Reading Lesson Plans [with Templates] for Elementary School Students

The reading skills learned in elementary school lay the foundation for the rest of a student’s education. So, it’s important students are receiving well-rounded English lessons that include lots of reading activities. 

If you’re looking for new reading lesson plans to add to your line-up this school year, you’ve come to the right place. 

We have free sample lesson plans for reading classrooms from grade 1 through grade 6. Each template includes a lesson objective and instructions. 

Feel free to tweak the activities to suit your reading students better. Each classroom is unique and you know your students best. 

Now, let’s get started with first-grade reading activities!

A new school year is here!

And that means it’s time to revamp your lesson plans. 

If you’re looking for math lesson plan templates for various elementary grades, you’re in the right place! We’ve created free sample math lesson plans for grade 1 through grade 8. 

Each of the lesson plans for elementary math includes:

• Learning Objectives
• Teaching Strategies
• Materials Needed
• Procedures and Activities
• Grading or Assessment 
• Goals for the End of the Lesson

This article will simply outline the learning objective and instructions for each sample lesson plan. If you want to read more, you can click the link at the bottom of each lesson plan.

Not a math teacher? Check out our free English lesson plans or reading lesson plans instead.

1st Grade Lesson Plan: Phonics Scavenger Hunt

Learning Objective: First grade students will improve their ability to recognize and associate phonetic sounds with objects. 

Instructions:

• Hide various objects or pictures around the classroom that correspond to different phonetic sounds (e.g., a picture of a cat for the "C" sound, a boat for the "B" sound).
• Explain to the students that they are going on a scavenger hunt to find items that start with specific sounds.
• Provide each student with a list of sounds. As they find an object that matches each sound, they write down the name of the object next to the corresponding sound on their list.
• Once all items are found, gather the students and review the objects and their sounds together.

1st Grade Lesson Plan: Story Time Puppet Show

Learning Objective: First grade students will develop a deeper understanding of a story by expressing their creativity and working with their peers. 

Instructions:

• Choose a simple, engaging story and provide materials for making puppets (socks, paper bags, markers, etc.).
• Read the story aloud to the class and discuss the main characters, setting and plot.
• Divide students into small groups and assign each group a part of the story to reenact using their puppets. Allow time for each group to create their puppets and rehearse their part.
• Have each group perform their part of the story for the class. After the performances, discuss the story as a whole and what students enjoyed about the puppet show.

2nd Grade Lesson Plan: Reading Relay Race

Learning Objective: Second grade students will practice reading with speed and accuracy, improving their reading ability while enjoying the excitement of a team competition.

Instructions:

• Select a few short, simple passages suitable for first-grade reading levels.
• Divide the students into teams and explain the rules of the relay race.
• Each team member takes turns reading a sentence or a short passage aloud as quickly and accurately as possible before passing the baton to the next teammate.
• After all teams have finished, discuss the importance of reading fluently and celebrate the effort of each team.

2nd Grade Lesson Plan: Reading Comprehension Bubble Charts

Learning Objective: Second grade students will work on remembering various parts of a story, increasing their reading comprehension skills. 

Instructions:

• Read a book such as "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" aloud to the class, showing the pictures as you go.
• After reading, discuss the story as a class. Ask students to help you identify the main idea of the story. Demonstrate how to write that idea in the middle of the bubble chart. 
• Encourage students to remember different events in the story, adding them as a bubble off the main idea. 
• Have students continue to add details and characters to the event bubbles. 

3rd Grade Lesson Plan: Borrowing in Subtraction

Learning Objective: Third grade students will confidently and accurately subtract two-digit numbers using borrowing and understand the borrowing process fully.

Instructions:

• Start with a quick review of basic subtraction without borrowing and introduce the concept of borrowing using a simple story.
• Demonstrate a subtraction problem requiring borrowing on the whiteboard, showing each step clearly.
• Move into guided practice with base-ten blocks or place value charts. Solve a few problems together as a class.
• Provide worksheets for individual practice with subtraction problems that require borrowing.
• Pair students up to solve word problems together. Encourage them to discuss each step of the process.

3rd Grade Lesson Plan: Vocabulary Bingo

Learning Objective: Third grade students will expand their vocabulary. They will be able to understand and use new words in context. 

Instructions:

• Create Bingo cards with vocabulary words that your students are currently working on learning (or, for an even easier option, use an online tool to generate these cards).
• Prepare a list of definitions or context sentences for each word.
• Distribute Bingo cards and markers to the students.
• Read the definitions or context sentences aloud. Students will mark the corresponding word on their Bingo cards.
• The first student to get a Bingo (a full row, column or diagonal) wins a small prize. You could also play ‘blackout’ where students need to fill every spot on their card. 
• Discuss the words and their meanings as a class after the game.

4th Grade Lesson Plan: Vocabulary Scavenger Hunt

Learning Objective: Fourth grade students will enhance their vocabulary and improve their ability to use context clues to decipher word meanings. They will also practice how to use a dictionary. 

Instructions:

• Provide students with a list of challenging words from the books you are currently teaching about.
• Ask students to find each word in the text and write down the sentence in which it appears.
• Using context clues from the sentence, students write down their inferred meaning of the word.
• Students then use a dictionary to find the official definition and compare it with their inferred meaning.
• For each word, students create a sentence of their own and draw a picture representing the word.

4th Grade Lesson Plan: Reader's Theater

Learning Objective: Fourth grade students will gain confidence in reading aloud and develop a deeper understanding of the story through dramatic performance.

Instructions:

• Choose a script based on a popular children's book or a story that the class is currently reading.Consider taking a poll to allow the students to pick the book. This way they will be even more excited to engage in the activity. 
• Assign roles to students, ensuring that each student has a part to read.
• Students practice reading their parts, focusing on expression, pronunciation and fluency.
• Students perform the script for the class or a larger audience, using simple props or costumes if desired.
• After the performance, hold a discussion about the story's themes, characters and plot.

5th Grade Lesson Plan: Book Club Discussion and Presentation

Learning Objective: Fifth grade students will develop a deeper understanding of literary elements. They will improve their ability to identify and present a book's themes, characters and events. They will also practice teamwork and communication skills.

Instructions:

• Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a book suitable for their reading level. Splitting students by ability level can allow you to pick a book perfect for challenging them without overwhelming them. 
• Each group will read their assigned book over a period of time that you decide on.
• After finishing the book, groups will discuss the following:
• Main themes and messages of the book
• Character development and relationships
• Key events and their significance
• Each group will create a presentation (using tools like posters, slides, skits or whatever else you like to use) to share their analysis with the class.

5th Grade Lesson Plan: Vocabulary Treasure Hunt

Learning Objective: Fifth grade students will improve their vocabulary knowledge and use context clues to understand challenging words in a text.

Instructions:

• Select a challenging yet engaging text for the class to read, such as a chapter from a novel or an excerpt from a non-fiction book.
• Provide students with a list of vocabulary words from the text, some of which are challenging or new to them.
• Create a "treasure map" worksheet where students must find and record each word's definition and use it in a sentence. Or you can add a creative element to this by having them draw a small illustration representing the word.
• Allow students to work individually or in pairs to complete the worksheet as they read through the text.

6th Grade Lesson Plan: Character Diaries

Learning Objective: Sixth grade students will gain a deeper understanding of character development and characters’ perspectives. They will also enhance their empathy and analytical skills. 

Instructions:

• Students pick a character from a book they are reading in class. Or you may choose to assign characters. 
• Over a week or so, students write daily diary entries from their chosen character's perspective. Each entry should be reflecting on events from the book. You can also choose to assign one journal entry for specific points they reach in the book, such as the end of each chapter. 
• At the end of the week, students share their diaries in small groups, discussing how their character's perspective might differ from others. Consider grouping students so that each group doesn’t have multiple students that picked the same character. 

6th Grade Lesson Plan: Theme-Based Creative Projects

Learning Objective: Sixth grade students will identify and analyze the themes of a story. They will then express their interpretations creatively.

Instructions:

• After reading a story or book, students identify its central themes.
• Students choose a creative way to express these themes—some options might be making a comic strip, creating a short video or writing a poem.
• Students present their projects to the class, explaining how their work represents the book’s themes.