Curated OER
Peer Editing
Sudents read and critique three of their fellow classmates' science fiction short stories on three consecutive days for mechanics, short story elements, style, and informational elements.
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A Sense Of Water
Students examine several writings from both locals and Peace Corps volunteers from several African countries. Students reflect on how the writer's interactions with water are presented through the material. Students write their own pieces.
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Mouthwatering Adjectives!
Third graders write descriptions of food items in order to create a restaurant menu. They use adjectives to describe mouth-watering and vivid food and compare it to a boring adjective-lacking menu. They design and share their menus with...
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Photo Essay
Students examine the process of writing a photo essay. They examine and select a personal photo or photo from a magazine, and brainstorm a story that can go with the photo. They identify an emotion to go with their picture, then write...
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Monet Water Lilies
Fourth graders recognize works of art from various cultures and identify the artist and culture. They view the artistic style and write a response to questions about the style. Students create a still life painting using the techniques...
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Cloze Passage: Extra Senses
In this extra senses cloze procedure worksheet, students fill in the 12 missing words in the passage to help identify their reading level.
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Vivid Verbs
Fifth graders review action verbs by brainstorming a list of them as a class. Using magazines, they pick one picture and use a dictionary or thesaurus to identify verbs that describe the action taking place. Using the new verbs, they...
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Getting To Know You
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes ten lessons from the American Literature series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response activities are included for each...
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Reflecting/Writing after a field trip or other experience
Students reflect on field trips in writing. In this journal writing lesson, students write about a recent experience by using 4 of their senses to tell what they remember. They turn these into poetry.
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Memory of a Kiss
Third graders read, discuss, and memorize the poem "Jenny Kissed Me." as an example of lyrical poetry. They write a letter to Jenny reliving the memory of her kiss from an elderly person's point of view. They illustrate their poems.
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Haiku: Observation and Writing in the Japanese Garden
Learners observe a Botanical Gardens. Upon returning to the classroom, students write their own Haiku based on their observations.
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Travels With Charley
Fifth graders engage in a literature study that uses a variety of texts in order to maximize their exposure to different reading situations. They examine each book in order to practice skills of reading comprehension. They recognize the...
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Taxation Without Representation
Eighth graders empathize with how colonists felt when they were taxed without representation. They use a metaphor of students and a school principal to describe the strained relationship that developed between the colonies and Britain.
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Build Your Own Adventure
Sixth graders write a narrative. They choose options for plot and climax within the context of an outdoor survival story.
Orange County Department of Education
Nights of the Pufflings
Third graders read the story to identify the problem and solution that occurs in Night of the Pufflings. They identify problems within the story that are solved through the characters' responsible actions. Students describe in their...
Orange County Department of Education
The Lost and Found
Third graders explain the definition of integrity and respect and provide examples from the story The Lost and Found's characters and their own lives that illustrate both. They describe in their journals why and how they think Wendell...
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Unforgettable Personalities
Students read an essay titled, "Unforgettable Personalities" to study the influence of character's traits on the resolution of conflict in a narrative. They discuss and complete a worksheet that compares their own personality traits to...
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Praise for a Color
Students discover the 5 senses by analyzing poetry. In this poetry lesson, students read a poem with their class and analyze how each sense plays into their understanding of the poem. Students write a poem based on a specific color...
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Picture Me with Words
Students search in newspapers for words that describe them or what they like. They gather the words and use them to create a self-portrait. They read "boring" sentences and rewrite them using more descriptive words. They write 10 word...
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Cesar Chavez Biopoem
Young scholars demonstrate their learning about Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers Union by writing a biopoem. They word process the poem.
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Out of the Dust
Seventh graders read a book of poems called "Out of the Dust". In groups, they research the Dust Bowl and how it affected people living through the Great Depression. Using the text, they identify the theme and key turning points and...
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Word Wizard
Students make magic wands to become word wizards who add the magic "e" to word with cvc patterns. They make reading cards, and a multimedia presentation show the use of the word patterns.
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Proverbs
Fifth graders listen to a fable that ends with a proverb. They infer the meaning of the proverb. Students examine proverbs and predict meaning. They write a skit that shows the appropriate usage of the proverb.
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How was Your Day? Creating Mixed Media Designs
Students explore how art reflects culture and history. They examine everyday life experiences in various countries. Students design a mixed media composition. They create a class presentation.