Here is a mini-lesson plan to go with the free music file: Pause & Play ‘Jiggles’, which contains two pieces featuring the double bass. The first piece is called ‘Pickles’ and is performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Marc O’Connor. The second is called ‘Running’, written and performed by Adam Ben Ezra. ‘Pause & Play’ Music Appreciation mini-lessons are made for elementary-age students and their teachers or parents. Download the free basic file here: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12556504

Draw a snowflake with six long arms and six short arms - then decorate it using your own style! This drawing exercise requires a pencil, ruler and protractor.

Do you have a student who loves bugs, and is ready to read more advanced English? This story will stretch a 9 to 10 year old’s English reading abilities while entertaining them with thoughtful insect stories by the famous creator of ‘Doctor Dolittle’. In thirteen chapters, read about a water beetle who travelled across the ocean on a duck’s foot, a wasp who decided the victory of a battle, and other curious anecdotes. Thomas Stubbins, the Doctor’s young assistant, describes how he and Doctor go about ‘listening’ to insects and learning from their very different lives. Young readers will expand their reading abilities while being introduced to such concepts as ‘intuitive’ knowledge. Hugh Lofting writes with both humour and thoughtfulness as he examines life from a bug’s point-of-view! Following each chapter are three reading comprehension questions to be answered in a separate notebook, in complete sentences. There is also a list of five words from the chapter: the student should copy them into the blank space provided, and learn to spell them. Finish up by colouring a simple insect drawing! (There is one drawing at the end of every chapter.)

Naya Nuki is an excellent adventure and survival novel based on true and remarkable events. It is suitable for students age 9 to 11. The main character is a real person, a Shoshoni girl who quite incredibly escaped capture by an enemy tribe and made her way alone on foot back to her family. The book relates how she successfully journeyed 1000 miles (just over 1609 kilometres) across what is now the northern United States. She safely navigated a wide variety of terrains, found food, coped with wild animals, avoided capture by hostile tribes, and fended of loneliness. Her story is known thanks to a surprising coincidence – she was best friends with the renowned Sacajawea. The story of Naya Nuki has been retold by Kenneth Thomasma, an expert on wilderness survival. It is a good choice for young readers because the descriptions of wilderness and survival tactics within it are accurate. In addition, Naya Nuki is portrayed as a brave, resourceful and inspiring person. Her story is uplifting and interesting. Contents • reading comprehension questions for each of 15 chapters and the epilogue • images of a buffalo hides for each chapter, both small and large, labelled and plain • instructions for multiple ways to use both the questions and the hides A map showing Naya Nuki’s route is included in the published book, which must be purchased or borrowed separately as it is protected by copyright. Contact information for the author is included which will enable you to purchase the book at a reduced rate, procure signed copies, and enjoy free shipping!

Summarise and Describe! The student will read a piece of descriptive and thoughtful writing by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), called ‘A Winter Walk’. Several topics for essays are suggested. The student will read and reread the text, taking notes as needed for the chosen subject. Then, they will compose a simple essay (detailed guidelines included). This assignment will take at least one week to complete. Text: A Winter Walk The author writes in the first person, describing a long winter walk through a wooded area with few human inhabitants. He describes what he sees and feels while walking, and also his innermost thoughts and musings about the nature of life, wilderness, and humans’ place within the world. This text is descriptive and pensive. TIP! This may be a good choice for a student who has an interest in philosophy or who enjoys the peaceful side of nature.

Defend your opinion! Read a description of a visit to Athens in the late 19th century (included). Follow detailed guidelines to take notes, organise those notes, and write a five paragraph essay which describes why visiting Athens would be interesting - or boring! Defend your opinion by focussing on one of several suggested themes. (Examples: because Athens’ architecture is linked with Greek mythology, or because Athens is located in a beautiful place, or because famous ancient Greeks lived in Athens, or because most of the monuments are in ruins, etc.) This assignment will take at least one week to complete. Text: A Glance At The Site And Antiquities of Athens The author writes a first-hand account of visiting various ancient sites within Athens, with the intent of recommending the place as a fascinating destination for North American tourists. The author describes the importance of the sites historically, as well as their links to Greek mythology, and refers to the size and atmosphere of the places as well. The text dates from 1873 and is a charming example of the type of laid-back, informed travel that was in vogue in that era. TIP! This may be a good choice for a student with an interest in Greek mythology or the ‘Percy Jackson’ series.

‘Hearne’s Incredible Overland Journey’ is the second chapter of Stephen Leacock’s ‘Adventurers of the Far North’, which contains accounts of the historic voyages to the northern regions of what is now Canada. This chapter describes the three amazing overland journeys made by Samuel Hearne on behalf of the Hudson’s Bay Company, in search of a copper mine and a Northwest Passage. Though neither was found, Hearne’s adventures, as recounted in his own journal in detail (and quoted in Leacock’s book), became an iconic account of northern survival. It also offers descriptions of encounters with First Nations that provide unique food for thought, as they reveal the widely varied behaviours of these people toward one another and toward Europeans. The tone of the writing is neither formal nor chatty, but invites the reader to take an interest in a topic for which the author evidently had a genuine passion. Contents This book contains chapter two from ‘Adventurers of the Far North’. For study purposes, it has been divided into 12 short sections, each 1-3 pages long. After every section there are: 10 reading comprehension questions about the text, to be answered after reading that section. These are meant to help the student to remember and understand important facts. at least 2 questions under the heading ‘Thinking About the Details’. These ask that the student find a specific small segment of the text which has been underlined (page numbers are given) and answer pointed questions about that small piece of writing. These questions focus on writing style, word choice, intent and tone. Sometimes the student may be asked to verify facts. The purpose is to encourage the student to think critically about history and historical writing. After the main text and assignments there is a blank map of Canada, which can be used by the student to make a visual representation of what they have learned from reading and thinking about ‘Hearne’s Incredible Overland Journey’.

Summarize! The student will read a text about iron bridge building. Their essay will be a summary of one aspect of iron bridge building described in the text. The student will read the text, choose a topic (one of eight that are suggested), reread the text and take notes, and prepare a five-paragraph essay on their chosen topic. Detailed instructions are included. Text: Iron Bridges And Their Construction Edward Rowland describes the process of building iron bridges at the end of the 19th century. First he writes about bridge construction in general, referring to important accomplishments in that field from earlier times. He then describes in detail how iron is prepared when it will be used for bridge-building. He ends with a brief description of how an iron bridge is assembled. TIP! This may be a good choice for a student with an interest in 19th century literature or the Steampunk movement.

Compare and Contrast! The student will read two short stories about space travel, written in the 1950’s (included). A list of relevant themes for a ‘compare and contrast’ essay is included. The student will choose three themes that they feel are interesting, and write an essay in which they briefly address how those themes are important to each story. Detailed guidelines are given. This assignment will take at least one week to complete. Stories: . . . So They Baked A Cake A bitter, hardened journalist joins an elite space crew for an experimental voyage into deep space, a daring mission to find a planet that humans could colonize. They are travelling at one tenth the speed of light but the journey will still take 42 years one way in Earth time. The protagonist’s pessimism about humanity, and the crew’s growing despair due to the implications of the ultra-fast travel, are both confounded by an unexpectedly happy conclusion to their journey. The Lonely Ones A space crew is on an exploratory mission to find life on another planet – human or alien, they don’t care which. Discouraged by the lifeless landscapes of the planets in the solar system, they finally reach a new planet and land. Faced with an advanced society in which they will be treated as insignificant underlings, they decide to continue their journey further into space, though in a changed frame of mind. Note: The stories contain mild expletives, such as ‘what the hell’, and include mature themes such as references to drinking alcohol. TIP! This may be a good choice for a student with an interest in science fiction or futuristic literature.

The rich descriptive language in this gentle fairy-tale by classic children’s author Walter de la Mare is balanced by a simple and unique story. Read a page a day and answer five reading comprehension questions in a notebook of your own (29 pages and 145 questions in total). If your child is ready to read more advanced English, but not old enough for the mature content of classics like Treasure Island, ‘A Penny A Day’ is a good choice. Excerpt: ‘Whenever Griselda had time to herself, which was very seldom, she would climb up by the broken weed-grown steps to the very top of the Castle tower, and sit there looking out over the green cliffs and the vast flat blue of the ocean. When the sea-winds had blown themselves out she would search the beach for driftwood in the thin salt spray blown in on the wind, the only human creature to be seen. And the sea-birds would scream around her while the slow, toppling Atlantic breakers shook the earth with their thunder.’

Do you have a student who loves dogs, and is ready to read more advanced English? This story will stretch a 9 to 10 year old’s English reading abilities while entertaining them with interesting and witty dog stories that are easy to love (no serious drama, deaths or abuse by humans in this book). This is an original animal story by Hugh Lofting, author of the famous Doctor Dolittle books. In twelve chapters, read about Quetch, a dog who set out to seek his fortune. Thomas Stubbins, the Doctor’s young assistant, faithfully writes down the story, which is told in Quetch’s own words. See the world from an intelligent dogs point-of-view! Following each chapter are three reading comprehension questions to be answered in a separate notebook, in complete sentences. There is also a list of five words from the chapter: the student should copy them into the blank space provided, and learn to spell them. Finish up by colouring a simple dog drawing! (There is one drawing at the end of every chapter.)

This collection of French texts contains fourteen selections on the subject of ‘cats’, taken from Champfleury’s ‘Les Chats – Histoires, Mœurs, Observations, Anecdotes’ published in 1869. (Please note that although it dates from a previous century, the language remains appropriate for French written style.) Each two-page piece of writing addresses a specific topic in a thoughtful manner. Following each selection are: four reading comprehension questions, a dictée, phrases to translate, room for a vocabulary list and a place to write a ‘résumé’ of the text. The selections may be completed in any order – each one is unique and an effort has been made to avoid any repetition of vocabulary in the lists of phrases, so that a student may use this entire collection and continue to learn with each new topic.

Here is a delightful, old-fashioned book for young readers. The narrative introduces the reader to many wildflowers by taking them on a little tour of Willow Farm. In a gentle conversational style, Mr. Cooke describes where the flowers grow, gives their names, and draws attention to notable features (petal colours, leaf shape, etc.). He also presents a very manageable handful of scientific terms. Drawings of the flowers – some colour and some black and white – help to entertain and inform as you read. This book is an excellent introduction to botany for young people, being neither too simplistic nor overly detailed. It is suitable for young readers who will benefit from beginning to read longer texts; the format focuses on reading more than writing. The book has been heavily edited for use here. It is now in fourteen short chapters. Following each chapter are four to six very simple reading comprehension questions which need not be answered in full sentences (single words or short phrases will do). At the end there is Vocabulary List, as well as some decorative pages; the student may want to label the flowers and hang the pages on a wall, as a pretty reminder of what they’ve learned. You will learn about wildflowers in general (common to the Northern Hemisphere), and about specific plants as well. Enjoy a pleasant ‘tour’ of an old farm, guided by a teacher whose love of flowers and respect for his readers shines through the pages. Once you’re done, you will very likely be able to recognize a number of common wildflowers the next time you take a walk in a natural area.

About This Book ‘Great Elizabethan Navigators’ is the first chapter of ‘Adventurers of the Far North’, which contains accounts of the historic voyages to the northern regions of what is now Canada. This chapter describes the earliest quests to find a ‘Northwest Passage’ by European explorers such as Frobisher and Davis. Leacock explains the political and business reasons for the men’s journeys, and also gives short but interesting accounts of the voyages themselves, in some cases referring to journals as first-hand sources. These are short histories, but they are thorough. A student will be familiar with major dates, events and personalities after working through each text. The tone of the writing is neither formal nor chatty, but invites the reader to take an interest in a topic for which the author evidently had a genuine passion. Contents This book contains chapter one from ‘Adventurers of the Far North’. For study purposes, it has been divided into 6 short sections, each roughly 3 pages long. After every section there are 10 reading comprehension questions, which the student may answer as they read or after reading the previous section. These questions are meant to help the student to remember and understand important facts. There are also at least two questions under the heading ‘Thinking About the Details’. These ask that the student find a specific small segment of the text which has been underlined (page numbers are given) and answer pointed questions about that small piece of writing. These questions focus on writing style, word choice, intent and tone. Sometimes the student may be asked to verify facts. The purpose is to encourage the student to think critically about history and historical writing. After the main text and assignments there is a blank map of Canada, which can be used by the student to make a visual representation of what they have learned from reading and thinking about ‘Great Elizabethan Navigators’.

Summarize and Describe! Here are three first-hand descriptions of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, from ancient to modern times. With detailed guidelines suggesting how to proceed, the student will read the texts, choose an essay topic from several suggested, take notes, organise those notes, and write an essay. This assignment will take at least one week to complete. Texts: Letters of Pliny Pliny was born in 62 CE. He witnessed an eruption of the famous Mount Vesuvius, which he describes here in two detailed letters to a friend. Buried Cities: Pompeii, Olympia, Mycena, by Jennie Hall Written in 1922 by a History and English teacher, this text describes Mount Vesuvius first-hand according to various different sources, from ancient times to the early twentieth century. Mount Vesuvius, by Edwin J. Houston Written in 1907 by a professor, this text offers interesting information both about Mount Vesuvius’ eruptions and the cities and people affected by them. TIP! This may be a good choice for a student with an interest in Roman history, or geology.

Compare and contrast! Here are two true stories of survival and rescue. With detailed guidelines suggesting how to proceed, the student will read the texts, choose an essay topic from several suggested, take notes, organise those notes, and write an essay. This assignment will take at least one week to complete. Stories: Tracks In The Bush An Australian ranch-worker goes missing, and three Europeans, along with six blacks, trek through the bush to rescue him. The tracking abilities of the blacks consistently astonish the narrator. He also describes the intense natural surroundings and the challenges, on a human level, that are faced by all involved. The Marvellous Ice-Drift of Captain Tyson This early attempt to reach the North Pole failed. The voyage nonetheless left its mark on history when the captain and crew were forced to abandon ship and live on an ice floe for 196 days in the middle of the Arctic winter. German sailors, an American cook, and a group of Inuit faced deadly conditions together. Under the leadership of Captain George E. Tyson, not one person perished. Note: To the best of my understanding the use of the word ‘black’ to refer to the indigenous peoples of Australia is preferable to them to the word ‘Aborigine’. Thus, the original term has been left unaltered in the text. If I am mistaken and have caused offense, please let me know! TIP! This may be a good choice for a student with an interest in outdoor adventures such as hiking, camping or rock-climbing.

Here are six pieces of writing about Chinese Dragons, and six different writing assignments to go with them! Themes include: Dramatic Dragons, Foolish Dragons, Dragons in Mythical Tales, Dragons and the Seasons, and Dragons & Treasure! Writing assignments vary – from writing a clear summary to letting your imagination run wild, from describing dragon treasure to trying to imagine how a dragon could ‘fit in’ with your own cultural traditions. A traditional Chinese paper cutting of a dragon is included to be used as decoration on the student’s notebook. Stories are taken from anthologies of Chinese folktales. Literature & Composition collections are suitable for students who are ready to read and study different types of literature in small quantities. For example, instead of an entire novel or scholarly work, a small sample of each (which can stand on its own) will be presented. This way, the intermediate student has an opportunity to stretch their reading abilities without being discouraged. Each book contains six different writing samples which share a common theme. The writing assignments vary in length and are intended to inspire the student to try writing in different forms and styles.

Imagine that you have stumbled upon an old, leather-bound book in the dusty corner of a library. You crack open the cover and discover a real piece of history: a well-loved text that has been forgotten for many years. It is both a history book, and a historical artifact. ‘A Short History of the World’ begins with a description of the very beginnings of life on our planet, and continues by describing pivotal moments and important people all the way up to the twentieth century. It includes information about various cultures, in addition to predictable topics such as ancient Greece, etc. It is written in many short chapters which contain plenty of intriguing ‘look-what-I-found-in-the-back-of-the-natural-history-museum’-type black-and-white photos. The history of the world is a big topic, easily overwhelming to any reader; here H. G. Wells (1866-1946) tells a story that is easy to understand, entertaining, and memorable. Use this book as an introduction to world history that offers older students a good look at the big picture, as well as interesting and important details. You will be exposed to ways of thinking and writing that are now called ‘old-fashioned’, but were the foundation upon which modern scientific and anthropological studies were built. The assignments that follow each chapter will help you to learn to think critically, to examine facts, to identify ‘concepts’ and ‘opinions’, and to do some research. You will read about history and hone your observational and philosophical skills as well. Learn about history by reading a piece of history! Contents: The complete original text ‘A Short History of the World’ by H.G. Wells; a reading comprehension sheet following each of the 67 short chapters asking the student to identify from that chapter: a concept or opinion a fact that is certain a doubtful fact (which must be briefly researched) an important date and relevant event and an outdated word or phrase Appendix One contains larger version of each of the maps in the book. Appendix Two contains possible essay topics and extra assignments.

This collection contains 27 stories and poems on the theme of ‘Winter’ (including one or two selections suitable for Christmas and New Year), and a handful of ‘Winter’ colouring pages from Medieval woodcuts. Following each selection is a Topic of Discussion: a question which requires the student to think about one element of the text they just read, to form an opinion about it, and to express and defend that opinion. Younger students will benefit from the effort spent reading (either in their head or out loud) and then speaking with a parent/teacher or in a classroom setting about the Topic of Discussion, in a free style. Older students can benefit from using the Topic of Discussion as a starting point for a written assignment. I recommend that the older student state clearly what their point of view is, and defend it in one or two paragraphs. This will be good practise in defending an argument, a skill which becomes useful for essay-writing assignments in upper grades. The exercise of writing clearly and stating a coherent defense will prove a worthy challenge, even for pieces of writing which have simpler themes. Note: These selections are suitable for students in elementary or middle school, but are not presented in any specific order. Different texts may be better suited to older or younger students: a parent or teacher should always preview each individual piece of writing to make sure it is appropriate for a specific age group.

‘Dark was falling from a dull and humid sky, and the lamps were beginning to struggle for brightness in Piccadilly, when the opal of Carmalovitch was first put into my hand . . .’ Written in an engaging style similar to that of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (author of the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ mysteries), these stories feature the entertaining experiences of a jeweller with a knack for solving mysteries, which he encounters as part of his unique position as a friend both to the wealthy and to the police. They will be of interest to readers who relish a certain Victorian type of atmosphere and plot that includes a fair amount of character study - in addition to being entertaining, they offer instructive food for thought regarding how greed and vanity affect human character. Contents Six of the stories from the original collection are included here. Following each story are four possible assignments that focus on descriptive writing and research. The student may complete as many of them as the teacher sees fit. The themes of the assignments are: a creative description of a place or concept a creative character description a long writing assignment involving retelling part or all of the story and a research assignment related to the story (on the topics of jewellery, safes, precious stones, etc.). The student may also find themselves inspired to write their own mystery, in which case they can refer to Pemberton’s stories (or the plot summaries) for inspiration, their own completed assignments for ready character descriptions and accurate research, and the tips in the ‘Write Your Own Mystery, Tips and Worksheets’ appendix for guidelines and worksheets to help with planning and writing! Bonus! Now includes a quick-reference sheet of images of precious stones, so students can keep an image in mind as they read. Note: This resource might be a good choice for National Storytelling Week (30 January - 6 February).