Standard 1: Communicating Through Writing

In this lesson, students will use the information from lesson 1 and their research from lesson 2 to continue to illustrate a book about Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the Everglades for children ages 5-6.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in research to describe how the Statue of Liberty is a symbol that represents the United States. Students will use a graphic organizer to write facts about the Statue of Liberty and take notes using details gathered from photographs and other text and graphic features, which will be creatively interwoven into a drawing of the Statue of Liberty utilizing a variety of materials and techniques.

Type: Lesson Plan

In lesson 5 of a 6-lesson unit plan based on What Is a Government? by Baron Bedesky, students will revisit the relevant details that support the central idea, the government helps keep people safe, from lesson #4. Students will use the relevant details to draft personal narrative writing which identifies how the government helps keeps them safe and create a collage that reinforces their writing.

This unit will support students as they explain why people form governments, the role of laws in government, the impact of government on daily life, and the ways the government protects the rights and liberty of American citizens. Students will engage in a read aloud of the text, What is Government, spread out over several lessons, emphasizing text features, vocabulary, central idea, and author’s purpose. In addition, the teacher will facilitate research, student presentations, expository writing, artwork, computer science, and identifying Florida symbols to help students solidify their interpretation as to why people form governments.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 3 of a 6-lesson unit plan based on What Is a Government? By Baron Bedesky. After reading pages 4 – 7, students will use the text information to help distinguish between rules and laws. The lesson will begin with an introduction to rules, such as board game rules, and then students will distinguish between rules and laws using a Venn diagram. Students will then write a journal entry that answers the question, “Why do we need laws?” 

This unit will support students as they explain why people form governments, the role of laws in government, the impact of government on daily life, and the ways the government protects the rights and liberty of American citizens. Students will engage in a read aloud of the text, What is Government, spread out over several lessons, emphasizing text features, vocabulary, central idea, and author’s purpose. In addition, the teacher will facilitate research, student presentations, expository writing, artwork, computer science, and identifying Florida symbols to help students solidify their interpretation as to why people form governments.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will write an expository text describing the importance of a patriotic holiday. In this lesson, students will work with peers to provide feedback on their writing.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use the internet and/or texts to explore a patriotic holiday and explain its importance, in this lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will create a final expository writing piece describing the history and importance of a patriotic holiday. In this lesson, students will publish their writing piece using word processing software for printing and binding as part of a classroom text.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in research to describe why the U.S. Capitol is a symbol that represents the United States. Students will use a graphic organizer to write facts about the U.S. Capitol and take notes about the building using details gathered from photographs and other text and graphic features, which will be used to create a multimedia presentation showcasing their learning.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in research to describe why the White House is a symbol that represents the United States. Students will use a graphic organizer to write facts about the White House and take notes about the building using details gathered from photographs and other text and graphic features, which will be used to create a multimedia presentation showcasing their learning.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with their teacher and their classmates to read chapter one from the book, Charlotte's Web by E.B. White. Students will be asked to take a close look at characters' actions and motivations. As a summative assessment, students will identify and agree with a specific character's point of view, supporting their opinions with text-based evidence.

Type: Lesson Plan

During these lessons, students will read The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry. They will learn about the importance of trees by learning new vocabulary, analyzing characters, and finding the theme of the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using the books Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett and A Pig Parade Is A Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black, students will have an opportunity to practice writing opinion paragraphs.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will listen to the stories Franklin in the Dark and Franklin Wants a Pet. Students will analyze story elements and story structure, which will assist them in writing an opinion piece about their favorite Franklin story.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn about opinion writing using a classic text, Sarah, Plain and Tall. Students will differentiate between fact and opinion and use a graphic organizer to plan an opinion piece about a favorite character. They will also use an editing checklist to peer review their written pieces before writing a final draft to share with the class.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be reading the classic story Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. They will discuss the major events of the story and how the characters reacted to these happenings. Students will get a lot of practice summarizing by writing a short summary of each chapter. They will also be tracking the characters' emotions and reactions throughout the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about different types of habitats as they gather information based on research questions. Students will summarize the information from their research in an expository paragraph and create a diorama to present their habitat to their peers.

Type: Lesson Plan

This story is an informational text that is sure to get the attention of any second grader. The author takes the reader around the world to examine different traditions children have when they lose a tooth. A series discussion questions are provided along with practice on text features and author's purpose. Also included is a culminating writing task along with a rubric for scoring.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using David Shannon's book Too Many Toys, students will practice writing an opinion paragraph.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with their teacher and their classmates to read Fly Away Home by Eve Bunting. Students will tackle the idea of theme and symbolizim in this story by studying what a little brown bird means to the main character. Students will write about the theme of the story in an expository paragraph.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will allow students to practice enhancing their writing through drawing and illustrations. Students will begin by practicing visualizing short stories and explain how the drawings can add meaning to the stories. Students will then write a short story, use drawings to help readers understand their story, and provide and receive feedback on their writing from a peer.

Type: Lesson Plan

During this lesson, the students will become highly involved with the text Charlie Anderson by Barbara Abercrombie. The students will identify and describe the story elements with a focus on the character of Elizabeth. Students will write an expository paragraph about how she felt at the end of the story when she learned the truth.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will have an opportunity to respond to a prompt based on the perspective of one of the characters from the book I Am the Dog, I Am the Cat by Donald Hall. Students will write a narrative paragraph from the perspective of either the cat or the dog from the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will practice identifying character traits from two classic fairy tales. They will then find evidence from the text to support those traits. Students will complete the lessons by choosing a character and a trait to write about in an expository paragraph.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will listen to a reading of the story of The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle and discuss the story. After the discussion, students will write their own opinion piece about an animal they would like to be and why.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use the book Stellaluna, along with informational text, to create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting bats and birds. They will then compare and contrast two other similar animals using the text A Whale Is Not a Fish and Other Animal Mix-ups, completing a Venn diagram and writing an expository paragraph that describes the similarities and differences between the two animals.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with teacher and peer support on an informational text about whales to study the text features and determine the central idea. Students will use information from the text to complete a brainstorming organizer to prepare to write an expository paragraph. In the end, through this scaffolded practice, students will become Ace High Flying Writers!

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will take their research and turn it into an expository writing piece about ants. They will learn about how to structure a five paragraph text and what needs to be present in each paragraph. Students will take this text through the writing process, ending with a published piece that they can share with the class.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this model eliciting activity, students are asked to help the International Olympic Committee rank prospective host cities for upcoming Summer Olympic Games. Students are provided with data about a list of applicant cities and then must rank the cities and write a proposal to the IOC explaining their rankings. At the end of the MEA, the students will write an opinion piece for the International Olympic Committee that tells their final decision about which city should be the next host of the Summer Olympic Games.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will describe how characters in a story respond to events and challenges after reading the story, Stellaluna. Students will answer comprehension questions pertaining to the story and demonstrate an understanding of key details. In addition, students will write an opinion piece in which they will introduce a topic, state an opinion, provide reasons to support their opinion, and end their writing with a closing statement.

Type: Lesson Plan

After reading the biography, A Picture Book of Helen Keller by David Adler, students will retell the life of Helen Keller using the central idea and relevant details by answering who, what, when, where, why and how questions. In addition, students will write a nonfiction narrative piece retelling the events of her life in proper sequential order using transition words.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will listen to an informational text about an animal and critique a sample expository paragraph by giving suggestions about how to improve the sample writing. Students will then read an informational text about an animal of their choosing and write an expository paragraph about the animal. They will present their writing to the class and take suggestions from classmates to improve their writing. Students will also revise their writing through use of suggestions given by their peers.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn to identify central idea and relevant details while learning about immigration in the early 1900s. After reading informational texts about immigration, students will write an expository paragraph about why immigrants came to America.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will practice identifying and using adjectives, as well as distinguishing shades of meaning among closely related adjectives. In the summative assessment, students will create their own narrative to describe a real or fictional person and will practice using precise, as well as vivid adjectives throughout their writing.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn all about ants by reading National Geographic Kids: Ants. They will investigate the use of various text features in the book and describe how they help readers to understand a text. Students will use their new knowledge to compose an expository paragraph explaining how ants live and work together in their colony.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in a research study of our world’s habitats using texts and sources from the internet. Students will demonstrate their new learning by writing an expository paragraph, completing a checklist about their writing, and sharing a favorite fact about their habitat with the class.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn to compare and contrast texts about life cycles using a Venn diagram. Then, using the Venn diagram, students will write an expository paragraph including an introductory sentence, comparing/contrasting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

Type: Lesson Plan

Would you rather ride in a spaceship or on a submarine? This is the question the students will ponder as they write an opinion piece, taking it through the writing process.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will decode words with the vowel team /ee/. The students will develop a class-made /ee/ tree in which the students will increase their vocabulary with a variety of /ee/ words and students will create a narrative using words with the vowel team /ee/.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will become familiar with alliteration. Students will have an opportunity to listen to and read alliterative sentences and short stories. Students will create alliterative sentences with a partner and again independently. Students will also work through the different stages of the writing process as they pre-write, write, edit, revise, and publish to contribute to a class book.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about mammals using the book Mammals by Melissa Stewart. Through this book, the students will practice identifying and using text features to understand the text, as well as determine key details and main idea. The students will then create a newspaper article about a mammal of their choice using the main ideas, key details, and text features from Mammals.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will compare and contrast various versions of the Cinderella story through story element charting, partner discussions, carousel brainstorming, and semantic feature analysis. Students will think critically and hold grade-level appropriate dialogue about each story. Students will complete a piece of opinion writing stating which Cinderella story was their favorite and why they liked it.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using the books Seven Blind Mice and Voices in the Park students will learn to identify the unique perspectives that characters bring to a story. After completing a retelling activity and drawing how several characters are feeling, students will compose a short narrative writing from the perspective of a character from Voices in the Park.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will love talking about the unlikely friendship that forms in Miss Maggie by Cynthia Rylant. They will share their opinions by writing a paragraph after learning new vocabulary words and discussing character traits.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson uses nonfiction texts about Martin Luther King, Jr. to give students the opportunity to understand his life and why we still honor him today. Students will create a graphic organizer that uses adjectives to describe Martin Luther King, Jr. and use the information gained from reading the texts to support their descriptions. For their final assessment, students will write an opinion piece describing Martin Luther King, Jr. providing examples from his life that fit those adjectives.

Type: Lesson Plan

At the start of this lesson, students will review the friendly letter format as the teacher reads I Wanna Iguana and I Wanna New Room by Karen Kaufman Orloff to the students. These books are told in a friendly letter format between the main character and his parents. With teacher modeling and support, students will then generate a topic and practice writing a friendly letter as a class. Next, students will apply the friendly letter format to create a writing piece. Students will receive practice at editing their writing, independently through peer feedback, and in teacher-student mini conferences.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this unit, students will read appropriately leveled informational text on dinosaurs and identify the relevant details of the text. The students will create a detail web using evidence from the text and will then write an expository paper about their choice of dinosaur. The students will also participate in a guided class discussion. The students will practice the guidelines and procedures for successful discussion and will also practice how to come prepared for discussion by providing supporting information from texts that have been read.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will read the informational text The Life Cycle of a Butterfly by Lisa Trumbauer. Students will use elements of nonfiction, such as photographs and diagrams, to aid in their understanding of the text. They will create a graphic organizer and use it to produce an expository piece of writing that explains the stages of a butterfly life cycle.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will examine character development based on the events of the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. During multiple readings of the text, students will take a deep dive into text dependent questions and participate in group activity determining how Chrysanthemum felt during different parts of the story. Finally, students will take the perspective of the character, Victoria, to write a letter of apology to Chrysanthemum to say that she was sorry for the way she treated her.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will create questions to be answered through researching nonfiction texts. Students will then write an expository paragraph to share their research findings with the class to create a book all about trees.

Type: Lesson Plan

Let's learn about penguins! Students will explore text features and the author's purpose for writing National Geographic Kids: Penguins. Using new knowledge, students will write an expository paragraph on penguins, including what they look like, what they eat, and where they live.

Type: Lesson Plan

Now that your students have become interested in this amazing animal, it is time to learn more by starting a research project. Students will use multiple sources and a graphic organizer to record new facts about ants in preparation to complete an expository writing piece in the next lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will listen to the story of Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Students will discuss how teasing can be hurtful and examine how characters respond to major events. To culminate this learning, students will write an opinion piece about the story including supporting reasons, transition words, and a conclusion.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is a lesson on characters. Using the story Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes, students will practice describing a character's personality based on the character's thoughts, actions and feelings.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn various contributions made by famous African Americans throughout history. They will answer questions about informational text while identifying the central idea and relevant details in the text. They will then write about two famous African Americans and the contributions they made, using information from the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

Children love the classic fairy tale, The Three Little Pigs. In these lessons, students will compare the story elements from the original versions with other fractured fairy tale versions. Students will also be delighted to use their creatively to create their own fractured fairy tale.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will identify and describe story elements and compare and contrast two versions of fairy tale Cinderella. Students will write an expository paragraph describing the similarities and differences of the two texts and provide textual evidence for support.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with their teacher and their classmates to look deeply at chapter one from the book Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. Students will asked to answer discussio questions, determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, and make inferences about the main character. The lessons will end with the writing of an expository text and the main character's perspective.

Type: Lesson Plan

Learn how to identify relevant details in informational texts to answer questions and use text evidence to support your answers with this interactive tutorial. You can also practice making inferences based on the relevant details.

Type: Original Student Tutorial