Contains plans for two lessons that teach point of view using the book "Two Bad Ants" by Chris Van Allsburg and titles from the from the "Look Once, Look Again" series by David M. Schwartz. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities.

Contains plans for three lessons that teach students how to write comparison contrast essays after modeling the form to them. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities.

Writers and film buffs alike will sharpen their skills in this multimedia unit as they work together to author and design a digital video.

Students tell their life stories in this lesson about autobiographies based on family photographs.

Students use both analytical and creative skills to adapt passages from a novel with significant internal dialogue and conflict, such as Toni Morrison's "Beloved", into a ten-minute play.

Compare the printed page to an electronic web page and use this activity to discuss the similarities and differences. A cross-curricular tie-in with ecosystems. Could easily be adapted to another subject area.

The importance of reading aloud to children is an established tenet of reading instruction. This lesson supports the language development and reading comprehension of kindergarten through second graders. Through the use of the text talk strategy, students explain, develop, and expand story ideas. This lesson is designed to help students learn how to gain meaning from words that are taken out of their original context.

This online lesson supports the language development and reading comprehension of kindergarten through second graders. Through the use of an innovative "Text talk," strategy, students will explain, develop, and expand upon story ideas. Students use the story "Julius, the Baby of the World," to begin to apply these concepts.

Students have the right to have fun in this lesson in which they create a PowerPoint presentation about civil rights and the Supreme Court.

Formerly known as Shape Poems, this online tool allows elementary students to write poems in various shapes.

Students examine story elements through teacher read-alouds and independent reading and then use reader-response journals and graphic organizers to prepare for the creation of their own scary stories.

Contains plans for a lesson that teaches students the difference among common homophones using many modalities. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities.

Everyone knows that "Star Wars" character Darth Vader is a villain. This lesson asks students to explore how they know such things about heroes and villains they encounter in texts. After examining how moviemakers communicate the villainy of Darth Vader, students examine a passage from Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone that describes the villain Voldemort, noting how Rowling communicates details about the character. Students then read novels in small groups, with each group member tracking a character in a reading log. When they finish their novels, students design posters and present details on their novels to the class. After the presentations, students make observations on how authors develop character and write journal entries reflecting on what they learned.

Trading Card Creator This tool provides a fun and useful way to explore a variety of topics such as a character in a book, a person or place from history, or even a physical object. An excellent tool to for summarizing or as a prewriting exercise for original stories.

Students learn how to walk a mile in someone else's shoes by reading historical fiction about the Underground Railroad.

Students develop their reading, writing, research, and technology skills using graphic novels. As a final activity, students create their own graphic novels using comic software.

Students evaluate book reviews written by other children, discussing their components and effectiveness, and write reviews of favorite books to record on video or post online.

This lesson plan is designed to assist students making self-text-world connections through multimedia presentations. This plan includes a student guide for writing the reflection scripts as well as a detailed instructional plan.

Online lesson which uses Hansberry's "Raisin in the Sun" to teach the concepts of symbolism and theme in a dramatic work. Students learn the importance and significance of these terms as they study this work and other works of drama. RL.9-10.2 and RL.11-12.2 Analyzing Theme, RL.11-12.3 Auth choice story elem