A lesson focused on identifying central ideas and supporting details in nonfiction animal texts, culminating in a student-created wildlife research bulletin board.
A comprehensive set of foundational literacy materials focused on 27 key sight words and nouns, covering word recognition, handwriting, sentence structure, and phonics.
A 3-day post-reading project where students analyze character traits (3.8A) and plot influence (3.8C) by creating a collection of 'Westfield All-Star' character trading cards.
A 3-day post-reading project where students become investigative journalists for 'The Lincoln Ledger,' covering the national sensation of the word 'frindle' and the 'war' between Nick and Mrs. Granger.
A literature-based ELA lesson for 4th grade focused on empathy, vocabulary, and perspective using R.J. Palacio's 'Wonder'. Students explore the concept of being 'ordinary' versus 'extraordinary' while building core literacy skills.
A cumulative review of all R-controlled vowels (ar, or, ore, er, ir, ur) through games and mixed decoding practice.
The final common /er/ spelling, 'ur' as in 'surf' and 'burn'. Practice with all /er/ variations.
Learning the /er/ sound spelled with 'ir' as in 'bird' and 'dirt'. Comparing with 'er' words.
Focusing on the /er/ sound as in 'fern' and 'her'. Introduction to the first of the three common /er/ spellings.
Learning the /or/ sound at the end of words with the 'ore' grapheme, like 'shore' and 'more'.
Exploring the /or/ sound as in 'fork' and 'storm'. Students learn to identify and decode words with 'or'.
Introduction to the /ar/ sound as in 'star' and 'park'. Students practice blending and reading words with the 'ar' grapheme.
Focuses on synthesizing context clues and morphological knowledge to master complex semantics.
Focuses on deepening glossary skills and applying word parts to solve unfamiliar vocabulary.
Focuses on using simple context clues, glossaries, and basic prefixes to determine word meaning.
A lesson focused on identifying themes in classic fairy tales through text evidence and guided analysis for elementary students.
A lively, kinesthetic lesson where K-3 students personify punctuation marks through movement and creative writing to understand how they shape the voice of a sentence.
A 3-day post-reading project where students follow in Nick Allen's footsteps to invent their own word, create a marketing campaign, and document its 'dictionary-readiness'.