Curated OER
Weather Proverbs
Define and write proverbs! Learners define proverbs, use the Internet to find weather-related proverbs, and talk with their parents to learn other proverbs. There's a well-structured worksheet included here.
Reading Vine
Confucius: The Most Famous Teacher in China
Introduce young philosophers to the wisdom of China's most famous thinkers with a short bio. The reading comprehension passage includes an answer key.
Curated OER
Communities in Crisis Lesson 1: Primary Source? What is That?
Distinguish between primary and secondary source documents using the theme of philanthropy. Middle schoolers discuss Anne Frank: The Diary of Young Girl as a way to study the past using a primary source. Then they investigate how to...
Curated OER
Who am I Mobile: Ceramics
A getting-to-know-you activity that is perfect for the beginning of the year! Kids craft their portrait out of clay, then make a mobile by dangling ceramic representations of things they love. This project builds self-awareness, motor...
Curated OER
Personal Experience Narratives
Help your middle schoolers identify personal experience narratives in their own lives through telling stories themselves and from family members or other adults. They study personal experience narratives in Swapping Stories and compare...
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Call It a Hunch
Give young scholars a chance to practice making inferences after reading the book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. They confirm whether or not their conclusions are true, have a class discussion, and then independently complete an...
College Board
Choices and Consequences
Paul Fisher, the main character in Tangerine, comes to see that it's the choices in life that lead to the consequences that make all the difference. A unit study of Bloor's young adult novel leads readers down this same path.
Curated OER
Amazing Autobiographies
Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience. They apply knowledge of language structure,...
Curated OER
Use of Time Expressions
Learners improve their written and spoken accuracy by having a good grasp of the relationship between time expressions. After a lecture/demo, students work individually to complete an assignment imbedded in this plan.
Curated OER
The Power of the Pen
Students discuss the personal and historical significance of journals, analyze the issues raised in a N.Y. Times article regarding Anne Frank's diary, and evaluate a Letter to the Editor written in response to the article.
Curated OER
Intermediate Matching – Types of Books
In this book genre worksheet, students draw a line from the book type words to their definitions. They match nine words, which include dictionary, cookbook, encyclopedia, and fiction, with the definition that best describes it.
Curated OER
Guess Who's Coming to Our Classroom
Students use their research skills to determine the famous person given in clues. Using a character recently dicussed in their classroom, they discuss how they would create a costume for them. They write sentences to be used as dialogue...
Curated OER
Childhood in Early 19th-Century America
Students interpret and analyze primary source documents and compare and contrast childhood today with that of the past.
Curated OER
Jacob Lawrence's Freedom Trail
Students read excerpts of autobiographies from Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. After listening to excerpts of an oral reading of Frederick Douglass' book, they discuss the ways African Americans were treated on plantations. ...
Curated OER
Evaluating Nonfiction Texts
Students evaluate nonfiction text. In this evaluating nonfiction lesson students read two pieces of nonfiction text and respond with a short free-writing piece. Students discuss the content and focus on the accuracy.
Curated OER
Dr. Seuss Author Study
Students listen to a story, then use the same format to write a class book.
Curated OER
Introduction to Traditional Oral Narratives
Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...
Curated OER
I Have a Metaphor
Learners locate the literary devices used in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In this figurative language lesson plan, learners first distinguish between similes, metaphors, analogies, personification, etc. Learners...
Curated OER
The Last Day of Slavery
Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book The Last Day of Slavery. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer...
Curated OER
Genre
In this genre study PowerPoint presentation, students read the definitions and characteristics of each literary genre. There are 17 genres that the PowerPoint presentation addresses, such as science fiction, tall tales and poetry.
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Using Memoirs to Open Doors to Research
Interesting memoirs can be a springboard into some very enjoyable research assignments.
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Language Arts Exploration
While an interesting lesson idea involving the exploration of a story about an Asian American boy named Imduk, a teacher would need to have assess to the Scott Foresman reading program to make this work. If not, a teacher could use...
Curated OER
Will the Real Ben Franklin Please Stand Up?
Learners explore the life of Benjamin Franklin. For this American history lesson, students research primary and secondary documents regarding Franklin's life. Learners should examine the point of view each of the accounts is written from...
Curated OER
Romulus and Rebus: Writing Exercise
In this writing worksheet, students answer interview questions using past progressive verb tense as if they were Romulus. Students respond to prepared questions on line and then printout to hand in.