Curated OER
Let's Go Exploring!
Use a Courbet painting of a cave or tunnel opening to reinforce the importance of descriptive writing. Writers of all ages use sensory details to describe what the scene depicts as they pretend to be in the painting. Then they imagine...
Curated OER
My Alphabetical Autobiography
Design a pictorial autobiography using the letters of the alphabet. For each letter, writers select visual images that represent life events and interests. Younger writers add words or sentences of explanation while older writers narrate...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 6: Introducing the Elements of Plot-Part Two
November is National Novel Writing Month, so if your young authors are embarking on this journey, be sure they understand plot elements. This collaborative lesson fits into the context of the larger NaNoWriMo project; however, the ideas...
Nosapo
The Gifts of Wali Dad: A Tale of India and Pakistan
It is more blessed to give than receive. A story about Wali Dad opens a collection of character-based reading passages from authors such as Leo Tolstoy. Vocabulary words and discussion questions enhance the text.
National Park Service
Petrified Forest National Park
Poetry Soup, a reading and writing unit constructed by the Petrified Forest National Park, will have scholars hungry to learn about nature. The cross-content unit contains topics related to history, science, and language arts. Content...
Listening Library
The Sign of the Beaver
Extend a class reading of the novel The Sign of the Beaver across all subject areas with this literature unit guide. From basic discussion questions and writing prompts, to a research project about tracking animals, this resource offers...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Using Maps to Inspire Personal Narratives
A solid description of one way to teach narrative writing, this resource outlines the writing process from concept to completion. Class members create concept maps of moments in their lives and follow the writing process to publish their...
PBS
Shakespeare & The Renaissance: Activity Ideas
Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.
Curated OER
Writing a Personal Narrative
What is the difference between a news story and a personal narrative? This plan has learners write a personal narrative using the topic of service projects in their community. Consider completing a cross-curricular extension by bringing...
Curated OER
Choose Your Words Wisely
Improve word choice! Writers use dictionaries and thesauruses to aid them in choosing exciting words to incorporate in their writing. They rewrite sentences and practice identifying words that can be replaced using a better word. Flip...
Curated OER
Descriptive Prompt: Precise Language
Incorporate sensory details into a piece of descriptive writing. First, elementary and middle schoolers improve a piece of writing by using precise, vivid language, as well as appropriate word choice. They then listen to a variety of...
Curated OER
Think of an Ending
Good endings are hard to find. And write. This, the final instructional activity in a six-part series devoted to study of the ingredients of a good story, focuses on crafting endings. Class members draft ideas about what should happen to...
Curated OER
Video Biographies
Who was Alexander The Great? How did Abraham Lincoln’s early life influence his political life? Learners select a historical figure to use for video biography. After developing research questions and collecting information, pupils search...
Curated OER
Ancient Cultures News Broadcast
How does geography influence daily life? Guided by an essential question, class groups select and then research an ancient culture, and develop a news broadcast about the geographical setting and its impact on the culture. Teams select...
Curated OER
That's The Story!
Images can inspire powerful writing. Engage your class in narrative writing with the idea included here. Individuals each snap a digital photograph that includes action. The teacher then mixes these up and hands each class member a photo...
Curated OER
Just Lookin' For a Home
What is a boll weevil? Your class can find out that and more by following the activities included here. Pupils read an article, sing a boll weevil song, add to the song with their own original lyrics, illustrate the song, study the...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Showing Creative Problem Solving
After reading excerpts in which Buck solves a problem in Jack London's The Call of the Wild, students write their own three-paragraph animal stories imitating London's style and word choice. Teacher and student instructions are provided...
Daily Teaching Tools
Daily Teaching Tools: Flow Charts for Sequencing
This Daily Teaching Tools resource provides a graphic organizer. Students will be able to write a sequence of events more efficiently by using this tool.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Introductions
This tutorial focuses on introductions; it lists and explains three common components of introductions: motivator, thesis, and blueprint. It provides a sample introduction with commentary showing each of the parts. It discusses the...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: I've Been Assigned a Paper, Now What?
This tutorial focuses on selecting and narrowing a topic for a literary paper. It offers a flow chart of the writing process and two videos brainstorming topics using a web-style graphic organizer for each of two novels: "To Kill a...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Outlining Plot
This video tutorial focuses on outlining plot; it explains that we outline plot as a way to analyze it; to analyze plot, focus on main events and interaction involving main characters. It offers three methods for outlining plot:...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Write an Expository And/or Procedural Text (English 6 Writing)
You will learn how to write an expository/procedural text with a variety of sentence structures, rhetorical devices, transitions, appropriate facts, and details.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Write a Personal Narrative (English 7 Writing)
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] A learning module that teaches students how to write a personal narrative with five mini-lessons: Introduction, The Plan, The Hook/Introduction, The Body/The Story, and The...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Writer's Model: Autobiographical Narrative Example
This four-page essay provides an example of an autobiographical narrative. Clicking on the "Writer's Guide" link in the upper right-hand corner of the page enables the user to get tips, directions, and explanations on the essay.