Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Constructed Response Organizer [Pdf]
This graphic organizer contains questions for students as they analyze a constructed response question. Students will read the question closely and use this planning tool to plan constructed responses. This graphic organizer is a...
George Mason University
George Mason University: Writing Across the Curriculum: Teaching With Writing
Find a rationale, practices and strategies, and resources for incorporating writing in all areas of the curriculum. Learn how to write clear assignments and some methods to make grading of writing more efficient and effective....
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Guide Nonfiction Reading
This site contains 17 nonfiction articles that are appropriate for students with a 6th grade reading level, as measured by the Fry Formula. Questions for each passage are provided. These graphic organizers are copyrighted and may be used...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Effects of Tobacco
This instructional activity engages students in learning about the negative impact of tobacco. Students will demonstrate their learning by writing what they have learned on hearts that will be strung together and displayed. Students will...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Cloud, Rain, and Fog
During these three days of lessons, 2nd graders will learn about weather from the nonfiction text by asking questions, and focusing on the text features of the book.
Utah Education Network
Uen: 1st Grade Act. 17: Observing Plants Through a Journal
This lesson engages students in learning about plant growth. Students will observe changes in a growing plant and then will write in their discovery journals to write observations and hypotheses about the plant growth. Students will also...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Utah Act. 03: Just a Minute
Using the tradebook Just a Minute by Teddy Slater, 2nd graders will learn about what is needed for a healthy body. Students will draw and illustrate a book that will teach other about short activities that will support a healthy body.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Enlightening Explorations
This lesson engages students in making observations about different features of light. Students will circulate in different light stations, reflect on what they have observed, and then write about what they learned.
Colorado State University
Colorado State University: The Wac Clearinghouse
Although this site is primarily designed for instructors at the post-secondary level, the information and suggestions given can also be used, with only minor changes, at the high school or middle school levels as well. Learn ways for...
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Mona Mesa: What Is Your Opinion? [Pdf]
For this lesson, 1st graders look at a print of "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo DaVinci and talk about what they see, searching for visual clues to help them form an opinion. They discuss the importance of portrait paintings during the...
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Self Portraits With the Touch of a Finger [Pdf]
In this lesson, students will explore self-portraiture by looking at classical portrait paintings, such as Diego Velazquez's La Infanta Margarita or Raphael's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione. A close look at these works reveals...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Animals of the Chinese Zodiac
This site from EDSITEment provides a fun look at the Chinese culture by examining the animals of the Chinese Zodiac and the traits of the Chinese calendar.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Extended Writing to Learn Strategies
Writing enables students to process, organize, formulate, and extend their thinking about what they have been learning. In addition, teachers can also assign writing to help students evaluate what they know and understand about a topic....
Wisconsin Response to Intervention Center
Wisconsin Rt I Center: Writing to Learn [Pdf]
Teachers will learn how to use Writing to Learn as a formative assessment tool. Teachers will learn how to implement the strategy, measure progress, and find research to support writing to learn. A list of Writing to Learn activities is...
PBS
Pbs Kids: Plum Landing: Favorite Place in Nature
As an extension to the "Favorite Place in Nature" episode of PBS Kids' Plum Landing, students will draw a picture to communicate a message about their favorite outdoor place. Students will draw on the site's blank canvas and then publish...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Summarizing Mathematical Learning With the Important Book
In this lesson, The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown is used as a mentor text. Students will create an illustrated paragraph about a particular math topic. Students will use the mentor text and attempt to adapt the author's style to...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Summary and Paraphrase: Tutorial
In this slideshow tutorial, students are provided with notes that distinguish "summarizing" from "paraphrasing" content. Examples of effective summaries and paraphrases of text are provided. Then students have the opportunity to engage...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Vocabulary Magic
Using the book Farmer Duck, this lesson will take words that are unknown to students and teach students how to determine their meanings. This will help open up the world of reading to students.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Looking at Writing: Kindergarten
In this section, you'll find writing assessment resources, writing strategies, and additional tip sheets for teachers and parents on how to help kindergarteners build strong writing skills. You'll also find video on teaching writing....
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Launching Young Readers: Episode 12: Growing Writers
Find video excerpts from this program on how to build students' writing skills. Includes links to recommended resources and transcripts for the videos.
Daily Teaching Tools
Daily Teaching Tools: Academic Tips to Help Kids Learn to Be Effective Students
This how-to page provides tools to help students be engaged in their classes. Strategies for listening, notetaking, and planning for classes are shared.