Let’s travel across the United States! In this city-themed lesson that integrates reading and social studies, students explore the culture and history of the cities in the United States.

Every great reader and writer knows that syntax matters. During this lesson, students will use the close reading strategy to focus on word choice, and use their understanding of syntax to develop theories about patterns in the text.

In this lesson students will be guided through a session of reflecting on their day and their emotions. They will also practice ways they can welcome and befriend their emotions with kindness and curiosity.

Ask an important question this month: What does an activist do? This engaging lesson can be used leading up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day (and year-round). It supports students in understanding what it means to be an activist and how Martin Luther King Jr. used collaborative action to change the world and speak out against oppression. Perfect for first graders and second graders, this activity explores word meaning and other reading and writing skills.

This lesson plan teaches students about Jean-Michel Basquiat and his life as a child. First, students will listen to a story and figure out the main topic and details. Next, students will be asked to think deeply about what it means to be an artist and some of the types of art they like to create. Perfect for first graders and second graders, the lesson Black Artists: Basquiat highlights reading informational texts and building vocabulary.

Change is inevitable, even for story characters! In this lesson, your students will determine how a character changes throughout a story by focusing on the character’s dialogue and actions.

Fully adaptable, this lesson can be used to to highlight African American leaders, famous women, veterans, or any other group of individuals who have acted heroically and have positively influenced our nation!

This engaging lesson plan provides students with an opportunity to learn all about America's prima ballerina, Maria Tallchief.

Let’s put it all together! In this lesson, students will explore the different parts of a drama or play. By the end of the lesson they will be able to define terminology related to plays and give examples of the unique genre features!

This lesson will help students identify the author's point of view and purpose for writing an informational text.

Do your students know they speak and write with prepositional phrases? Use this lesson plan to explicitly teach spoken and written prepositional phrases!

Bing! Bam! Boom! In this bombastic lesson, students will learn about onomatopoeia and create word art to describe the sounds these words make.

It’s raining, it’s pouring! Did you know that clouds can help you predict the weather? Use this lesson with your students to teach them about five different types of clouds and the weather to expect with each type.

Teach your students about picture walks as a strategy to understand the author's purpose in a fictional text. This lesson can be used as a stand-alone lesson or as support for the Examining Author's Purpose in a Fictional Text lesson.

Create conversations about character changes! Use this lesson plan as a stand-alone lesson for practicing sequencing words in evidenced-based claims about a character, or before the Characters Change Just Like We Do lesson.

This lesson combines students' knowledge of US geography and their creative writing skills in one fun activity!

Use this lesson to teach your students about facts and opinions. Teach them that a certain belief that they have about someone or something is not a fact!

Make learning idioms a piece of cake with this third grade writing lesson. Students will learn common idioms, and illustrate them to solidify their understanding of the concept.

This lesson provides teachers with an opportunity to teach students about reading stamina and assess student comprehension during independent reading.

This lesson plan teaches students about Frida Kahlo and her legacy as an activist and artist who continues to inspire people all over the world. Students will listen to a story about Frida Kahlo and reflect on what it means to be an artist.

In this lesson, students will learn all about Maria Montessori, a pioneering researcher and teacher, and create their own biographical books about this inspiring woman.

Teaching figurative language is as easy as pie with this lesson. Give students a chance to explore different kinds of figurative language as they develop their own comic strip.

This exciting lesson plan will introduce your second grade students to two different versions of the well-loved Cinderella story while also teaching them about making inferences and comparing and contrasting stories.

What’s the deal with all of those text features? Use this handy lesson plan to help your second graders answer that very question.

Introduce the concept of author’s purpose in fiction texts with this fun reading lesson! Students will discuss three examples of fictional texts to determine the purpose of each.

Students will read a story and listen to a song to explore the sound of silence, its meaning, and significance. They will share their experience and reflect on how and why silence or space can be important.

Good writers begin with a knowledge of who their audience is. They shape their piece knowing that there will be a certain kind of reader on the other side. This lesson will help young writers cultivate an awareness of their audience.

What do Malala Yousafzai, Al Gore, and Michelle Obama all have in common? They are all nonfiction authors with a purpose. In this interactive lesson, students will gain practice looking at details in text to identify the author’s purpose.

Encourage your students to develop their own approach to measuring length with nonstandard units of length. Use this engaging lesson as a stand-alone lesson or alongside Measuring Feet...in Feet!

Close reading isn’t about just ticking through words on a page; it’s about absorbing ideas and expanding on them. In this lesson, students will use this strategy to make interpretations about a character's emotions through their actions.