This lesson employs direct instruction and small-group discussion to help students learn new vocabulary skills while reading Patricia Polacco?s Pink and Say.

In this lesson, collaborative groups will read a variety of American tall tales, then report elements of their story to the whole class. Students add story information to a collaborative, whole-class character study matrix that summarizes all the stories. In a writing activity, students compare two characters of their choice. The lesson process is applicable to any set of related texts.

In this lesson designed for struggling readers, students are guided through a viewing of David Wiesner’s Tuesday, a wordless picture book. As students view the images, they are asked four different types of questions about the pictures. The questions range in difficulty from those with answers that can be found in the text to those that require inferences. Students learn to categorize questions by the four question types and use pictures to help them better understand a story. Students then apply what they learned to an independent reading of Istvan Banyai's Zoom. Students complete a worksheet with a series of questions about the story and then reflect on the usefulness of the questioning strategy.

A BioBag is a kind of literature autobiography, a collection of written works that represent memories or milestones in a person’s life. This might include books, letters, diaries, and recipes, all representing various aspects of a life story. In this lesson, the teacher starts by sharing his or her own BioBag with the class. Next, students visit a website to learn about several children's authors and the texts that inspired them. Then students interview one another about the texts that have been important in their lives. Finally, students put together their own BioBags and present them to the class.

In this author study, students listen to four books by author Leo Lionni over the course of multiple days. Each reading is followed by discussion focusing on literary elements and comparing characters, themes,settings, and plots. After discussion, students participate in creating and organizing information on a large matrix which depicts the main elements of that day’s story. During the lessons, the matrix helps students review and retell each story and to compare details of two or more stories at a time. On the final day of this lesson, individual students choose any two books to compare using a Venn diagram.

In this lesson, students will practice using events to build a game that they can share online. Featuring R2-D2 and other Star Wars characters, students will be guided through events, then given space to create their own game.

This lesson was originally created for the Hour of Code, alongside the Minecraft team. Students will get the chance to practice ideas that they have learned up to this point, as well as getting a sneak peek at conditionals!

Read aloud activity for K-3 that ties in with the character trait "Courage." Book discussion for grades 6-8 to embed core values.

Students will focus on the characters in stories; choose precise words and reasoning to describe characters and how their actions contribute to the story.

In this lesson, students will see how artistic materials can extend knowledge. This lesson provides opportunities for students to explore and experience the meaning potential of everyday writing and drawing tools in their own writing. The lesson can adapted for older students.

In this lesson, students begin by working in small groups to analyze differences and similarities among a selection of comics from a variety of subgenres. Based on their discussion, they determine what subgenres are represented and divide the comics accordingly. Students then analyze the professional comics' uses of conventions such as layout and page design. Finally, they create their own comics using an online tool.

In this lesson from Expeditionary Learning, students will perform a close reading of Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco. They will answer questions using specific details from the text and explain why they chose those details. Students will also use context clues to access new vocabulary. This is Lesson 2 of 10 from the unit Grade 3 Curriculum Map Unit 2, Module 1: http://engageny.org/resource/grade-3-ela-module-1-unit-2 .

Engaging students in their education is not always easy. One way is to give them the opportunity to be involved in school event decision making processes. Providing them with a task, having them poll their peers, and then using the analyzed data to inform their decisions is sure to keep them engaged.

This lesson introduces students to ideas on how they can make the world a more beautiful place. Students will discuss trash vs. recycling, decomposition rates of various items, and how to refuse and choose alternatives to single-use items. This lesson was developed by Lee Ann Smith as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

In this lesson, students will attempt to answer this question: How can they, as third graders, help people who live across the world from them with a problem such as unclean or not enough water? Students will view a PowerPoint about Global Interdependence and the teacher will guide a discussion of the implications of unsafe water. How easy is it for most students in the U.S. to access clean water? jStudents will also discuss what might happen if the water in their community became compromised. What can they do about the issue both in their own communities and in South Sudan? Student groups will research different fundraising possibilities for helping Salva Dut's Water for South Sudan and prepare research notes. Using these notes, groups will present a fundraising possiblity to the class, which will then choose one to participate in. Teacher will assist the children in voting on one project to support. This lesson was developed by Amber Honeycutt as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

Students will learn the difference between the genres, then work collaboratively to identify genres and subgenres. Lessons within the unit have a powerpoint introduction, group work, as well as homework.

In this lesson, students are introduced to a three-step strategy for peer editing which prepares them to engage in constructive peer editing of classmates’ written work on a regular basis.

Students will learn how point of view can change and in what way point of view can be used in text to influence events.

Students learn ways people use what they have to get what they want and why different ways to produce and allocate goods and services were developed.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 3rd Grade ELA.