Candlewick Press
A Classroom Guide to Peter H. Reynolds's Creatrilogy
Help young readers find, identify, and use their voices with a set of empowering activities based on Peter H. Reynolds' trilogy of books. Sky Color, Ish, and The Dot focus on recognizing moods and treating each other...
US Institute of Peace
Responding to Conflict: Negotiation—Identifying Wants and Needs
Let's make a deal! Are real negotiations as simple as they are in the game show? Scholars learn the art of negotiation during the 8th lesson in a series of 15. The activity kicks off with a fun group negotiation, then explores the topic...
Curated OER
Building Vocabulary: Touching Spirit Bear
Two activities are provided for you here as you start to read Touching Spirit Bear with your class. First, introduce them to some of the new vocabulary they'll encounter once they start reading. Then, complete two KWHL charts. For the...
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
Token of Gratitude
What would the world be like if everyone expressed gratitude? Pupils explore the concept by watching a motivating time-lapse video. Scholars express appreciation by handing out tokens of gratitude, and then write about their...
Curated OER
Trickster Tales
Students study folk tales and moral lessons from cultures around the world. In this character traits lesson, students study moral lessons through the character traits in various cultures folk tales. Students complete 11 activities...
Curated OER
Helping Others
Students explore community service. In this character development and community lesson, students sing a song based on the fable The Lion and the Mouse. Students participate in a discussion about kindness, and generate ideas for...
Curated OER
Getting to Know You
Students introduce themselves utilizing an alliterative descriptor. They begin building a nurturing learning community and follow multi-step directions for preparing applications and completing forms. Each student also demonstrates how...
Curated OER
Optimism
Students engage in a lesson to build the character trait of optimism. They use two quotations to begin the class discussion. Students brainstorm to come up with a definition of optimism. Then they read a story that is used as an...
Curated OER
Teaching Acting Technique and Building a Character Through Cinema
Students review the style techniques related to the American Method Acting and practice using them in groups. Using various scenes from films, they try to recreate the scene using props. In groups, they discover the proper way to get...
Curated OER
Character Traits in Gingerbread Baby #5
Students are read the story "Gingerbread Baby". They draw or download the characters and cut them out. They create character profiles for each character based on how they acted in the book. They act out a scene from the story as well.
Curated OER
Literature-based Skill Building: Harry Potter And the Sorcerer's Stone Comprehension Exercises
Students complete a variety of language arts based activities based on the book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling. After reading each chapter, they complete worksheets related to multiple meanings, character...
Curated OER
Bookmark Strategy: Building Comprehension and Keeping Track of Stories
Students explore the concept of comprehension. In this comprehension lesson, students use a bookmark to mark a place in a story they want to "stop and think" about what they are reading. Students practice this skill with a...
Curated OER
Overcoming Poor Decisions
Fifth graders engage in a lesson that focuses on the outcomes of poor decisions. They investigate the character trait of perseverance and how it can build self-esteem after experiencing the consequences of a poor decision. Students use...
Curated OER
Literature-based Skill Building: Holes by Louis Sachar
In this reading skills learning exercise, students complete several literature-based skill building activities for the book 'Holes' by Louis Sachar.
Universal Press Syndicate
The Mini Page: Make It a Good New Year
The New Year is a time for reflecting on the previous year in order to make resolutions and set goals for self improvement. With multiple suggestions towards becoming a better classmate, student, friend, and healthy person, the...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Finding the Positive
To instill the importance of a positive classroom community small groups create a collage out of magazine clippings that highlight three characteristics of self-awareness. Written examples accompany the finished product. Groups turn in...
Teaching Tolerance
Identity Portraits
When you look at me, what do you see? Young learners answer this question by creating a portrait that reflects the identity of one of their peers. First, class members create interview questions. Then, they interview classmates to...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Keep Finding the Positive
Group members take on roles to create a positive classroom community. Learners perform their role—leader, recorder, presenter, timekeeper, encourager, and collector—in preparation for a formal presentation of their positive thinking...
US Institute of Peace
Identifying Your Conflict Style
How do you handle conflict? Individuals look inward to determine their own conflict style through group discussion and a short quiz. The sixth installment in a series of 15 conflict management lessons examines how our feelings and...
US Institute of Peace
What Does It Take to Be a Peacebuilder?
Is the spirit of peacebuilding already inside you? Scholars take a closer look at the characteristics of peacebuilders, past and present, in lesson 13 of a 15-part series. Individuals identify common traits of peacebuilders, then work...
US Institute of Peace
Organizations Working for Peace
From helping refugees to negotiating peace treaties, the peacekeepers of the world keep busy! Introduce young activists to the many individuals and organizations throughout the world that work daily toward peace. 14th in a series of 15...
US Institute of Peace
Becoming a Peacebuilder
"Be the change you wish to see in the world!" The 15th and final lesson in a peacebuilding series uses this quote from Gandhi to prepare pupils for their own action projects. Individuals research a global issue, then brainstorm a method...
Curated OER
Creating Characters
Students examine the methods of effective characterization. In this writing skills lesson, students discuss how emotions, dialogue, actions, and physical descriptions build believable characters. Students then use the methods of...
Curated OER
The Cask of Amontillado
Students examine the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado." In this character lesson, students discuss and analyze the characters in the story. Students make personal connections to the characters and create a brochure...