Browse lesson plans

Story shackles: Linking students to written text

Chain your students to reading a given text critically! Story Shackles is an imaginative and stimulating way for students to acquire the ability to retell events of a story or text, sequence the action or happenings in a story, or to simply summarize the plot, main ideas with supporting details, or general information of a story or text.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

By Kim Rector.

Storytelling with Cherokee folktales

This is a two day lesson pertaining to telling Cherokee folktales. This lesson can be modified and used with any folktale.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Ricky Hamilton.

"Twas the Night Before Christmas": Retelling through thinking maps

After reading and discussing “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” students will work together to create a Flow Map. Each student will then use the map they created individually to retell the story in his/her own words.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Arts)

By Amy Rhyne, Paulette Keys, and Sarah Carson.

Which word is it?

Students will determine the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using Context Clues, a dictionary, and structural analysis within a game format.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

By Donna Harkey.

Wolves: Comprehending informational texts

This integrated plan uses non-fiction text and wolves to motivate students with language arts and science. Students will read a nonfiction text and use metacognitive skills of guided reading and KWHL chart to monitor comprehension and extend vocabulary.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts)

By Amy Vance.

Resources on the web

Building reading comprehension through think-alouds

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, the teacher will model the think-aloud strategy for students. Studies have shown that the think-aloud strategy improves reading comprehension on tests. Components of think-alouds and type-of-text interactions will be... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Charting characters for a more complete understanding of the story

This ReadWriteThink lesson introduces the instructional strategy of Character Perspective Charting. This method is designed to reflect the actual complexity of stories that may not be reflected by the use of traditional story maps. A practical instructional... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Demonstrating comprehension through journal writing

In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students demonstrate comprehension by responding to open-ended questions based on the 1939 Newbery Honor chapter book, Mr. Popper's Penguins. Students draw from the text and their personal experiences to... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Graphing plot and character in a novel

Students graphically illustrate events in the plot of the story, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis in this lesson that analyzes sequences of events. The teacher introduces this lesson with... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Guided comprehension: Evaluating using the meeting of the minds technique

This lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of evaluating. Students learn how to evaluate information using the meeting of the minds technique, a strategy that teaches them to act out the opposing views of two or more... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Guided comprehension: Knowing how words work using semantic feature analysis

This lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of knowing how words work. Students learn semantic feature analysis, a strategy that teaches them to identify characteristics associated with related words or concepts. In... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Guided comprehension: Making connections using a double-entry journal

Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of making connections. Students learn the three types of connections (text-to-text,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Guided comprehension: Monitoring using the INSERT technique

Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of monitoring. Students learn the INSERT technique, which teaches them to monitor... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Guided comprehension: Self-questioning using question-answer relationships

Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of self-questioning. Students learn the types of question-answer relationships... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Guided comprehension: Summarizing using the QuIP strategy

Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of summarizing. Students learn how to summarize information using the QuIP (questions... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Guided comprehension: Visualizing using the sketch-to-stretch strategy

Based on the Guided Comprehension Model developed by Maureen McLaughlin and Mary Beth Allen, this lesson from ReadWriteThink introduces students to the comprehension strategy of visualizing using sketch-to-stretch, a strategy that teaches them to interpret... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 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–1 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Jamestown changes

In this lesson, students will study census data showing the names and occupations of early settlers of the English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, to discern how life changed in the Jamestown settlement in the first few years after it was founded. The... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Junie B. Jones introduces literacy mystery boxes

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, the teacher reads aloud the Junie B. Jones selection Junie B., First Grader (at last!). Students discuss the text with a partner, and then individually record key events from the story. Each student also... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Reading and writing workshop: "Freak The Mighty"

This lesson plan from ReadWriteThink is a novel study of Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. The lesson includes the modeling and practicing of specific reading comprehension strategies, vocabulary and word study, a figurative language activity,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink