Curated OER
Express Yourself Lesson Seed 15: Theme
Build understanding of theme with an activity designed for The Cay and the Common Core. Small groups or pairs use graphic organizers to determine themes, find and record related details from the text, and formulate theme statements. In...
Curated OER
Pride and Prejudice, Chapter XIV: Lady Catherine and Elizabeth
Is your class reading Pride and Prejudice? In order to link scenes to the themes in Austen's novel, pairs take on the confrontation between Lady Catherine and Elizabeth (Chapter XIV). After writing their own version of the conversation,...
Curated OER
Ella y Él
Take a trip to Costa Rica with th popular song "Ella y Él" by Ricardo Arjona. After listening to the song (and possibly reading the lyrics) the class discusses the general message of the song, the political nature, and other US bands...
Curated OER
Oliver Twist Goes to Hollywood
How does Oliver Twist, the novel written by Charles Dickens, compare with its screenplay adaptation? Although the activity doesn't require learners to have read the novel, the similarities and differences of the highlighted passages...
Curated OER
Become a Character: Adjectives, Character Traits, and Perspective
High schoolers use an online chart to match the character traits of a character in a book they are reading with specific actions the character takes. Students then work in pairs to "become" one of the major characters in a book and...
Curated OER
A Separate Peace - T Analysis
Reading A Separate Peace? Readers analyze important quotes that appear in John Knowle's classic novel using the provided graphic organizer. Learners record a passage and provide an accompanying analysis for each entry. Consider having...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Lessons Learned in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
To conclude a study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, class members create illustrated newsletters about Huck's lessons as he journeys down the Mississippi River. Using Microsoft Publisher, pairs copy, save, and import illustrations...
Curated OER
Salinger and the Vocabulary of the Vernacular
Writers explore vocabulary and expressions used in the English language. They use visual word maps to become aware of the different uses of words which will allow them to more readily interpret texts. Then they listen to/read excerpts...
Curated OER
Tangerine: K-W-H-L Strategy
As part of the introduction to Edward Bloor's Tangerine, class members generate a KWHL chart listing what they know, what they want find out, how they plan to find this information, and what they have learned or still want to learn.
Illustrative Mathematics
Numbers in a Multiplication Table
Identifying patterns is a crucial skill for all mathematicians, young and old. Explore the multiplication table with your class, using patterns and symmetry to teach about square numbers, prime numbers, and the commutative and identity...
Curated OER
Zoom Zoom Zoom
Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing good reader strategies, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed assessment of...
Curated OER
Batter Up
Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing good reader strategies, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete three timed assessments...
Curated OER
Racing Readers
Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing good reader strategies, pupils complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed assessment of their...
Curated OER
The Fog is Magic
Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing good reader strategies, 3rd graders complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed assessment of...
Curated OER
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz
Students increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing decoding and rereading, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed assessment of...
Curated OER
Speedy Monkeys
Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing crosschecking, decoding, and rereading, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed...
Curated OER
Simon Says: Mother May I?
Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After discussing the importance of fluency, learners complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with the instructor, they read complete a timed...
Curated OER
Practice Makes Perfect
Students increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing chunking and rereading, students complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with a partner, they read complete a timed assessment of...
Curated OER
Beginning Analogies 5
In this analogies learning exercise, students read the pairs of words and choose the answer that best expresses a relationship similar to the original pair. Students complete 12 examples.
Curated OER
My Antonia: Problematic Situations
Introduce your class to the characters from My Antonia by Willa Cather in a unique way. Given a hypothetical situation about an atomic bomb shelter and a list of character descriptions, pupils must decide which characters get to stay in...
Curated OER
Pudd'nhead Wilson: Anticipation Guide
Get your pupils thinking about some of the big ideas present in Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson with this anticipation guide. Learners decided if they believe a series of statements are true or false. A discussion follows.
Novelinks
Walk Two Moons: Story Impressions
Story chains connect literary concepts, reinforce context clues, and even help learners predict what's coming next! Using words from the next chapter of Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons, middle schoolers craft story chains to determine...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Kinesthetic Grammar Approach
Though beautiful, William Shakespeare's prose can be inhibiting for learners who are new to his works. A lesson based on The Tempest guides high schoolers through the paraphrasing process, including noting the subjects and verbs to align...
Curated OER
Pudd'nhead Wilson: Writing Strategy
Assign this narrative essay after finishing Puddn'head Wilson. Learners write about their own experiences with overcoming obstacles. A five-step process is laid out on this assignment page.