1 Using Word Webs to Teach Synonyms for Commonly Used Words Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–7 Professional Commentary: Designed for use with English language learners, this lesson uses word webs as a tool to expose students to synonyms for common words. The teacher leads students in selecting synonyms that are appropriate for a given context and encourages students to use more descriptive words in written and oral language.... 2 Playing Around with Poetry Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: This resource provides a lesson plan for using poetry to discuss author's purpose, main idea, and use of figurative language. This instructional unit, maintained by the New Zealand Ministry of Education, allows students to read and discuss a wide selection of poetry and to write original pieces.... 3 She Did What? Revising for Connotation Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: Did she walk, skip, amble, dance? In this mini-lesson, students examine the simple sentence "She walked into the room." Students act out ways that the student in the sentence might enter the room, revising the sample sentence to increase the specificity of the word and explore connotation.... 4 Telling A Painting's Story Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: Created and reviewed by teams of educators, this writing activity describes a lesson in which students express their unique responses to art by writing stories inspired by paintings in an art museum. The lesson begins with a visit to a museum where students conduct a thorough observation of a painting and write a list of details... 5 Mystery Writing with Joan Lowery Nixon Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 4–8 Professional Commentary: This promising practice, part of Scholastic's Writing With Writers series, provides strategies for assisting students in writing mysteries. Designed for implementation within writing workshop, this resource includes a sample mystery, writing tips, strategies, and challenges to help students develop their own mysteries.... 6 Writing with Writers: Biography Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 3–5 Professional Commentary: This promising practice, part of a Scholastic's Writing with Writers series, provides strategies for teaching students to write biographies. Designed for implementation within writing workshop, this resource includes a warm-up exercise, genre-specific tips for biography writing, and an example of a biographical sketch.... |