groups research one of the superstitions to determine its origin and meaning or purpose. Students can write about the superstition using the Mystery Cube interactive.
Grades
|
Susan B. Anthony voted on this date in 1872, leading to her arrest.
5 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
After assigning special privileges to an arbitrarily designated group, students write about how they felt during the simulation and consider what they might be willing to do to change an unjust law.
Grades
|
Celebrate Halloween!
3 - 8
Calendar Activity
| Holiday & School Celebration
Students research information on Halloween, create masks or costumes from a text they are reading, or write a narrative essay describing their best Halloween ever.
Grades
|
Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed the polio vaccine, was born in 1914.
5 - 12
Calendar Activity
| Historical Figure & Event
After learning about Dr. Salk, students interview a family member or someone they know who remembers the polio epidemic.