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Lesson Plan
Missouri Department of Elementary

Think Positive!

For Teachers 4th Standards
Following an attention-grabbing read-aloud, scholars brainstorm ways they can change negative thoughts into positive thoughts. Small groups plan and perform a skit that showcases one of the new ideas to uplift one's feelings....
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Lesson Plan
Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character

Charlotte's Web: A Story About Friendship

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Strengthen the bonds of friendship within your class with a reading of E.B. White's award-winning novel, Charlotte's Web. Focusing on the unique characters in the story and the relationships they develop, young readers draw from their...
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Worksheet
Read Works

Halloween Leftovers

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Halloween isn't fun for everyone — but playing together is! Read about Esme and her space pirate friend with a short reading passage, accompanied by ten short answer questions.
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Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Analyzing Multiple Interpretations of Literature

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
There is a reason why an Oscar is given each year for the Best Adaptation Screenplay. Adaptations are the focus of an exercise that asks class members to compare a work of literature with a least one adaptation of the work into a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shizuko’s Daughter: Unsent Letter

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Have you ever wanted to tell a character what you really thought of him or her? Use a lesson based on Kyoko Mori's Shizuko's Daughter to encourage learners to write a letter in response to a character's actions. 
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Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Art

Van Gogh’s Self-Portraits

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Scholars get to know famous Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, as an artist as well as a person. After reading personal letters and analyzing paintings, participants paint two self-portraits that represent their personality. Then, write a...
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Lesson Plan
Roald Dahl

The Twits - The House, the Tree and the Monkey Cage

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
A house with no windows and a garden full of stinging nettles make the perfect home for Mr. and Mrs. Twit. The seventh activity in an 11-part unit designed to accompany The Twits by Roald Dahl takes a closer look at the Twits' home...
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Interactive3:27
British Council

Romeo and Juliet

For Students 3rd - 7th Standards
An engaging video featuring William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is accompanied by six activities designed to reinforce vocabulary, story elements, and comprehension. Scholars match words to pictures, place events in sequential order,...
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Worksheet
Prestwick House

Of Mice and Men

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What is Lennie Small's dream job? What's the future George imagines? Readers of Of Mice and Men must identify character and events from John Steinbeck's novella about the friendship of two California migrant workers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Read Aloud/ Narrative Analysis

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read passages of Koya's Cousin Del before answering questions in a discussion setting. They listen to a variety of musical pieces before detailing how the music makes them feel in a short piece of writing. They share their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feelings

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students learn how to express their feelings. For this language development lesson, one student reads a sentence off a sentence strip and another student responds with "I feel...". The class discusses why the student feels that way and...
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Writing
Curated OER

Reading Response Journal Lit Logs

For Students 3rd - 6th
Here is a worksheet presenting many ways to create topics and start sentences. The writing prompts are best used for young writers who are creating reading response journals or literature logs. Sometimes, all a writer needs is a good...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Character Traits

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore details from a story to develop ideas and opinions about character traits. Using a Smart Board, 6th graders create a chart explaining the character's action and traits. In groups, students discuss and describe...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Monster: Guided Imagery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
How would you feel if you were on trial for murder—and you were only 16 years old? Put yourself in Steve Harmon's shoes before reading Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Kids listen to music that fits the theme of the book before listening to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Showing not telling writing

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
How do good writers exhibit emotion in their work without using an emotion word (angry, sad, happy, etc.)? This plan offers learners model texts that describe an emotion without using an emotion word. A well-formatted writing activity is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Drama: The New Friends

For Teachers 2nd
Reader's Theater is a great way to build fluency, intonation, and dramatic flare. The class reads the theater piece, "The New Friends" paying attention to how they express emotion and feeling as they read. They discuss the use of plot,...
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Handout
K12 Reader

Narrator’s Point of View Flow Chart

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
How can you tell what point of view a narrator is using, and why does it matter when reading or writing? Use a handy flow chart to determine whether or not your narrator is telling the story from a first or third person point of view.
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Organizer
Curated OER

The Kid in the Red Jacket Question Booklet

For Students 3rd - 5th
A thorough guide to all ten chapters of Barbara Park's The Kid in the Red Jacket would be a great addition to your reading unit. Each page covers one chapter of the book, complete with vocabulary and content questions, and prepares...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Outsiders Study Guide

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Provide this packet for your pupils as they pour over The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The study guide includes graphic organziers and comprehension as well as higher-level questions. Class members briefly summarize each chapter, compare...
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Lesson Plan
Digital Writing and Research Lab's – Lesson Plans

Teaching Close Reading through Short Composition/Revision

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Activity
Phantom of Opera

The Phantom of the Opera: Ideas for Research and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You could spend a full day discussing The Phantom of the Opera and not scratch the surface, but a set of lessons about the literary elements and themes of the musical production is a great start. Young thespians build upon the background...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personality Traits

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders discuss the personality traits of a character. For this character lesson, 2nd graders read Lilly's Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes and describe Lilly's personality based on her actions, feelings, and thoughts. The students...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Sparrow Hawk Red - Attribute Web

For Students 6th - 8th
A useful scaffold to help your class with character analysis and text interpretation. Questions about characters from Sparrow Hawk Red by Ben Mikaelsen guide your young readers to describe a character literally, along with interpreting...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Character Study

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders work in pairs to choose two characters and find their similarities and differences.  For this character lesson, 3rd graders compare characters by their actions and attributes.  Students individually complete a graphic...