Curated OER
Create Your Own Country Project
Young scholars demonstrate their knowledge of geography with this fun, collaborative social studies project. Working in small groups, students develop their very own countries, writing descriptions of their physical location, social...
Anchorage School District
Hints for Writing a Conclusion
Writing the conclusion of an essay can often seem like a superfluous or daunting task. Support your young writers in understanding the various types and purposes of a conclusion paragraph, such as summarizing key points of a paper or...
University of Arizona
Language Registers
Do you speak to your parents the same way you speak to your friends? The differences between formal and informal language are highlighted in this exercise. Groups are asked to select a scenario and script different dialogues that might...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Light Is
Young scholars explore the properties of light. In this light lesson, students investigate visible light by viewing a website, examining an electromagnetic spectrum chart, and observing light demonstrations. Young scholars write about...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Water Cycle Animation (A lesson involving handheld computer/Palm Pilots)
Fifth graders animate the Water Cycle using Sketchy on the handheld computers. They write an expository paragraph about the stages of the water cycle using "Word-to-Go" on the Handheld computers.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Writing With Scientists
After students investigate a topic through research, hypothesizing, observing, and experimentating, teachers can use this lesson to help their students prepare short science reports and publish them online. The Writing with Scientists...
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: Trailblazing Conclusions
This tutorial focuses on conclusions for expository writing. It discusses the purpose of conclusions, what should be included, and ways to conclude.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Write an Expository And/or Procedural Text
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] You will learn how to write an expository/procedural text that synthesizes ideas from several sources.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Purposeful Paragraphs on Memorable Teachers [Pdf]
How can we use questioning to create lead sentences and details in order to create a purposeful paragraph? This PDF lesson offers an organization technique that asks young scholars to pre-plan paragraphs by brainstorming interesting...
ACT360 Media
Writing Den: Paragraphs
How do you write a paragraph? Use this site to learn more about the different parts of a paragraph.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Expand Story or History Text Based Dialog[pdf]
Students will use graphic organizers to help them make inferences about historical figures' feeings and motives. Students will summarize the information during an extension activity.
Education Development Center
Tv411: Summarizing
This activity asks students to read short paragraphs and select the statement that best summarizes each paragraph. It is part of a larger reading unit.
Read Works
Read Works: The Scientific Method
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text explaining the five steps of the scientific method. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Writing Good Endings
This lesson plan explores endings and conclusions to children's literature in an attempt to teach how to successfully write a good ending. Included in the lesson plan are an overview, practice, objectives, resources, preparation, and more.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Can Infer About a Story or an Event [Pdf]
Students will use this graphic organizer to help them make an inference about a story or an event. Students will list the literal text evidence and then make an inference about the text evidence.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: The Leprechaun Companion
In this lesson, 5th graders will explain the meaning of a text and its genre, summarize it, and draw conclusions. They work with a book called The Leprechaun Companion which is a cross between informational and literary text.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Closing Up Our Writing by Summing Up the Main Ideas
In this lesson, 5th graders will write a strong concluding paragraph that summarizes the main ideas of a research essay.
Other
Frist Art Museum: Before We Visit the Museum [Pdf]
In this lesson, 5th graders are asked to examine the rationale behind a class visit to a museum or other cultural center, what happens during such a trip, and why museums have rules in place for their visit. After exploring images of the...
Organization for Community Networks
Organization for Community Network: Writing Successful Paragraphs
How can you learn to write a successful paragraph? This site features a lesson plan to help your students sharpen their writing skills.
Scholastic
Scholastic Instructor: Puzzled Over Paragraphs?
Here is an excellent list of ideas for teachers to utilize in their classroom to accompany paragraph writing skills. These creative and exciting activities will sharpen your student's writing abilities.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Better Living Through Science
This lesson involves research on scientists whose accomplishments have impacted areas of nutrition, sanitation, or health care. Students will research an area of their choice, record information on a graphic organizer, and use the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Narrative Paragraphs
Learners learn to use a one-main idea Think-sheet for producing a narrative paragraph. [Requires Adobe Reader.]
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: A Left Brained Writing Prompt: The Start and Stop Game: Clauses
To use this writing prompt generator, click on the button until you find a subordinate clause that inspires a description or a poem in your mind. Sometimes just one good clause can put a whole story idea in your head! The object of every...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Hamburger Paragraph Template for Students [Pdf]
This is a PDF hambuger template (graphic organizer) to help students organize and write stronger paragraphs.