Curated OER
The Middle Passage
Fifth graders explore slavery conditions by viewing a video clip on the Internet. In this slave ship instructional activity, 5th graders discuss the transportation of black men and women from Africa to the United States in the 1700's and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Story of Epic Proportions: What Makes a Poem an Epic?
Learners analyze the epic poem form and its roots in oral tradition. For this epic poetry lesson, young scholars research the epic hero cycle and recognize the pattern of events and elements. Learners analyze the patterns embedded in the...
Curated OER
The Great Gatsby
Students participate in a reader's theater, adapting scenes from The Great Gatsby. In this reading comprehension lesson, students interpret a given scene from The Great Gatsby in a readers' theater. Students analyze the scene for high...
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Lord of the Flies
Learners participate in a panel discussion to decide who was responsible for each development on the island. In this Lord of the Flies lesson, students divide into groups supporting Jack and Ralph with a third group acting as judges. ...
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Reporting Live from the 20th Century!
Learners read and write newspaper articles. In this newspaper article writing lesson, students collect and share current news articles, examine how they are written, then choose an event from the 20th century and write their own news story.
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Crazy Critters are Figuratively Fantastic
Eighth graders use creatures created from their imaginations to practice hyperbole, simile, metaphor, and alliteration in association with creative writing. They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide their writing.
Curated OER
"Black Boy"
Students read a series of sentences and decide what literary term is being shown. They also discuss a novel about prejudice.
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More Choices
Fourth graders create onomatopoeia for a variety of things such as a mean dog, a crying baby or a doorbell ringing after exploring word choice as used by authors in selected books. They complete a Word Choice worksheet that is attached.
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Symbolic Poem
High schoolers read and analyze several highly symbolic poems. They create their own symbolic poem, read it to the class, and discuss whether they can guess any hidden meanings.
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Proverbs and Idioms
Students complete a unit of activities to learn about idioms and proverbs. In this idioms and proverbs lesson, students complete 16 lessons to learn about idioms and proverbs. Students complete a booklet of proverb and idiom activities.
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Getting to Know My Apple
First graders compare an apple to unlike things in a simile poem. ie: The apple tastes sour like a lemon. When poems are complete, have students share their simile poems with the class and finish eating their apples.
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My Candle
This is probably my students' favorite writing assignment. They obviously tell their friends about it, because every year my ne
Curated OER
Keith Haring Lesson Series
Second graders study Keith Haring by creating tee-shirts and a mural. In this art lesson, 2nd graders study the life and works of Keith Haring through his symbols. Students then make drawings reflective of Haring's style as music plays....
Curated OER
Idioms
Learners study the meanings of idioms containing the phrase "up" or "down." In this language lesson plan, students are given an online scenario where the idiom phrases are used. Learners answer multiple choice questions about their meaning.
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The Kindergarten Book of Sayings
Students create a book of sayings. In this oral language lesson, students record common sayings or idioms into a book. Students discover the meaning behind each saying.
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Ivan the Fool
Pupils read a classic folk tale, Ivan the Fool, and complete shared reading activities. In this reading activities lesson, students complete a shared reading of the folk tale and write a summary for the story.
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Poetry in Motion
Sixth graders answer questions about "From a Railway Carriage." They discuss different poetical forms. They work together to write a poem about travel.
Curated OER
Male Image Building Utilizing the Writing Process
Introduce your class to the techniques of proper writing. In groups, they brainstorm their ideas on family structures and discuss the importance of having a male figure in their lives. After listening to an African-American poem, they...
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"Now You Hear Me, Now You Don't!" Growing Independence and Fluency Design
Help young learners unlock the joy of silent reading by explicitly teaching comprehension methods such as cross-checking to figure out the meaning of unknown words. Practice and model expectations for behavior, and then set the class...
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Reporting on the 1920s
Use this roaring 1920s history lesson to have young writers research primary and secondary sources. They use their research to examine the events or famous public figures of the time period. Next, they imagine they're in the 1920s and...
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American Symbols and Figures
Students examine a variety of symbols important in American culture. They investigate the history of the Great Seal of the United States and the painting "The Spirit of 1776". They create an original seal and identify important monuments.
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Our Nation's Natural Disasters
Sixth graders classify their regions' natural disaster(s). Within this lesson students enhance their research skills by utilizing different resources, as well as their writing skills by composing short research papers.
National Endowment for the Humanities
In Emily Dickinson's Own Words: Letters and Poems
Analyze the depth and beauty of American Literature by reading Emily Dickinson's letters and poems. The class analyzes Dickinson's poetic style and discusses Thomas Wentworth Higginson's editorial relationship with Dickinson. They pay...
Curated OER
Invigorate Your Curriculum with the Poetry of Emily Dickinson
Dickinson’s poems enliven the disciplines of language arts, social science, and even math.