Curated OER
Context Clues, Plot Structure, Conflict, and Personal Narrative Essay
What are the elements of a personal narrative? Get your class talking by reading "The Necklace" and "A Dangerous Game." The lesson focuses primarily on defining certain vocabulary terms (like context clues, plot, conflict, climax, etc.)...
Curated OER
How Much, How Fast, How Far?
Students investigate the concept of the number one million. In this number concepts lesson, students read the book How Much is a Million? and brainstorm questions, such as "how many leaves are on a tree" and "how many hairs are on your...
Curated OER
A Colony is Born : Lesson 5 - Dear Mem
Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...
Curated OER
Spinning My Tale
Begin writing personal narratives in this writing activity. Junior high writers start by writing a journal about their favorite holiday. They read a book at their skill level and use graphic organizers to record their ideas for writing....
Curated OER
Student Opinion: Who Inspires You?
Inspire your class to write about role models and personal heroes with this resource from The Learning Network. Class members read a New York Times article excerpt about basketball star Jeremy Lin and how he inspired the author. After...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 7
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take your class on an underwater adventure. The final installment in a seven-part series involving salt and freshwater bodies takes junior oceanographers below the surface in...
Curated OER
"It's All About Grandma Chic": Reading Informational Text
This New York Times "Learning Network" exercise on reading informational text poses 6 questions about a high-interest article on teen fashion. The article meant to be review with is resource, "More than meets the iPhone Lens", is rather...
Curated OER
Getting to Know You
After going over the five steps of the writing process, pupils fill out "Getting to Know You" worksheets. They trade papers with each other, and have the task of writing a descriptive paragraph about the person whose worksheet they...
Santa Ana Unified School District
Lord of the Flies Unit
How does a society influence and shape individuals? Class members ponder this essential question as they read Lord of the Flies, as well as primary source materials about the historical background of the novel. As a final assessment,...
Santa Ana Unified School District
The Giver
Wouldn't it be great to live an a community without pain, without danger? Such a society is the goal of the community in The Giver. Using Lois Lowry's dystopian novel as the core text, class members read primary source materials about...
American Museum of Natural History
Planetary Mysteries
A website all about planetary mysteries—it's a one-stop-shop for all things, stars, planets, and space travel. Scholars read an astronomy overview to discover the page's big ideas, then choose from the plethora of resources, including...
Judicial Branch of California
Separate But Equal - Is It Black or White?
The story of Ruby Bridges and the case of Brown vs. The Board of Education are fantastic tools for discussing the concept of separate but equal. Kids tackle some big questions about what is fair, what is civil, and what rights or laws...
Crafting Freedom
Harriet Jabocs and Elizabeth Keckly: The Material and Emotional Realities of Childhood in Slavery
Through the journals written by Harriet Jacobs and Elizabeth Keckly, young readers gain insight into the lives of two enslaved children on nineteenth-century plantations.
Curated OER
Sight Word Journal writing
Students write an original journal of words they can read. In this sight words lesson, students draw pictures and write words they recognize in their personal journal.
Curated OER
Discovering the Journal of Augustus Pelletier
Students explore journals. In this Discovering the Journal of Augustus Pelletier lesson, students read the historical fiction book and conduct research activities to validate events in the plot that reflect the Lewis and Clark...
Curated OER
Journal of a Virtual Expedition
Young scholars journey with Lewis and Clark. For this literature lesson, students read The Journal of Augustus Pellitier-The Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804. Young scholars keep a journal in the persona of a member of the expedition crew.
Curated OER
Journal Writing Ideas
Students choose a topic from a list to write a journal entry about. For this journal writing lesson, students use one of the ideas included in the comprehensive list of ideas when they cannot think of a topic to write about. They write...
Curated OER
Weather Observation Journal
Learners research weather patterns. In this weather lesson, students read Chester Noongwook's Rules of Weather Observation and keep a weather journal for one month. Learners observe the weather patterns throughout the month.
Curated OER
Pre Reading Strategies
Students use their journals in order to predict what will happen in a text for a prereading strategy. In this prereading lesson plan, students list the 5 strategies they learn and use them before they read.
Curated OER
Corduroy Activities
Students use corduroy to make a creative name board. They are read to from a corduroy book and draw pictures based on what they heard.
Curated OER
Mountain Man Measurement Activity
Fourth graders discover the history of the Utah Mountain Men and utilize their math skills simultaneously. In this cross-curricular history and measurement lesson, 4th graders read about the Utah Mountain Men and the challenges they...
Curated OER
Charlotte's Web
Fourth graders focus on fluency by reading the book Charlotte's Web. In this reading strategies instructional activity, 4th graders partner read, do guided reading, and independent reading to increase fluency. Students use Venn Diagrams,...
Curated OER
Unwrapping Reading
Guest readers rip off the holiday wrapping paper and read aloud the book inside! The teacher prepares for the activity by wrapping a variety of books in wrapping paper. Guest readers are invited to unwrap a book and read aloud to the class.
Curated OER
Trouble With Trolls
Students listen to The Trouble With Trolls and discuss fables. For this story elements lesson, students work on reading skills. Students participate in different reading activities.