Curated OER
Lesson Ideas for Halloween Writing
Halloween writing activities provide a way to make descriptive language a part of a student's literary repertoire.
Curated OER
The Grapevine-Teaching Storytelling to English Language Learners
Students participate in a game designed to aid in storytelling. They spread a rumor to each member of their team using information found in the accompanying worksheets. Students earn points when they report their rumor correctly. ...
Curated OER
"Data Dabble"
Students engage in a lesson which facilitates their use of web sites to find data, graph it, and interpret it, thus scaffolding graphing skills to prepare students for their 8th grade I-search exit project.
Curated OER
Breaking News
Learners organize a newspaper article using a worksheet that helps them study the vocabulary of news articles. They write newspaper articles about mythical creatures invading contemporary Los Angeles.
Curated OER
PALM TREES Technology :Literacy Challenge Project
Do you have a class set PDAs? Seventh graders use the Note Pad function on their PDAs to brainstorm writing prompts. After three minutes of listing their favorite foods, class members use the Note Pad Eraser to reduce their list to the...
Achieve3000
Discriminating Phonemes
Develop the fluency of beginning readers one sound at a time with this phonemic awareness lesson. Through a series of whole-class instruction, independent practice, and collaborative learning activities, children practice identifying the...
Curated OER
Non Fiction Posters
A set of very useful posters (in PDF) describing different types of non-fiction texts is here for you. While there isn't an activity, per se, in these worksheets, they could be used as a handy reference for learners who are engaging in...
Curated OER
The Civil War: Up Close and Personal
Students take an in depth look at different aspects of the Civil War. Using primary source documents, they discover that people who lived during the war are not so different from them. They read about the experience of a Confederate...
Curated OER
Assignment # 1: Merry-Go-Round Story
Class members use e-mail and the merry-go-round story format to create a science fiction story. Each writer begins by selecting one of three prompts, crafting the introductory paragraph and sending the paragraph to the next person on the...
Curated OER
Violence Prevention
Compare and contrast the ideologies of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle schoolers conduct research regarding civil rights and rhetorical strategies used in political speechs. They examine the strategies that both men employed...
Curated OER
How Are You Doing With My Crusade?
Pupils use the Internet site, Past Times, to research the work of a famous woman from the past and then determine the current status of the issue she fought for. They write a story/report about the wonam and the issue.
Curated OER
Friends
First graders use the software Inspiration to create a web describing characteristics of a good friend. With the use of a digital camera and PowerPoint, 1st graders create "Friends Found" posters after reading the book, "Don't Need...
Curated OER
Surname Survey
Students use data from the U.S. Census Bureau to determine whether last names in a local phone directory reflect the Census Bureau's list of the most common surnames in the country. In this surnames lesson plan, students use the Internet...
Curated OER
The 3 R's of Common Denominators (Language)
Students solve various word problems that deal with common denominators, and write the mathematical explanations they used to obtain the solutions.
KIPP 3D Academy
Epic Poetry Unit
The Odyssey is the core text in this unit study of the hero's journey motif. Along the way, kids research Greek and Roman history, mythology, art, and epic poetry. The 104-page packet is perfect for homeschool or classroom situations and...
Clark County School District
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
A thorough lesson plan takes your first grade class through Jane Yolen's beautiful Owl Moon. It crafts the unit with clear objectives, high-level guiding questions, cloze activities and sentence frames, and extension activities at the...
National Library of Medicine
Electricity, Frankenstein, and the Spark of Life
Shocking! After viewing a short clip from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein and reviewing electricity references in Mary Shelley's novel, class members examine Luigi Galvani's and Alessandro Volta's observations on electricity and muscle...
New York City Department of Education
What Did I Do to Be so Black and Blue: How Did Jazz Influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
How did jazz influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man? Class members read some of Ellison's non-fiction writings about blues and jazz, listen to records, watch videos, and engage in student-centered discussions. They then produce podcasts...
Curated OER
Writer's Toolbox
Present the class with a slide show that will give them a great head start in writing expository and narrative texts. The information is highlighted for easy note taking, well organized, and presented in a kid-friendly manner. It...
ReadWriteThink
Decoding the Dystopian Characteristics of Macintosh’s “1984” Commercial
Known as one of the most iconic advertisements of the 20th century, Macintosh's "1984" commercial has become more of a social statement. Present the ad to a new audience of viewers with a lesson plan focused on identifying dystopian...
Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Dr. Seuss in the Classroom
Explore the works of Dr. Seuss, such as Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches and Egg, The Sneetches and Other Stories, The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book, and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. Each story lesson includes reading...
Curated OER
THE WORD WEAVER WRITERS WORKSHOP - Character One Description
For this character development worksheet, students write the characteristics of the first character in the story they are reading. They note the characters name, age, appearance, favorite things, and other important details.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust 2
Students, after reading the novel, Out of the Dust, describe the language used in the novel. They cite examples of words or phrases that are from that time period. Then they are given sentences and must rewrite them in modern-day language.
Curated OER
Poppin Popcorn
Students use their senses to write descriptive sentences. In this descriptive writing lesson, students discuss their senses. Students are asked to look at and feel unpopped corn kernels. Students then write descriptions of the corn...