Curated OER
My Name is Osama - Bullying and Name-Calling
Students read the story of an Iraqi immigrant boy named Osama who faces taunts of terrorist in his U.S. school after the attack of September 11.
They discuss the characters and their struggles in the story. Students respond to...
Curated OER
Who Sunk the Titanic
Students discuss possible reasons for the Titanic sinking. They are split into small groups to research a historical figure involved in the sinking of the Titanic. They formulate a way to prove their characters guilt or innocence....
Curated OER
Seeing is Believing
Young scholars participate in a visualization exercise and explore the concept of visualization and how it works. They read from the book, 'Freckle Juice' and try to visualize what is happening so far. They draw the main character in the...
Curated OER
Can I Be Swayed?
Students identify loaded words and examples of bias in print media. They describe how media can be used to manipulate public opinion. Students identify examples of interest groups that use media to sway public opinion in order to impact...
Curated OER
Connecting to China
Students use the internet to research the culture of China. In groups, they examine the giant pandas and draw their own picture of the two interacting. They also write a paragraph describing what they saw and can share it with the class.
Curated OER
Men in Black
In this Men in Black worksheet, students answer seven questions about the Men in Black movie relating to UFOs, time capsules, characters, vocabulary, and themes. Students answer questions in short answer format.
Curated OER
Autobiographical Writing About Memories
Students reflect on fall memories in preparation for creating an autobiographical composition. In this composition lesson, students explore how many writers use the changing seasons, fall in particular, to describe a character's life...
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Powerful Poetry Presenting the Writer's Soul
Students research Langston Hughes poetry for his use of figurative language. For this poetry analysis lesson, students research the life and poetry of Langston Hughes and his use of vivid words. Students complete 23 different activities...
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In the Footsteps of West Virginia
Students prepare for a visit to the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history lesson, students research the individuals whose leadership impacted the state. Students create multimedia projects featuring the individuals...
Curated OER
Catherine, Called Birdy: February and March
Learners discuss characterization and relate to the main character in Catherine, Called Birdy. In this Catherine, Called Birdy lesson, students discuss passages that are comedic and sad and the effect they have on their understanding of...
Curated OER
Stories Aren't Always What They Seem; Or Are They?
Students draw conclusions about a story with examples to support their statements. In this reading comprehension lesson, students look at a PowerPoint of a variety of passages from different books. They answer questions about the...
Curated OER
Deshawn's Days
Students read about a boy while exploring poetry. In this poetry lesson, students discuss how Deshawn's neighborhood and family are described.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Analyzing Literary Elements in Literary Nonfiction
Fourth graders identify the literary elements of a nonfiction text. In this literary elements lesson, 4th graders read the text Piano Starts Here--The Young Art Tatum and fill in a chart that includes the events from the book....
Curated OER
Sharing the Joy of a Garden
Students see that a garden is a place where an individual can go for inner peace and solitude. They discover that a garden is to be shared. Students describe the importance that a garden has to the environment and lives of individuals...
Curated OER
Dan, the Flying Man Comes to Our Town
Students listen to a read aloud of "Dan, the Flying Man" and complete a class re-write of the book highlighting what the main character would fly over if he flew over their town. They may keyboard their entry into the class book.
Curated OER
1st and 3rd Person
Sixth graders listen as the teacher describes the difference between the 1st and 3rd person. They then search through their literature books to find a story written from a 3rd person perspective and discuss why the story is in third...
Curated OER
There's a Monster in My Closet!
Pupils create their own monsters that exist in their imaginary closets and decorate their environment. They then write a short story to describe their illustration using a prompt.
Curated OER
A Little Mystery and Intrigue in Writing Short Detective Stories
Students read and analyze the twelve short stories in the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." They create their own detective that has to solve a new kind of crime, and write and edit a short story with their original detective as...
Curated OER
"The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe
Learners read and analyze the short story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe. They take notes while reading the story, select an element to analyze, and write an essay about the characters, theme, or the setting.
Curated OER
Using Picture Books to Teach the Holocaust
Students compare a photo of a child's room during the Holocaust to their room. In this WWII lesson, students read picture books and evaluate the roles of characters in the book. Students create either a poster about the roles, a movie...
Curated OER
Practice with Probability
Fourth graders participate in a variety of activities to reinforce the concept of probability. After reading a book, they identify the chances of an event occuring to one of the characters on a probability line. To end the lesson, they...
Curated OER
Finger Fun
Students study the art forms of printmaking and pointillism. They create a picture using their hands and fingers to create shapes and sizes. They add detail to create characters. They discuss their pictures as a class.
Curated OER
Chinese Dynasties
Students explore several Chinese dynasties and research various topics including papermaking, calligraphy, and Lu Hou. They also demonstrate how to use an abacus and create several math problems to solve with it. Choosing a dynasty,...
Curated OER
We Need More Than Money
Students identify examples of private resources. In this philanthropy lesson, students read the book A Chair for My Mother and identify the private resources the characters used in the text. Students name private resources that can help...