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Composition Express
Although this lesson was written to use Express Magazine, it could easily be done with a different source. Pupils write on topics of their choosing, using vocabulary and phrases selected by the teacher. They then create their own...
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The News Article and The Editorial
Here is an outstanding series of lessons on journalism, writing newspaper articles, and writing editorials. This type of writing has long-been neglected in our schools, so this collection of writing activities is most-valuable. Along...
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Word Reference Materials
A class discussion on reference materials opens up a lesson on how to use these important resources. They discover that dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses are called word reference resources, and they practice using them. The...
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How Do Adjectives Improve Writing?
Using adjectives to create vivid descriptions is the focus of exercises in this resource. A cloze reading activity asks class members to add missing adjectives to passages from Mark Teague's The Lost and Found. They then read Teague's...
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Surrealist Games
Students engage in a game of Exquisite Corpse. By looking at a painting by Ren?? Magritte and creating their own Surrealist "room," students further explore the Surrealist idea of placing common objects in unusual locations.
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Using a Database to Organize Vocabulary Words
Students use a database as a vocabulary resource during writing/reading. They preview stories and list unknown works into their reading notebooks. Students find the definitions, and enter their words into a database using a teacher...
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Volcanoes A-Z
Students examine terminology related to the study of volcanoes, geology, or the ecosystems that surround them. They make note of key words while reading exhibits, interpretive signs, or labels, or hearing them from each other, their...
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Daily Oral Language Activities in the Classroom
Daily Oral Language is a great way for you and your students to begin the day.
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If I Could Have Lived in Another Time or Culture
Third graders develop multi-paragraph compositions. They include an introduction, first and second level support, and a conclusion. They use a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound/complex) and sentence types (i.e.,...
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Writing a Report
Students conduct research on a selected topic, organize the research information, and write a report. They read and discuss the rubric, brainstorm to develop criteria for determining credible sources, complete a KWL chart or web, and...
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N is for Natural State
For any pupils who live in the state of Arkansas, this would be a fabulous educational experience to help them get to know their state better. Through the use of activities in literature, art, mathematics, science, social studies, and...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 4
Why is it important to use precise language? Participants explore this question in the fourth activity in a series of 15 on effective instruction. Perfect for all content areas, the activity promotes appropriate language choice through...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: A Prelude to Beowulf
Riddle me this! What do kennings, caesura, and alliteration have to do with the Nowell Codex? Introduce class members to Anglo-Saxon poetry and prepare readers for a study of Beowulf with a series of activities that includes asking...
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Verbs Rule!
Students practice writing and speaking using conventional grammar, usage, and sentence structure. Students practice as a whole class and then demonstrate their knowledge in written activities. Handouts and worksheets are imbedded within...
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Understanding and Using Root Words to Expand Vocabulary
Middle schoolers engage in a lesson plan which reminds them that root words indicate the base meaning of a word, and that those roots are found in many different words that have similar meanings. Pairs of pupils use construction paper...
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BASIC GRAMMAR REVIEW Using "Jabberwocky"
Learners use the poem Jabberwocky to discover where they are weak in grammar. They rewrite the poem using standard dialect words instead of nonsense words.
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Whose Voice Do I Hear?
Fifth graders examine the power of voice in writing by completing a story using words following a particular voice. They take simple nursery rhymes, then attempt to put their own voice to a revised version. An interesting lesson on writing!
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PICTURE READING - PARAGRAPH WRITING
Students investigate the elements found in a media image. The image is used to compose a descriptive paragraph. They exchange papers to discuss the writing and make changes using constructive criticism. Students also make connections...
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Creative Story Writing
Learners recognize predictable patterns in literature. They use the selected pattern to create their own writing using the same type of literary pattern. The new writing is proofread by other students and the editing is done until the...
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What Kind of Adjective?
In this adjective worksheet, students underline adjectives in sentences, identifying adjectives that tell which one, how many and what kind.
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Analyzing Unknown Words
Learners analyze affixes and how they affect word meaning. In this language arts lesson, students use charts to construct and deconstruct words to find meaning.
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Kwanzaa
Students explore African American holiday of Kwanzaa, orally share ideas about whom they want to invite to classroom Kwanzaa celebration, create and print invitation to Kwanzaa using Publisher or Print Shop, and share completed...
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Participles: Another Verbal to Know and Love
In this grammar worksheet, students learn about past and present participles. They then use what they learned to answer the 13 questions on the worksheet. The answers are on the last page of the packet.
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Comic Strip Creations
Pupils identify nouns, adjectives, and verbs from the newspaper. They create a math story problem, then create a comic strip using dialogue from words found in the newspaper.