Help your students absorb the details of a text and make inferences about what they read with the strategy of close reading. By reading closely, students will become better able to understand complex themes and nuances in a text.

Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was a 17th century writer and philosopher who today is considered one of the first documented feminists and advocates for women’s education. In this lesson, students will read two nonfiction texts about Sor Juana and discuss her life and accomplishments before writing an opinion piece about her.

Emphasize student understanding and reasoning! This lesson plan helps learners solve story problems using sense-making strategies. This can be used alongside the lesson Solving Word Problems or as a stand-alone lesson.

Spirituals have a long history in the United States, and often serve to strengthen and motivate people. Students will compare three types of spirituals from different time periods and share their understanding with their peers.

Word problems can be overwhelming to students, but if they have a tool to help them, they can handle it! Use this as a stand alone lesson or alongside Stepping Through Addition and Subtraction Word Problems.

This lesson helps students break down the different components of a word problem with decimals so that English Learners can succeed in solving them. Use it on its own or as support for the lesson Giving Gifts: All About Decimals.

Geometry is a core of mathematics in the early years. Help students recognize and draw shapes given specific attributes such as the number of corners and sides. This lesson can be a stand-alone activity of paired with 2-D Shapes!

Provide students with an opportunity to identify the wholes that are correctly divided into halves, thirds, and fourths (equal shares). Use this activity alone as a support lesson or alongside Cookie Fractions Fun.

Perpendicular, intersect, parallel! In this lesson, students work in teams to complete a Frayer Model on each of these terms to become masters of geometry vocabulary. Teach this lesson on its own or as support to the lesson What's My Line?

This lesson helps students develop an ability to compare and contrast as they explore two strategies to solve three-digit addition problems. This EL Math lesson can be used alone or alongside Three-Digit Addition Strategies Review.

Use this hands-on lesson to encourage collaboration amongst students as they review base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. This lesson can be used as a pre-lesson to Base Ten Block Party or as a stand-alone activity.

Slice those pieces and mix it up! In this lesson that follows “Slice It Up! Part One,” students will begin recognizing different ways to create equal shares in whole shapes, creating a fraction poster by the end of the lesson.

Use this lesson to introduce composing and decomposing as part of your students’ addition and subtraction toolkits.