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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing to Argue

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Learners analyze speeches for or against continued military presence in Iraq. In this writing to argue lesson, students listen to speeches given before Parliament to identify rhetorical devices used.  Learners compare techniques used and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dominant Impression

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Learners explore author's purpose, are introduced to dominant impression, make a list of descriptive words or phrases and write from personal experience.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dominant Impression: Writer's Workshop Mini Lesson Based on the book: The Empty Pot by Demi

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students investigate folk and fairy tales. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students review the concept of author's purpose after listening to "The Empty Pot" by Demi. Students also explore descriptive words and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Journeying to Create

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Show a video clip that descripes how taking a journey can change a person's outlook on life. Learners write a paragraph about a place that uses imagery and tone to create a specfic effect. They evaluate their journal entries as well.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Grade 9 ELA Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 11

For Teachers 9th Standards
Address annotation, word choice, and tone in the same language arts instructional activity. Ninth graders read a section of Karen Russell's "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" and track character development based on supporting...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Out of This World Writing!

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Miss Frizzle's class provides the inspiration for your young learners! Read "The Magic School Bus Explores Outer Space," and discuss the solar system. First learners will complete a KWL chart about a planet they're assigned to. Then, as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Writing

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students create a story with a beginning, middle and an ending. They also read and analyze another's story.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative Writing

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
A perfect nonfiction writing activity for the beginning of the year, the Life Line helps you get to know your pupils better and helps the children get to know one another. Later in the year the Star of the Week writing activity...
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Lesson Plan
Jessica Winston

Gingerbread Friends Lesson Plan Guide

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Full of activities for Jan Brett's story "Gingerbread Friends," this resource will get your kids in the mood for some snacks, fortify their need for vocabulary, and fill their minds with story elements.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persona in Autobiography

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
A talkative old man? A naïve believer in Human Perfectibility? A Sage? Who is this guy, anyway? The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin launches a study of the way Franklin uses structure, style, and purpose, as well as different...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Salmon Stories

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Work on author's purpose with this lesson, which focuses on sequence of events and audience as well.  Middle and high schoolers describe the 50 State Quarters Program for background information. After discussing the images on the coins,...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

The Rumpelstiltskin Story

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Why didn't Rapunzel's hair stop growing?  Why did it take the fairy godmother so long to intervene in Cinderella's affairs? Young writers consider unanswered questions like these and compose news articles investigating the true story...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

How to Write Like a Scientist in the Field: Introduction to the Elements of Field Journals

For Teachers 5th Standards
It's time to start journaling. Scholars look at examples of science field journals. They work in pairs to examine and complete a note catcher about a field journal. They then add to an anchor chart by discussing the different features...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Grade 10 ELA Module 1: Unit 2, Lesson 6

For Teachers 10th Standards
Is history "little more than a relic," as one of the characters in "The Palace Thief" contends? Has Hundert's love of antiquity kept him from changing with the times? Readers consider how the author uses these conflicting views to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Rhythms

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students combine elements of music with poetry.  For this creative writing lesson, students examine poems from a variety of authors with varying writing styles.  Students explore the different elements of poetry, including tone, rhythm,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A South African Storm

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners read a letter titled "A South African Storm" on her experiences of discrimination in the country. Individually or as a class, they answer questions about the author's purpose in writing the piece was and how she made herself...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi: Mixing Words and Pictures

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Create meaningful illustrations to accompany stories in a web-based art and literacy lesson focused on "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling. The class takes a virtual art safari with the Museum of Modern Art and then discusses how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing: Stamp of Approval

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students write a good title and edit their essay.  In this writing lesson, students examine several examples of good titles and discuss what makes them effective.  Students relate this to the sign on a building and discuss ways to create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the need for a national library. For this Library of Congress lesson, students analyze primary sources to investigate the persuasive techniques that Thomas Jefferson used in a letter meant to show his support of the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Are You For Real?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students try to find newspaper and magazine articles that are informative or persuasive. They practice determining the differences between the two types of articles. They identify the devices authors use to persuade the audience.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I'm a Changed Pig

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Introduce your class to fairy tales with this lesson. After reading the fractured fairy tale, "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig," third, fourth, and fifth graders write a personal narrative as a response to the fairy tale....
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Curated OER

Rediscovering Forgotten Women Writers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Women's voices are becoming more prominent in the world of literature, but for centuries, this wasn't the case. Young historians research a woman whose writings are considered to be lost, out of print, or forgotten. They develop an oral...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Critically Surfing the Web

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The New York Times article “Online Diary,” launches this study of websites and how to assess them. Richly detailed, the lesson includes warm-up activities, procedures, journal prompts, discussion questions, and links to valuable...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Study History through Journal Keeping

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Journal writing can be a fun way to bring history to life. Upper graders read a series of journals from the time of the westward expansion, specifically the pioneer journey along the Oregon Trail. They compose an ongoing journal from the...