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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ask a Librarian

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Discuss how asking questions is a vital part of not only the research process, but the lifelong process of information literacy. Middle schoolers work in small groups and practice the skill of asking questions. Afterward, they complete...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Accordion-Book Summary

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Introduce your young readers to the book review. Groups of writers practice the basic steps of writing a book report and complete an Accordion-Book Summary activity. The lesson includes book report basics and directions to make...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Get the Chicks in the Coop

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Readers work to increase the speed of their out-loud reading to improve overall fluency.  They work with partners to time and record how far they read in one minute using the book Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type. The procedures mention...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Audio Travel Album

For Teachers K - 8th
Learners interview a person who recently visited a country they are interested in knowing more about. Using the Internet, they research the country noting the geography and economic situations of the country. In groups, they import the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Macbeth

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students explore and analyze how to approach Shakespeare and create more meaning in a variety of contexts. In groups, they imagine three witches on the heath and trying to play it straight. They study various script extracts to evaluate.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dream Career Presentation, Part 2

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of characteristics people have when they are happy with their career. In groups, they review their material from the previous lesson and share their information with the class in the form of presentations....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Making an Argument: Effective use of Transition Words

For Teachers 5th - 9th Standards
Work on using transition words in context by prompting elementary and middle schoolers to write their own persuasive essays using transition words. They explore new forms of transition words and examine how they are used in an editorial...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kamishibai Stories

For Teachers K - 8th
Students explore kamishibai stories, Japanese stories told through illustrated picture cards, and become familiar with their form. Afterward, they develop their own illustrated kamishibai story. Students discuss the process of drawing,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jimmy Carter: Civic Action, Lesson 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Inspired by the humanitarian work of President Jimmy Carter after he left office, high schoolers explore the history of civic action in the United States and generate ideas about problems at the local, national, and international levels....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ivan the Fool: Lesson 3

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read and analyze the Eastern European folktale of 'Ivan the Fool.' They discuss the term 'quest,' identify quests in their own lives, and in small groups design a board game that illustrates the czar's quest to find good wives...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Clay Pots

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore world culture by conducting an art project in class. In this Native American culture instructional activity, students identify the types of materials American Indians utilized in their artistic endeavors, specifically...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Irregular Word Fluency, Word Hunt Tally

For Teachers 1st - 2nd Standards
Play games with your young word learners. They participate in games to develop word skills,  working with a partner on a word hunt. As they work, they keep a tally of how many times they find their word in three minutes. They use...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Call of the Wild: Differences Between a Book and a Movie Adaptation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Fling your class members “into the heart of things primordial” with a Venn diagram activity that highlights how the same themes are treated in the film and book versions of The Call of the Wild. Consider extending the exercise by having...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning the Rules with "Never Spit on Your Shoes"

For Teachers 1st
Foster a sense of community by having youngsters work together to create a list of classroom rules. They draw pictures of their hopes for first grade after reading a children's book as a group. They also discuss why it is important to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Subject/Verb Agreement and Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Pronouns need to learn how to get along with their antededents. Learners practice making subject and verbs agree as well as pronouns and antecedents agree. They work together to analyze the sentences using legos. They know they are...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scrambled Stories

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Character development, setting, and plot? Sounds like the makings of a good narrative story. Young authors read and analyze several narrative examples, and then they use what they know to pen an original composition. They work both in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Around the Room Short Story

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Collective story writing is a great way to reinforce the concept of story elements and collaborative learning. Young writers discuss story elements such as, setting, character, action, climax, conclusion, foreshadowing, dialogue, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Portrait of a Friend

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students complete a graphic organizer about themselves and write a short auto-biography. They share their work with a classmate and draw a portrait of a classmate be displayed in the classroom.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Words in the News Solar Sail

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Bring current events into your classroom! Middle schoolers complete word work activities before reading and discussing an online article. They complete worksheets and an online quiz. They discuss the Solar Sail as radical new idea and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

First Amendment and the Future

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars read the Knight report and discuss key findings before deciding what aspects of the findings students can replicate in their own school and conduct a survey. They write survey questions and test them on sample group before...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Migrating to Texas

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the migration to Texas from other parts of the United States. Through journal entries they write about the trip as if they were the settlers coming to a new and foreign country. Working in small groups, 4th graders...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persuasion in Print

For Teachers 9th
Advertisers target teenagers. Groups select three magazine advertisements for similar products, analyze the appeals used in each, create a poster that features the persuasive techniques used, and present their findings to the class. The...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Can Achieve the "American Dream"

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Exploring the idea of working to achieve the American Dream, the class reads an excerpt from How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Following, the class analyzes the excerpt and discusses the theme of the reading using...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persuasive Elements

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...