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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Barn Dance

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students will read historical realistic fiction, examine and recount the cultural similarities and diffferences between life and times of those characters in the story and their own life. Listen to music and learn a dance to accompany...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dracula

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students read the book, Dracula and complete a variety of listed activities including: class discussion, vocabulary study, rewriting a section of the book in modern language, drawing characters, making a family tree of the characters, etc.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Story Telling

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Learners, through the use of 4 different improvisational exercises, discover how to tell effective stories. They chose 2 selections and perform them, using the interesting methods they learned.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pipe-Cleaner Stick Figures

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders create puppets out of pipe cleaners and, in groups, put on a puppet show based on a section of a story they have read from their readers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American and Patriotic Symbols

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers study the concept of symbolism. Many students know what the different patriotic symbols are, but they do not know why these things symbolize patriotism. They identify classic American symbols, explain why they are symbols...
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Website
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Story Writing With Arthur

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
This series of 12 downloadable activities teach students some basics of story writing, using books or videos from the PBS "Arthur" series as a springboard. Activities include creating story maps, asking questions about characters and...
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Activity
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Ed "Not What It Seems"

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes enhancing students understanding of metaphors, creative writing, and using life experiences to create poems and writing pieces.
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Lesson Plan
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Education "I Am Me"

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This activity includes promoting students' understanding of themselves through self-expression, critical thinking skills, and creative writing and thinking skills...
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Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: Unique Imaginary Friends

For Teachers 1st - 8th Standards
The writer will first create an original imaginary friend, inspired by Ted from Tony DiTerlizzi's wonderful picture book. The writer will then think of an ordinary activity done on a daily basis, like feeding the family dog. The writer...
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Activity
University of Illinois

University of Illinois Extension: Character Ed "I Have a Story to Tell"

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Excellent resource for empowering students to become better learners. This lesson includes acquainting students with the narrative writing process, emphasizing the importance of writing, encouraging students to use imagination,...
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Article
Other

Writing World: Four Ways to Bring Settings to Life

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A great resource outlining four major ways to make settings appear more real and genuine in fiction. Deals with themes such as motion, experience, mood, and the senses. W.11-12.3d Sensory/precise lang narratives
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Activity
Other

Writing Is Exciting!

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Students and teachers can use this site to find detailed information on effective and creative story writing.
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Article
Caro Clarke

Caro Clarke: Pacing Anxiety, or How to Stop Padding and Plot!

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the seventh installment of a series giving advice to the author who is new to writing novels. This article focuses on how to take your characters and use them and their conflicts to develop the plot of your story. W.9-10.3b...
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Article
Caro Clarke

Caro Clarke: Writing Advice: Beginner's Four Faults

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site is a personal site from Caro Clarke. The third installment in this series looks at the four major mistakes made by beginning authors. The main idea of this article is that the author needs to be able to combine dialogue with...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Scrapbook Book Report

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
After reading independently a novel or biography, students in this creative writing activity demonstrate their understanding of characterization and point of view by creating the main character's personal scrapbook.
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Lesson Plan
ArtsNow

Arts Now Learning: Super Gene [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th Standards
In this instructional activity, 5th graders learn about basic genetics and how genes can affect someone's behavior. They will write their own narrative about a character they create as a class in order to illustrate the effects of...
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Activity
British Library

British Library: Teaching Resources: Macbeth: Lady Macbeth

For Students 9th - 10th
This varied series of activities is designed to encourage learners to exercise independence of thought when exploring the presentation of Lady Macbeth throughout the play. The tasks draw learners' attention to the varied ways in which...
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Article
Caro Clarke

Not Stopping the Reader: How to Avoid Stumbling Blocks

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the eighth article in a series that focuses on helping the new novel author. This article looks at how the author can avoid creating stumbling blocks that disrupt the flow of the novel.
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Article
Caro Clarke

Explaining Too Much: Why More Is Less

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the eleventh article in a series that is designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how to eliminate needless information in your novel. The key is to not explain too much about the action.
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Article
Caro Clarke

Historical Fiction: Who Rules?

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is the fifteenth article in a series designed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on the genre of historical fiction and the role of the author. Is the author a researcher or a story-teller?
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Article
Other

Fiction Factor: The Importance of Setting

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
An interesting article concerning the importance of setting to any piece of fiction. Gives good information about how setting affects characters and "world-building."