Ball State University
Dear Pen Pal
Keep your class in conversation with others across the country or across the sea by writing letters to pen pals. The activity calls for students to be pan pals with pupils in Africa; however, the listed steps could be used for any...
Curated OER
Cruise the News
Students utilize newspapers as a resource to complete various tasks. They read articles, write summaries, investigate the classified section, write commercials, and circle spelling words.
Pimsleur
Food and Drink
Talk about healthy lifestyle choices... in Italian! Class members categorize food cutouts into a food pyramid and discuss why some items are healthier than others. The plan offers additional vocabulary reinforcement ideas for...
Virginia Department of Education
Deciding the Mode
Are your young writers having difficulty distinguishing between expository and persuasive writing? Discuss the difference between the two, and how some prompts can be responded to in either fashion. Included here is a simple lesson plan...
Curated OER
Dictionary Guide Words: How Do They Guide Us?
Fourth graders, after brainstorming what the word "guide" means, examine how to use guide words in a dictionary to locate words. They define "guide," identify guide words in a variety of dictionaries and locate words using guide words....
Curated OER
A Rewarding Endeavor
Develop and conduct a survey to find out if people would return an envelope of money they found. Include options for giving it to the police, advertising for the one who lost it, etc. The survey results are published in a writing piece.
Curated OER
Play: It's Not Just For Kids
Young scholars realize that play is an important part of life and in the effort to staying healthy. They explore the role of play in society. In addition, they illustrate listening and speaking strategies for different purposes that...
Curated OER
Against the Odds
What factors help people achieve goals? What factors prevent people from achieving goals? What are the elements that need to be in place to make a team function well? Using Damien Lewis’ Desert Claw and John Francome’s Winner Takes All,...
Curated OER
Indigenous People Day
Do you know why we celebrate the International Day of the World's Indigenous People? Did you even know we celebrate this day? After reading a short passage about this international celebration, scholars answer true or false questions,...
Curated OER
Author's Purpose
How do you determine an author’s purpose? You ask the author, of course. Invite a local journalist into the class to respond to scripted student questions about his/her writing process. A review of basic classroom etiquette is also...
Curated OER
Word of the Day
Students practice using their new vocabulary word by creating an original iMovie project based on that word.
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr: A Pre-and Post Reading Activity
Pupils complete an anticipatory set (pre-reading activity) concerning Martin Luther King Jr., then participate in differentiated reading exercises to read the selection "Celebrating the Life and Contributions of Martin Luther King Jr."
Curated OER
Reading Made Easy with Mindwing Concepts
While this resource is actually attempting to sell a product, the foundational ideas may be worth looking into. Using Braidy the StoryBraid doll, learners will gain a better understanding of beginning, middle, and end, as well as story...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life
Students create a movie or slide show depicting a typical day at school through the eyes of a student. Students will use knowledge and experience to tell about events. Students will use multimedia to tell about events.
Curated OER
The Crucible
Students create a movie of a scene from The Crucible upon completion of reading the book. They assume a variety of roles in the film production.
Curated OER
Writing Fiction: Using Older Characters
Out with the old and in with the new? Not so in this lesson plan, which explores the idea of writing older characters in fiction. Learners learn the value of varying their characters, exploring different perspectives, and avoiding...
Curated OER
What Is War?
What kinds of human activity do we define as "warlike"? Middle and high schoolers examine various definitions of war and types of warfare, especially as these descriptions relate to the kinds of war we are witnessing at the beginning of...
Curated OER
Cross-Curricular Games
Learners participate in exploring and examining several cross-curricular, hands-on games that encourage active learning and exercise at the same time. They assess games like Freeze Tag, Parts of Speech games and a healthy heart game, etc.
Curated OER
Civil Rights: Rosa Parks Centers
Research the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks. Set up different centers and have learners rotate through the activities aimed at researching Rosa Parks. They read The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks, write a...
Curated OER
Perseverance: Keep Going
Kids evaluate world history events that show perseverance by creating artistic images. They investigate historic photographs and images which conjure up the feelings of perseverance, then utilize acrylic paints to capture the...
Live Oak Media
Activity Guide: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Enhance a reading of the Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback with this collection of learning activities. Starting with general background information about the book and author,...
Curated OER
How Did We Arrive at the Printed Book?
Seventh graders, in cooperative learning groups, research the development of book printing. After examining a story written on a scroll, an accordion book, and a printed copy, they evaluate them according to a certain criteria and...
Curated OER
Introduction to Junkanoo! A Bahamian Festival
Students examine a Bahamian festival called Junkanoo. They analyze how group cooperation is related to the festival. They finally identify how factions form and how they can help or hurt a community.
Curated OER
Yes But Dialogue Game
Students work cooperatively to explore and practice dialogue improvisation.