Curated OER
Do You Want to Be My Friend?
Learners participate in a variety of emergent and early-literacy activities based on a "friendship" theme. Learners listen to the book Do You Want to Be My Friend by Eric Carle, then echo read, choral read, and independently read...
Curated OER
Letters From Rifka
Small groups read assigned chapters from the book, Letters to Rifka, then work together to fill out comprehension worksheets associated with their chapters. This fine, 13-page lesson culminates with each group getting together to meet...
Curated OER
Navajo Code Talkers
An engaging lesson focuses on the contributions of the Navajo people during World War II. Learners read the book Navajo Code Talkers by Andrew Santella, answer a series of comprehension questions about the text, and write a letter as a...
Curated OER
Mouse Mess
Scholars practice rhyming and phonemic awareness using trade books and poetry. They will listen to the book Mouse Mess several times throughout the week, identifying rhyming words, and matching words that begin with the same sound. Then...
Curated OER
Winter Wonderland: Internet Literature Project
Students, using the Internet, communicate with peers around the world about winter-themed books. They study authors, write book reviews, re-write endings, interview book characters, create scene dioramas, paint murals, and write...
Curated OER
Details, Details, Details
Writing can become one-dimensional if authors don't involve all their senses. First, scholars observe a strange object which, ideally, they can touch and even smell. Without using certain words (you can create a list or have the class...
Curated OER
The Summer of the Swans
The Summer of the Swans, by Betsy Byars, is a 160-page chapter book about a family going through a difficult time. Complement your reading of Byars' book with this detailed outline of each chapter. Every section includes comprehension...
Curated OER
Distinguishing Fiction and Non Fiction
Have your class go on picture walks of different books, and identify them as either fiction or non fiction and why. Working in groups, kindergartners state whether the book tells information or comes from the author's imagination. Use...
Curated OER
"The Giver"- A Novel Study
Here are some resources and lesson ideas to incorporate into a literature study of the novel "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.
Education World
Every Day Edit - Chris Van Allsburg
In this everyday editing worksheet, students correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph about the author of The Polar Express and Jumanji, Chris Van Allsburg. The errors range from capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.
Art Educators of New Jersey
Exploring Eric Carle’s Painted Collage
Where does inspiration come from? Where do writers get their ideas? What about visual artists? A PowerPoint and a video introduce middle schoolers to children's author and illustrator Eric Carle and how he found inspiration in the work...
Curated OER
Story Pyramids
Young writers generate descriptive words. They use pictures of various landscapes (from books, magazines, or the Internet) and complete a story pyramid. The pyramid (included here) asks to describe the main character, the setting, and...
Curated OER
Activity Guide for Snow
Create a cross-curricular learning experience around a shared reading of Cynthia Rylant's book Snow. From writing poetry and a singing a song about snow, to creating paper snowflakes and solving math story problems, this resource uses...
Curated OER
Study Guide for Missing May
Use this comprehensive packet to accompany a study of Missing May by Cynthia Rylant. Starting out with a brief author biography and background information about the novel, this guide includes materials to use throughout the entire novel....
Curated OER
Erased Faces
Students decode certain passages from the book, Erased Faces. They connect pictures from a picture book previously seen to the chapters in Erased Faces.
Curated OER
Just Plan It!
Fourth graders practice using a planning sheet for a well-known fairy tale or picture book.
Curated OER
Make Your Own Garden
Students explore gardening. In this Quiet in the Garden lesson plan, students read the picture book by Aliki and extend the lesson by taking part in up to 5 hands-on activities.
Curated OER
Setting the Tone with Figurative Language
Explore figurative language with your secondary class. Extending a language arts unit, the lesson plan prompts middle schoolers to examine how an author's word choice establishes a story's tone, possibly using metaphors, similes,...
McGraw Hill
Study Guide for Tuck Everlasting
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt is a classic novel that readers have enjoyed for years. Resources within the study guide such as discussion and guided reading questions, extension activities, and graphic organizers aid comprehension...
Curated OER
Using Prepositional Phrases
The class reads the book Heckedy Peg. Stopping to point out the prepositional phrases, the teacher models and guides the young scholars to deeper comprehension. Small groups collaborate to read A Sweet Smell of Roses. They thenfind the...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Expressing Emotions through Art Lesson 1—Everyone Shows They Care
In a instructional activity that explores art and emotions, scholars analyze a piece of art and discuss which emotions it portrays. They go on to reflect on their own emotions and how they are similar to the feelings expressed...
Curated OER
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
In this online interactive reading comprehension instructional activity, students respond to 15 multiple choice questions about Wilder's Our Town. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
Friendship and Death
Fourth graders share their thoughts and feelings about friendship and death and connect them with those of the characters in the book, The Bridge to Teribithia. They complete a friendship picture book and write a letter as one of the...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Stone Fox
Students read and complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the novel, Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner. Included are reading, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections. A vocabulary/spelling...