Curated OER
Photographic Memories
Explore how photographs can represent a whole story to a viewer. Middle schoolers work on narrative writing techniques in this lesson, focusing on photographs from the New York Times to write first-person descriptive narratives....
Curated OER
Bird Brilliance!
First graders explore natural resources and search outdoors to find materials to create a bird's nest. In this bird's natural resources instructional activity, 1st graders listen to a book about birds and reflect on the various things...
Curated OER
Describe and Compare: Teacher Edition
Note: This is the teacher's guide to Pimsleur's French lesson called "Describe & Compare." The guide discusses the lesson's purpose, objectives, and designed learning outcomes. It presents information on each of the activities the...
Curated OER
Description Quiz
Several things are missing in each picture, can you identify the missing objects? There are two descriptions here: one for a landscape, and the other shows a classroom setting. After reading the descriptions of each (in French), your...
Curated OER
Visualization: Cricket in Times Square
After reading The Cricket in Times Square chapter titled "Caught in the Kitchen," learners list three describing details about the characters and setting. Groups collaborate to find sensory details to support their character assertions....
Curated OER
Descriptions with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Explore famous artists of the Spanish-speaking world to practice describing things. The kids will identify the color each picture uses, whether figures are large or small, what the people look like, etc. Then, read The Very Hungry...
Curated OER
Same Setting, Different Moods: Voice and Word Choice Using Lord of the Flies
Whether it's dark, delightful, or somber, set the mood with William Golding's Lord of the Flies. High-schoolers practice descriptive writing by creating the appropriate mood for an original scene, starring one of the book's main characters.
Curated OER
Character Analysis Chart
This versatile graphic organizer could be used alongside any novel, poem, play, or story through which your class in studying character. Class members can get characters straight or describe particular characters in more detail with this...
Curated OER
The Stuff of Stories: Using Museums to Inspire Student Writing
Middle schoolers write descriptions, narratives, and dialogues based on objects of art and time periods in a museum. They base several writing assignments on art objects and paintings, including a literal description and an emotional...
Curated OER
Memoir
After reading and analyzing two narrative memoirs, middle schoolers engage in a variety of activities, including writing an essay, developing a story map, and creating character charts. They then compare and contrast story maps, and...
Curated OER
A PLAY ON WORDS
After making predictions about Janell Cannon's story Verdi, middle schoolers read through the book and make a new list of descriptions, personality traits, etc. They select an animal and write a narrative story about the animal, paying...
Curated OER
Using the Senses to Write Descriptively
Students write descriptive paragraphs using adjectives based on the use of their five senses. They use sensory impressions to improve their writing.
Curated OER
Friendly Idea Webs
Students examine methods of creating an idea web. In groups, they create a coding system that represent various categories and then design an idea web about one person in the group by listing words that describe the person. Students...
Curated OER
Eyes That Talk
Students explore their personal strengths and characteristics and write a short description of themselves. Afterward, they create a dramatic self-portrait with an expression that identifies who they are. Students fill the areas around...
Curated OER
Sensory Visualization chart
In this sensory visualization worksheet, students are provided with spaces to record their senses after a teacher has given them a visual prompt.
Curated OER
Commas in a Series; Making an Advertisement!
Language arts learners practice using commas in a series while designing their own advertisement! This creative assignment calls for learners to create their own visual advertisement describing a product of their choice. Their poster...
Curated OER
Route 66 Vocabulary
In this Route 66 instructional activity, students match vocabulary words about Route 66 to their descriptions. Students match 10 vocabulary words.
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 8: Setting and Mood
What mood does this story evoke? How are setting and mood linked? Young novelists explore the different emotions brought about by writing, starting by journaling things that inspire their own feelings. Examine the word mood, looking into...
Curated OER
Describing the Planets
Young Spanish language learners review the names of each planet. Then, in pairs, they work to complete the chart provided. What is the composition of each planet? What is the color? They learn how to describe the planets.
Curated OER
Show, Don't Tell: Details to Make Writing Come Alive
After each of three viewings of a 45-second video, aspiring writers employ vivid adjectives and precise, strong verbs to "show, don't tell." First they compose a single sentence, then three, and finally a five-sentence paragraph. Repeat...
Curated OER
Describing Words
First graders practice using describing words. In this descriptive word lesson, 1st graders read the story The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs and match the pig descriptions to their names. They play a game where they describe an object...
Curated OER
Advanced Practical Writing - A Letter to your Landlord
Looking for a letter writing worksheet? This worksheet provides a practical and realistic activity for your class. Learners write a brief letter to their landlord, who can be either real or imaginary, asking him or her to fix a problem...
Curated OER
Eating Patterns
Students sort through pictures of food to create patterns as they pertain to geometry. In this geometric patterns lesson plan, students relate to food as concrete objects that represent geometric patterns. Students recognize and describe...
Curated OER
Using Graphology to Teach Traditional Writing
Introduce your class to the narrative, descriptive and expository forms of writing. In groups, they discuss the personality of the author while graphing the characteristics after reading different examples from the same writer. To end...