Curated OER
At the Crossroads
Third graders explore where South Africa is and then research details about the country to fully assess the background to the book, "At the Crossroads." They receive a map of Africa and color in the country of South Africa and list five...
Curated OER
Secret Stories: Exploring the Elements of Folktales and Fables
Students are introduced to the characteristics of fables and folktales. In groups, they read and identify the various elements in the stories they read from around the world. For each story, they analyze the setting and the various...
Curated OER
Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Students examine the life and works of Theodor Seuss Geisel. In groups, they compare and contrast the stories, characters and illustrations he used. They complete a book review on one of the books and share them with other students in...
Curated OER
Tantalizing Tangrams
Young scholars construct a set of tangrams. In this geometry lesson, students read the book, Grandfather Tang's Story and retell the story using tangrams. Young scholars construct their own set of tangrams using the included worksheets.
Curated OER
Wycinanki and Polish Folktales
Learners, with the use of the Internet among various other resources, research/locate Polish folktales and re-tell the Polish folktales in their own words. In addition, they examine the art of Wycinanki, Polish paper cutting.
Curated OER
Author Study
Learners examine and identify the characteristics of the different genres of literature. After being read and reading various stories, they identify how different books by the same author carry the same story elements. They discuss how...
Curated OER
Biographical Time lines
Young scholars create a time line. In this biography lesson, students define biography and autobiography and then read short examples of each. Young scholars create a time line using a read aloud.
Curated OER
Book Club Sheet
For this "book club" worksheet, students complete a sheet on a book they bring to the "book club." Students fill in basic information about the book, then information about characters, scenes, genre, etc.
Curated OER
Let's Go On A Bear Hunt
Students work together to complete a research project on bears. Using the Internet, they answer questions they have about bears and reinforce what they already know. They compare and contrast different species of bears and bears in...
Curated OER
Fact or Fiction
Learners explore journalism by reading a book in class. In this factual research lesson, students read a portion of a Magic School Bus book and identify parts that seem to be factual and fictional. Learners view an episode of the Magic...
Curated OER
Amazing Autobiographies
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience. They apply knowledge of language structure,...
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Babar's Travels
Students read the story The Story of Babar and have a class discussion about his travels, discuss their families, design a map, pick music, and more. In this cross curricular musical lesson plan, students create a music map for each of...
Curated OER
Reviewing Literary Elements
Students identify the elements of fiction, and work on compare and contrast skills.. In this comprehension instructional activity, students read different versions of Cinderella. Students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Using Literary Elements to Compare Fiction Texts
Students explore language arts by reading and reflecting on literary examples. In this fiction writing instructional activity, students read several different cultural versions of the story "Cinderella" and discuss their interaction with...
Curated OER
Cooperative Jigsaw Expert Report of Fables
Pupils research literary elements of fables. In this literature instructional activity, students analyze literary elements of fables. Pupils work collaboratively using a jigsaw strategy to analyze literary elements.
Curated OER
Sum Stuff
Students are introduced to informational text. Students explore nonfiction as a genre. They identify the components and text structure of text nonfiction. Students read a nonfiction passage and write a summary of the passage.
Curated OER
The Malnourished Paragraph
Pupils revise writing to improve style, word choice, sentence variety and subtlety of meaning after rethinking how questions of purpose, audience and genre have been addressed. They recognize the importance of details in writing.
Curated OER
Coyote and Anansi
Students explore the structure of folktales. In this coyote and Anansi lesson, students discuss the attributes of folktales as they read versions of tales featuring coyote and Anansi. Students collaborate to write and perform their own...
Curated OER
Break the Pentomino Code!
Students read and analyze the book, Chasing Vermeer. They discuss the main story elements, analyze how pentominoes are important to the story, use a pentomino code to decipher a message, and create a secret code of their own.
Curated OER
Comparing Fairy Tales
Students read and review common fairy tales and come up with a list of characteristics from them. The Teacher models filling out either a compare & contrast graphic organizer comparing two fairy tales.
Curated OER
Historical Fiction: A Wealth of Interpretations
Students read a book from the Dear America series and contrast different points of view. They respond to the book either by participating in a literature circle or completing a journal entry. They compare and contrast two books or a...
Curated OER
The Poetry of Woody Guthrie
Students develop oral fluency through reading and singing. They sing "This Land is Your Land" and discuss what the pictures and words mean in the song. They connect the song and poem and previous learning and write a journal.
Curated OER
Word Wizard
Students make magic wands to become word wizards who add the magic "e" to word with cvc patterns. They make reading cards, and a multimedia presentation show the use of the word patterns.
Curated OER
Dinosaurs
Students will develop goals for inquiry. They will also improve content area reading and research skills. The context of studying dinosaurs will help learners to distinguish from organisms that live presently and those from the past...