English Language Arts — Kindergarten

Mud feels good!

Students will listen to Mud Walk by Joy Cowley. Students will experience and describe mud using a bubble map to record their responses. Students will create a class book using chocolate pudding to imitate mud.

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts and Science)

By Amanda Mcalpine, Carol Elliott, and Ginny Devine.

Look and listen: Exploring the five senses

This group of shared reading lessons is based on the book Look by Jillian Cutting. They are designed to be used as a part of an integrated classroom unit on the five senses.

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts)

Resources on the web

Writing poetry with rebus and rhyme

This ReadWriteThink lesson uses Jean Marzollo's book I Love You: A Rebus Poem (Scholastic, 2000) as a model to use rebus writing to create wonderful poetry; however, any of the rebus books included on the accompanying book list would be appropriate... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using a predictable text to teach high-frequency words

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students develop fluency as they participate in a choral reading of the predictable text. After reading the story, students construct sentences using the words found in the predictable text. Students then have the opportunity... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Telling a story about me: Young children write autobiographies

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students learn to develop ideas collaboratively, plan writing projects before executing them, and compose sentences related to a specific topic. The lesson teaches these skills while drawing from the lives of first- and second-grade... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Stop signs, McDonald's, and Cheerios: Writing with environmental print

Students read words found on everyday objects and use them to identify individual letters in this lesson that teaches alphabet recognition and initial reading skills. First, the teacher uses packaging and logos from common products to encourage students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Shhh! Bear's sleeping: learning about nonfiction and fiction using read-alouds

The teacher introduces students to many different genres of literature in this lesson that explores the differences between fiction and nonfiction. After reading “Big Paws,” the teacher engages students in a discussion about bears and creates... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts and Science)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Reading illustrations

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students explore how illustrations contribute to the telling of a story. Students will: create illustrations to accompany text. “read” a variety of illustrations for information. convey... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Learning centers: From shared to independent practice

To become proficient at any skill, hands-on practice is necessary. This ReadWriteThink lesson provides a framework for using a shared reading experience to introduce independent literacy learning centers. Teaching students to work independently is critical... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Integrating Language Arts Using "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"

This lesson from ReadWriteThink uses Laura Joffe Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie to combine word-skill work with prediction and sequencing practice. Students learn about cause-effect relationships during a shared reading of the book.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Improving fluency through group literary performance

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, Bill Martin Jr.'s picture books provide opportunities for students to hear fluent reading modeled then to join in the readings through literary performance. Students participate in shared and choral reading, as well as... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

I know that word! Teaching reading with environmental print

In this lesson, teachers activate prior knowledge with students by presenting examples of popular signs, labels and logos. After identifying the main word in the logo, they locate the same word in black and white print. Students finish the activity by reading... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Growing readers and writers with help from Mother Goose

This ReadWriteThink lesson will help children grow as readers and writers using the familiar words and characters of nursery rhymes. Children will be encouraged to connect the characters with letters of the alphabet, letting them serve as hooks to help... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Creating a wall story

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students create a wall story as a means of retelling a story. After hearing a picture book read aloud, students sketch their favorite part of the story. The pictures are shared with and sequenced by the class. Gaps in the storyline... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Connect with low-literate families: A three-tiered approach

This ReadWriteThink lesson involves giving children from low-literate families stories to read at home to enhance the home-school connection. Following Smith and Piper's three-tier scaffolding model, the teacher prepares students to read the story unassisted,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–2 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Bingo! Using environmental print to practice reading

Students review familiar logos and images as a class, and then use the logos and images to create their own Bingo cards, which they read with a partner. After playing a Bingo game where they match images to images, they play by matching the logos on their... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

A bear of a poem: Composing and performing found poetry

Following a read-aloud of one of the Berenstain Bears books, the teacher challenges students to extract words from the text in order to create a collaborative class poem, which students perform for an audience. This lesson... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink