"This Book Is Not About Drama" explores issues around storytelling, silent speech, writing and imagination and shows teachers how to use role play and discussion to build language experiences that are meaningful for learners. This authoritative resource is full of simple strategies that begin with the simple and evolve in to more complex…

The text samples presented in this document primarily serve to exemplify the level of complexity and quality that the Standards require all students in a given grade band to engage with. Additionally, they are suggestive of the breadth of texts that students should encounter in the text types required by the Standards. The choices should serve as…

This lesson plan contains poetry-related activities that aim to help students read and interpret English poetry, and write their own poems. The activities are introduced in each of the following parts: talking about poetry, understanding poetic devices, interpreting poems, using poetry for language acquisition, writing original poems, performing…

Presents suggestions for developing a thematic teaching unit to help students overcome fear by learning about the courage of survivors in literature. The article recommends reading a story aloud, discussing courage and survival of the characters, and developing group-guided reading activities that involve individual or group projects. (SM)

To develop an appreciation and understanding of poetry in young children (K-3), grade school teachers should consider choosing poems that appeal to children and implement an enthusiastic instructional poetry program that can make a positive impact on the students. Recent comprehensive studies of young children's concepts and attitudes about poetry…

Describes a continuum of types of drama activities to be used in second language learning. Activities near the top end of the continuum are more suitable for teaching the forms of the target language; activities near the bottom end are more suitable for teaching the functions of the language. (SED)

Presents activities for teaching two basic phonemic awareness tasks to young children who are learning to read. Oral blending exercises help children hear how sounds are put together to make words so they can begin sounding out words independently as they read. Oral segmentation activities help children separate words into sounds so they can build…

Argues that English teachers should expose students to the craft of play production. Suggests building a drama unit from the production approach and presents an example of such a unit. (FL)

This book provides 234 tested, easy-to-use exercises, games, and activities to help reading specialists and classroom teachers correct students' individual reading skill deficiencies at the primary, intermediate, and upper levels. The activities in the book are sequentially organized in the basic skill areas of phonic analysis, structural…

Developed by classroom teachers during the development phase of Minnesota's Graduation Standards, these performance packages are made up of locally designed assignments that, taken together, show whether a student has learned and can apply the knowledge and skills related to comprehending literal meaning in reading, viewing and listening…

A high school teacher tells how student talk became an integral part of her teaching program. She devised oral language activities, including reading aloud, debate, and small group discussions. She also rearranged the classroom to encourage discussion. Encouraging classroom talk led to improved writing skills. (SKC)

Written for teachers who are moving toward a greater use of literature for reading and writing instruction, this book discusses planning and implementing a reading and writing program for pupils that uses literature as a major component in teaching children how to read. Chapters in the book contain boxed sections with practical suggestions for…

Intended for preservice and inservice teachers, this book presents a collection of the best strategies and activities selected from "In the Classroom," a regular column of teaching ideas in the journal "The Reading Teacher" (October 1983 to May 1991 issues). Strategies in the book were selected for their proven effectiveness…

Outlines a dozen alternative formats for oral book reports that can turn this often boring ritual into an engaging learning experience. These creative formats emphasize the inherently important concepts of the books and build in listener accountability through authentic assessment. The formats include creating comic books, mock trials, and…

To prevent children with reading difficulties from thinking of themselves as failures, academic experiences must include projects that will motivate them to be responsible learners, enhance their self-concept, and reinforce all the language arts skills. One class of sixth grade students with reading disabilities made minibooks from greeting cards…