Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Creating Narrative
Plot, setting, characters, and conflict are common to both drama and narrative stories. Kids create narrated tableaus that show their understanding of the plot, setting, and conflict of a story they've recently read. The lesson...
Novelinks
The House on Mango Street: Vocabulary Word Squares
Chanclas, muerto, cuando. Spanish words are plentiful in The House on Mango Street and may be unfamiliar to many readers. A vocabulary words squares activity will help kids remember the meaning of these words and add to their...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 4
Class members have an opportunity to compare how a film and a play handle the same source material by viewing the opening chapters of George Lucas's Star Wars: A New Hope and acts I and II of Ian Doescher's play, William Shakespeare's...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 8 and 9
How does an author's choice of artistic medium influence an audience? What about how an author chooses to transform original source material? These are the questions class members grapple with as they compare scenes from episode IV...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 13 and 14
How important are sound effects in films? In stage plays? In radio programs? To gain an understanding of the impact of these special effects, class members watch a short video spoof of the sound in a scene from Star Wars: A New...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 11
Class members take center stage as groups perform scenes from Ian Doescher's William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope. Actors are encouraged to add stage directions to the script, as well as create costumes and props to...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Day 12
Class members compare the final 30 minutes of Lucas's Star Wars: A New Hope with Act V of Doescher's play, William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope and consider how the choice of media influences viewers' impression of the...
Curated OER
America in Film and Fiction
Learners begin the lesson by reading a book on film study. After watching the movie "Citizen Kane", they work together to identify the issues concerning the United States before World War II. As a class, they discuss how the ideas and...
Curated OER
You Kiss the Book: Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Students analyze imagery in Shakespeare's, Romeo and Juliet, and act out the passage to see how the author includes stage directions with his poetry.
Curated OER
LETTER FROM ONE CHARACTER TO ANOTHER
Fourth graders read stories and pick one with characters they find interesting. Then students create a dialogue of writing a letter from one character to another. The letter must relate to the original story in some way that can easily...
Curated OER
Introducing Tolkien and His Words
Students identify and describe the types of narratives that made Tolkien the writer he was. In groups, they examine different myths and folktale motifs. They discuss what Tolkien meant by "faerie" and "eucatastrophe." As a class, they...
Curated OER
A Dreamer's Cloak
Learners listen to the teacher read "A Dreamer's Cloak." They examine the difference between squares and circles and create their own cloak by using a paper bag and different shapes.
Curated OER
The Little Red Hen
Students review the of "The Little Red Hen," to make sure that they comprehend that the hen's three friends were the cat, the dog, and the goose. They experiment with character vocies. Students are asked how the gossipy goose would...
Curated OER
Exploring Arthurian Legend
Students use the internet to track the growth of the King Arthur legend from the Dark Ages to its arrival on the silver screen.
Curated OER
At The Firehouse With Dad
Students participate in a guided reading of the children's book "At The Firehouse With Dad" They improve reading comprehension skills with the use of independent practice. The students then answer discussion questions while reading the...
Curated OER
The Necklace Of Teeth Comic Strip
Learners create a comic strip which identifies the major events in a story of the teacher's choosing in this upper-elementary classroom language arts lesson. The lesson is highly adaptable and can be used in another content area if...
Curated OER
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
Students read "Green Eggs and Ham" in celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday and visit a storymaker website. Students create and type a three scene story using characters from Dr. Seuss's books and share their story with the class.
Curated OER
Bibim Bap For Dinner
Students participate in a literature analysis while reading the children's book "Bibim Bap For Dinner". The teacher performs a guided reading with the students while focusing on the skill of recognizing the main theme of the book....
Curated OER
Living By the Book
Students read a story individually or in groups to begin the lesson. As a class, they discuss their viewpoints on reading and compare it with the viewpoint of those living in Fiji. In groups, they compare and contrast American and Fijian...
Curated OER
First Letter Changes
Students use the books of Eric Carle to change the first letter in a word to see a new word. In this phonics lesson plan, students change the beginning letters in poems and books.
Curated OER
The Three Little Pigs
Students read the story The Three Little Pigs and complete language activities about them. In this The Three Little Pigs lesson plan, students research houses, draw houses, and write alliteration poems.
Curated OER
Fun With Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Young scholars complete various activities for the book, "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom." They listen to the story, construct a coconut tree, create paper letters for the coconut tree, and write about their favorite part of the story.
Curated OER
Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
Students read "Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss. They complete a story map and write about the topic of prejudice. They role-play star-bellied and plain-bellied sneetches and write a persuasive essay about their experiences.
Curated OER
One Pager
Learners read the novel, Freak the Mighty and describe and illustrate the setting. They create a graphic organizer that demonstrates the major plot elements and character development.