Digital Writing and Research Lab's – Lesson Plans
Teaching Close Reading through Short Composition/Revision
This activity may have writers evaluate short compositions, but their subjects are quite tall: great Americans. Pupils read one another's compositions and closely examine how specific phrases and diction contribute to shaping American...
Curated OER
PowerPoint Presentation of Fudge Comic Strips
Fourth graders create comic strips for presentation to the class. They make drawings, record them digitally, transfer them to a KidPix program and then arrange them in a PowerPoint presentation in a comic strip format.
Curated OER
A Feat of Daring with Lewis and Clark Jeopardy
Sixth graders discover the exploration of the United States by participating in a class activity. For this U.S. History lesson, 6th graders research the Lewis and Clark expedition and participate in a game of Jeopardy based on the two...
Curated OER
Developing Open-Ended Questions
Students work in groups of two to develop questions and sample answers that are relevant, accurate and use higher level of thinking skills about a literary unit. Students present their questions and answers to the class as a review of...
Curated OER
Afghanistan and The Breadwinner
Students examine the use of the Hindu Kush mountains by explorers and traders. Using Afghanistan as an example, they research how different events can effect human settlerment patterns. They discuss how the physical characteristics of...
Curated OER
Something is Different: Same/Different
In this different/same activity, student draw an X on the picture in a box that is different from the others, 6 sets total. A reference web site is given for additional activities.
Curated OER
Where Did My Lunch Come From? A U.S. Regional Tour
Pupils explore the five regions of the United States. In this social studies lesson, students discuss the regions and the states located in that region. Pupils discuss the types of food produced in each region and analyze a school lunch...
Curated OER
Focus on Figurative Language
Using the poems "First Snow" by Ted Kooser and "Eating Alone" by Yi-Young Lee (or other suggested poems by Robert Frost or Sara Teasdale), middle schoolers search for examples of figurative language. Guide your learners by discussing...
Brethren High School
Romanticism Through the Eyes of Art, Poetry, and Technology
Use this simple collaborative activity to introduce the definition, art, and poetry of romanticism. Educators will have to provide the poetry, images of the art, and the survey for the learners, but by using this resource, they won't...
Curated OER
Enchanting Egypt
After reading the Magic Tree House book Mummies in the Morning, learners talk about Ancient Egypt. They identify the plot, characters, setting, etc., explore vocabulary terms, and construct a pyramid. This will motivate your class to...
Curated OER
Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition: Corridos
Young scholars create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. For this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition lesson, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In addition,...
Curated OER
Commercials
Young scholars observe as the teacher demonstrates how to use a digital video camera. They experiment with the camera to get to know its features. Finally they create a video commercial and edit it, inserting sounds, titles and other...
Curated OER
Poetry Writing
Students compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.
Curated OER
The Grapes of Wrath: Scrapbooks and Artifacts
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary sources. In this Great Depression lesson, students read John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and use ethnographic research processes...
Curated OER
Writing Letters Using Appleworks
Young scholars discover how to write letters using Appleworks. Following a demonstration by the teacher, they compose rough drafts of their letters. Working independently, students correct their drafts and type the final versions.
Curated OER
"Julie of the Wolves"
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this instructional activity. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Oral and Literary Strategies
Readers are first introduced to Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart by making a map of Africa. They will better understand the novel's historical and literary contexts, European and African literary traditions, and how historical events...
Curated OER
The Roanoke Mystery
Fourth graders hypothesize about what happened on the island of Roanoke. In this South Carolina history instructional activity, 4th graders use primary documents to draw conclusions about what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. This...
Curated OER
Using Scholastic News to Introduce the Net
Third graders log on to the net, type in the address for Scholastic and browse the subjects for the week. They select one area of interest and generate five interesting facts about the article.
Curated OER
Fairytale Favorites
Students access George MacDonald's Fairytales website, read exerpts of pre-selected tales, select their favorite and communicate that information via the internet to another class.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Understanding and Analysis of Literary Text: Meter and Rhyme
OnTRACK English II Reading, Module 3, Lessons 1-12, and Practice Lessons 1-3. Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the structure and elements of poetry, drama, fiction, and literary non-fiction, and provide...
Department of Defense
Do Dea: Story, Identity, Unity
Delve into the art of storytelling in this self-guided unit. Multiple topics are covered such as literary genres, the 7 elements of fiction, figurative language, theme, characterization, etc. At the end of the unit, write your own flash...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Examining Character Motivation
During this unit, students will ask "Why do we do what we do?" They will read different novels to analyze character motivation. Throughout the unit they will debate whether they think characters made smart choices and why. They will also...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Characters
Learn about the different types of characters in Cinderella, and determine which traits belong to the hero and villain. Click on the "Character" button.