Curated OER
Animal Sounds
Students listen to books about animals. In this animal sound and characteristics lesson plan, students listen to books and a tape of animal and then identify which animal makes that sound. Students discuss and act out how the animal acts.
Curated OER
Writings on a River
Students identify words that can be used to describe Mark Twain's character Tom Sawyer. Students explore stage production of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by reading and discussing "An Older (and Calmer) Tom Sawyer". They develop their...
Curated OER
Was Goldilocks Innocent or Guilty?
Fourth graders act out a mock fairy tale trial. They use a fairy tale like "The Three Little Pigs", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Hansel and Grete"l, and/or "Little Red Riding Hood".
Curated OER
Decisions: Action or Apathy
High schoolers examine the issues of action versus apathy as related to life pressures, values, consequences and career decisions. They read poetry, short stories and plays and respond to issues personally, critically and creatively.
Curated OER
Creative Caribbean Story
Students read stories about the Caribbean. They write about the Caribbean lifestyle. Students write their own stories of the Caribbean, using facts and researched information.
Curated OER
Events Leading to the Indian Removal 1830-1832
Students consider the effects of Indian Removal on the Cherokee Nation. In this American history lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Students write short stories that detail the...
Curated OER
Telling a Story Through Dance
Students explore how to tell a story through dance. For this dance lesson, students watch Swan Lake and choose a story of their own to show through dance.
Indiana University
World Literature: "One Evening in the Rainy Season" Shi Zhecun
Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...
Curated OER
Portrait of a Place, Portrait of a Family
Learners act out stories based on lives of famous people from Harlem. In this memoirs lesson plan, students compare the life of the people in Harlem in 1930 to the people of today. Learners explore how "home" is different for different...
Curated OER
Learning to Give
Students study philanthropy and point of view while reading the novel Gentle Annie. In this point of view instructional activity, the learner writes a persuasive letter from a character in the novel. Students work in small groups to act...
National Endowment for the Humanities
On This Day With Lewis and Clark
Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...
Scholastic
Identifying Types of Irony Using "The Gift of the Magi"
O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" is the classic example of irony in literature. Teach young writers about the ways irony can engage their readers with an activity in which they write scripts using dramatic irony, situational irony, and...
Curated OER
Animal Actions
First graders act out a story. In this animal actions lesson, 1st graders listen as a story is being read and performs movements to represent the animals described.
Curated OER
Dramatizing Folktales, Legends and Myths
Students read different folktales from Native American cultures. They work together to act out different scenes. They discover the difference between folktales, legends and myths.
Curated OER
Fibers and Fabric
High schoolers are introduced to a variety of different fibers. After acting out a short story, they discover how yarn and basic weaves are made. To end the lesson, they practice making their own weave pattern using paper strips and...
Curated OER
Giving with Imagination
Demonstrate gift giving as an act of caring about someone versus gifts for show (or gifts from the purse). Elementary learners practice giving gifts from the heart by creating a poem for someone special to them.
Curated OER
Writing Lesson Plan: Stop and Go: Capitals and Periods
Examine writing using a fun, interactive format. Young writers choose a piece of their own writing to proofread for initial capitals and final periods they left out. They work independently using green stickers to add capitals and red...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas
You can keep this printable idea sheet and use when you're in a tight spot. It contains cross-curricular ideas that span every subject while relating to the African tale, "Anasazi the Spider." Learners will act, write, move, count, and...
Curated OER
Science Fiction
Students complete compare and contrast activities for two stories about racism and tolerance in the science fiction genre. In this literary analysis lesson, students read a Ray Bradbury short story and Walter Mosley poem, watch a related...
Curated OER
Modern Issues
Ninth graders examine how modern issues of the world affect their lives. They listen to a lecture about the differences between developed and developing countries, act out physical representations of charts and pictures on the overhead,...
Novelinks
So Far from the Bamboo Grove: Visual Vocabulary and List-Group-Label
To make vocabulary words drawn from So Far from the Bamboo Grove memorable, class members select a word from the provided list and incorporate this word in a joke, story, or performance.
PBS
Using Primary Sources: Nazi Spy Ring Busted
Spy games are not just for professionals anymore! Scholars use short video clips, primary documents, and photographs to investigate Nazi spies in America during World War II. The young detectives analyze the paranoia warfare can create...
Curated OER
Mother's Day Story Time Activities
Students examine all of the jobs a mother does. In this Mother's Day instructional activity, the teacher read the book Five Minutes' Peace, then students brainstorm a list of things their mother does. Students role play the job of a...
Historical Thinking Matters
Scopes Trial: 5 Day Lesson
Did Scopes violate the Butler Act? Why did so many Americans follow the Scopes trial? See analytical reading in action with a fantastic five-day lesson plan in which class members consider the historical context that provoked public...