Cluster 1: Text Types and PurposesArchived

This lesson introduces students to a young boy, Andy, who has autism. Students learn about common characteristics of autism and how to act when they want to make friends with a child who has a disability. The literacy standards that are included in this lesson are: asking and answering questions about text, retelling stories, demonstrating understanding of the lesson in the story, describing story elements using text and illustrations, and writing an informative piece.

Type: Lesson Plan

This close reading lesson addresses both literacy standards and the topic of disability awareness. Using the text, Be Good to Eddie Lee by Virginia Fleming, this lesson helps children understand why they shouldn't use hurtful words when talking about a child with a disability. It shows how children can learn important things from children with disabilities. Finally, it addresses the following literacy standards: asking and answering questions about text, retelling a story, determining the lesson learned in a story, identifying story elements, and writing an opinion piece.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Little Red Hen is a classic folktale that children always enjoy. Students will be exposed to new vocabulary, identify story elements, and then write a paragraph retelling the story. There are certainly some important lessons learned by the characters in this folktale. Students will identify the moral of this story and add these lessons to their writing.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this reading lesson, students will fall in love with the engaging book Koala Lou by Mem Fox. Through several readings, the students will increase their comprehension of the text by identifying and describing story elements, learning new vocabulary, and thinking about the moral of the story. Students will use their imagination to rewrite the ending of the story wondering what would have happened if Koala Lou she did win the race.

Type: Lesson Plan

Did you know that chickens are amazing animals? You will after reading the book, From Egg to Chicken by Gerald Legg. Students will identify nonfiction text features, answer text-dependent questions, and sequence the life cycle of a chicken. They will then compose an expository piece of writing about what they've learned in during these reading lessons.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this MEA lesson plan, students will work on their map skills while they practice collecting data in categories, representing data using pictographs, and interpreting data in pictographs to solve a problem. Students will read and/or listen to the story Clifford Takes a Trip. After discussing the story, they will then plan a trip for Clifford to visit the great state of Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explore different types of habitats and what animals need to live. This lesson begins with a read aloud of the text The Magic School Bus Hops Home: A Book about Animal Habitats and the class will collaboratively make an anchor chart about the diverse habitats we have on earth. Students will choose an animal to research and write an expository writing piece to share their learning. This research project will conclude with students showing their creativity by making a diorama of their habitat out of a shoebox.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this reading lesson, the students will analyze the poem "It Fell in the City" by Eve Merriam. They will read the poem, identify words or phrases that show feelings or appeal to the senses, describe the place in the poem and add drawings to express their feelings. They will also write an opinion paragraph about how the poem made them feel after reading it.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will listen to the poem The Quarrel by Maxine Kumin. They will analyze the story it tells, comparing and contrasting the characters' opinions and recording their findings on graphic organizers. They will write a paragraph retelling the story and explaining the moral or lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

During this reading lesson, students will analyze the text Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. The students will determine the moral or lesson of the story, be exposed to new vocabulary, and demonstrate knowledge about the character, Chrysanthemum. The students will choose one character trait of Chrysanthemum to write about using textual evidence. This writing can be attached to an art project celebrating this wonderful story about friendship and believing in yourself.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will listen to readings of Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns to Listen by Howard Binkow. They will complete a story map, a character analysis, and answer discussion questions. Students will be led to understand the change that the character makes and the lessons learned. Students will write an expository text to respond to a prompt while demonstrating grade-appropriate grammar, conventions, and spelling.

Type: Lesson Plan

Enjoy sharing this enchanting Asian folktale while introducing your primary students to close reading. This story is filled with rich vocabulary and detailed describing words that allow students to interact with context clues and text-evidence to produce a character comparison. Students will be excited about the multi-tiered activities and extensions that will keep their interest throughout the entire lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

Your class will enjoy reading The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant. Through several readings, the students will increase their comprehension of the text by focusing on the story elements, discussion questions, and by composing a personal narrative after making connections to their own lives.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the teacher will guide the students through two readings of Little Bear's Friend. Students will identify new vocabulary words, practice identifying story elements, and analyze characters in the story. For independent practice, students will write a letter responding to the letter written to Emily in the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

Your primary students will love this magical adventure with Possum Magic by Mem Fox. This wonderful Australian folktale shares delicious academic vocabulary that allows students to interact with context clues and discussion questions throughout the story. Students and teachers alike will be charmed by multi-tiered activities and extensions that will keep their interest throughout the entire lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the teacher will guide the students multiple readings of Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel. This will be done as a read-aloud. Students will practice identifying story elements and learn new vocabulary words. For independent practice, students will retell this delightful story through writing.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will enjoy listening to Unlovable by Dan Yaccarino and think deeply about the moral of this story. In addition to participating in a story mapping activity, students will answer discussion questions about the story to gauge their comprehension and expand their vocabulary. This set of lessons will be concluded with students writing an opinion piece about Unlovable’s biggest lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the students will listen to the teacher read aloud the folk tale The Little Red Hen. The students will collaborate with their teacher and peers during a close reading in order to determine the story elements and the moral or lesson that the story teaches. The students will work in pairs to describe the characteristics of the Little Red Hen and write a sentence about it.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will use details from the story It's Mine! by Leo Lionni to describe story elements, determine unknown words, and understand the moral or lesson of the text. This will be done with teacher support, in pairs, and by working independently. The lessons will conclude with a piece of opinion writing to show students’ perspective on the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this reading lesson, students will identify and describe story elements and retell the major events in the story Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes. Students will also identify the moral or the lesson learned in the story and write an opinion paragraph about the main characters as they explore the concept of bravery.

Type: Lesson Plan

During these lessons, students will read two stories: The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Students will complete a variety of activities to help them identify the story elements and compare and contrast the two main characters of the story. Students will write an opinion piece explaining which version they think is the real version.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page to identify the main topic and relavant details. Students will complete a 3-2-1 card, a group poster and presentation, and an independent expository writing piece to demonstrate their new learning about some amazing animals.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the teacher will read the book Katy No-Pocket by Emmy Payne. Through separate readings of the book, students will identify new vocabulary and practice identifying story elements. For independent practice, students will retell the story by writing a narrative that offers a new and different solution to the main character's problem.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be amazed by the book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. This book will encourage students to ask questions about interesting animals and learn many new facts. For the summative assessment, students will gather additional information about their selected animal and write an expository paper.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this reading lesson, students will analyze two characters from the same book, Toot and Puddle by Holly Hobbie, and identify their similarities and differences. Students will compare themselves to one of the characters and write a paragraph describing their chosen character and how they are similar.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be engaged with the adorably illustrated and written children's book, Mr. Duck Means Business. They will discuss the story elements, practice retelling it, and create an expository writing piece about how the main character changed from the beginning to the end of the book.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the students will listen to the teacher read aloud the fable The Tortoise and the Hare. The students will play a story cube game to record the story elements of the beloved fable, study the main characters, and write an opinion piece on which character they would be friends with and what they would do.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with the text Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. They will identify and describe the characters, settings, and major events using a graphic organizer. The students will then have an opportunity to retell the story by recalling the sequence of events. Finally, the students will write a narrative of the text using their own words to explain what happened first, next, then, and finally to the peddler.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about story elements as they describe the characters, settings, and events from Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin. Students will be dectectives as they use the text to help them learn new vocabulary words and have a chance to get creative as they write a new ending to the original story.

Type: Lesson Plan

After students read the delightful book Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, they will discuss the story elements and retell this tale. As the teacher guides the class through activities and discussion, students will learn about the significance of memories and the importance of friendship. The students will write an opinion piece about their definition of a memory.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this reading lesson, students will complete activities centered around the text, What Plants Need. Students will identify the topic and multiple details, answer discussion questions, and write an expository paragraph about what they have learned.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the teacher and students will read the engaging book First Day Jitters by Julie Danneberg. They will identify and describe the story elements in the illustrations and text and analyze the author's use of specific words to suggest the main character's feelings. Students will write an opinion paragraph in response to a prompt about the book using text to support their opinion.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will participate in multiple readings of the text A Tree Is a Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla, They will complete a K-W-L chart about trees, answer text dependent questions in pairs, and learn about the parts of a paragraph when writing their own expository text. This paragraph will include a topic sentence, supporting details, and a conclusion. This lesson provides great background information and extension activities to support learning in science as well as reading!

Type: Lesson Plan

The teacher will read the stories The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle and Chameleons, Chameleons by Joy Crowley. Students will use the texts as research to answer and discuss the question, “What kind of habitat is good for chameleons?” Students will be assigned to write an expository response about a chameleon’s habitat and draw a habitat for a chameleon.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this MEA the students are to decide what criteria is the most important for a company to consider when choosing life jackets. Students will use data tables of qualitative information to solve the problem.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will complete a KWL chart about bears with a few bear hunts in between. After they learn about topics and details, they will read a book about bears. Using their knew knowledge they will write a five-sentence paragraph. This paragraph will contain a topic sentence, three facts, and a closing sentence. Students will be given a checklist to assess their work.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson focuses on using text features to understand nonfiction text, specifically the Scholastic News Nonfiction Reader: Helping Out by Peggy Hock. The students will examine the particular text features found within the text and will organize the information read in a concept map. They will then use the concept map to write an expository paragraph about ways we can protect Earth.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn about the important jobs of the community helpers in their city or neighborhood. After reading Whose Tools Are These? and Helpers in Your Neighborhood, they will write an expository paragraph about a helper of their choice.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will engage in questioning activities as they make predictions throughout the story Bad Kitty by Nick Bruel, using text evidence to support their predictions. Students will write an opinion response stating their prediction of what will happen at the end of another teacher-chosen story.

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

This unit focuses on using text features to understand non-fiction text, specifically National Geographic Reader: Frogs! by Elizabeth Carney. The students will participate in a whole group activity where a portion of text will be analyzed for its topic and details and the teacher will write a paragraph about it using shared writing. The students will then apply the skills they learned as they create a topic and detail table and write an expository paragraph.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn laws of the classroom and community all while determining the main idea.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will identify story elements. The students will also create a story map within a group and then work independently to write their own narrative using the story elements. They will edit and revise their narratives with a partner and after teacher conferencing.

Type: Lesson Plan

Feeling the Fall is a lesson that incorporates fluency, the five senses, and writing all in one. Students will work cooperatively to perform a play on fall, practicing fluency, accuracy, and expression. Then students will explore the fall season using their senses, integrating science standards into academic standards reading. Finally, students will have the opportunity to write about the fall season and publish their writing using technology.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students learn about forces on objects such as a push or a pull. Students interact with items in their classroom testing pushes and pulls. Students explore the strength of pushes through a toy race investigation.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explore the stars in the sky using observations with our eyes and observations with hand lenses. Students will also explore folktales of how the shapes in the stars came to be.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will use biographies to research individuals important to American history. The students will then create "Clue Bags" based on key details about the different individuals to present to the class with the question "Who Am I?" Additionally, the students will use the key details selected for the "Clue Bags" to write an expository paragraph about their selected individual.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson focuses on writing a summary using the topic and relevant details through the reading of a nonfiction text on bird beaks.

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 identify the text features of non-fiction books and use several informational texts on meat-eating plants to answer text dependent questions. Students will become "text detectives" and learn how to use the text to find the evidence to prove that their answers to questions are right. The students will learn to use evidence from informational texts to write explanatory paragraphs.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches main idea and details incorporating a science lesson on liquids.

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 present their opinion through drawing, writing and speaking. Students will enjoy discussing their favorite animals, pizza and cake. Students will learn about self-expression and the different ways to present their opinion.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will work with two texts, Starfish by Edith Thacher Hurd and Discovering Starfish by Lorijo Metz. As they learn facts about starfish, they will also discuss an important text feature that readers use. Students will write an expository paragraph about starfish to culminate their learning.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will retell the major events of the story Jamaica and Brianna by Juanita Havill. Students will then use details from the story to identify and explain the moral or lesson learned from the story. This lesson can follow as lesson 2 in a series using the same text.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches main idea and details incorporating a science lesson on matter.Teachers will utilize a KWL chart to help assess students' background knowledge, as well as what they want to learn, and what they have learned at the end of the lesson. An informational text entitled What is the World Made of? All about Solids, Liquids, and Gases will be used throughout the lesson. As a summative assessment, students will write a summary which identifies the main idea and key details from this text.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson focuses on using text features to understand nonfiction text, specifically the National Geographic Reader: Polar Bears, by Laura Marsh. The students will use a text features anchor chart to support student understanding of how these features contribute to the meaning of a text. Students will read and take notes to answer specific questions about the text and use those notes to write a paragraph about polar bears.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read two versions of the classic fairy tale, the Three Little Pigs, as they identify and describe the characteristics of the wolf character. They will then complete a Venn Diagram to determine the similarities and differences in the characteristics of the two wolf characters. Students will complete a writing response that describes the wolf characters evidence from the text and providing a sense of closure.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson teaches the concept of main idea and details and writing informational/expository text using science content on solids.

Type: Lesson Plan

This teaching idea describes a project called Fruit and Vegetable Mystery, which is a set of note cards created by first grade students. The cards include a written description of a fruit or vegetable on one side and the name and illustration of the corresponding fruit or vegetable on the other. The cards were created as a final product for an expedition on plants and soil.

Type: Teaching Idea