MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Early American Novel: Exploring the Emergence of a Genre
Need an extra challenge for your best readers? Check out a unit that uses Hannah Webster Foster’s epistolary novel, The Coquette, published in 1797, as the anchor text. The resource is packed with project ideas; each with its own...
Curated OER
Casper the Cat
Students examine the letter 'a'. Through instruction and modeling and a variety of practice activities, they explore the sound the letter makes and how the letter is written. They recite tongue twisters, read stories and use letterboxes...
Curated OER
"Aaaaaa!!!!" Please Don't Cry Baby!
Students complete a variety of activities as they examine the letter 'a' as it makes the short /a/ sound. Through instruction and modeling, they explore the sound the letter makes and how the letter is written. They recite tongue...
Curated OER
Emergent Literacy: Open Up and Say Aaaah!
Students, through modeling, explore how to make the short /o/ sound. They practice /o/ sound tongue twisters and recognize the sound in written form as the letter 'a'. They practice writing the letter 'a'. They pick out the /o/ sound...
Curated OER
Richie's Rocket
Fourth graders, after reading with intonation and expression the book, "Richie's Rocket," by Joan Anderson, circulate in centers to create a puzzle with emotions and experiences from the ideas in the story, write the definition of words...
Curated OER
Richie's Rocket
Fourth graders, while working in centers read Richie's Rocket by Joan Anderson, and then create a puzzle using ideas, emotions, and experiences from the story. In addition, they write specific definitions for certain words, use those...
Curated OER
Immigration Unit
Third graders develop an appreciate for the various cultures that are present in their local community. Through reading and research, they explain how various culture came to live in their area. At the conclusion of the unit, 3rd...
Curated OER
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fourth graders participate in a play to work on seeing events from a different perspective. Some of them are reporters, some cameramen and women, and others are interviewed. They put themselves in the shoes of the people in the book...
Curated OER
Halloween Literature Unit: Little Critter’s Halloween
Students are read Happy Halloween Little Critter, by Mercer Mayer. In this emotions lesson, students discover how their mood is often affected by their feelings. They discuss the story as a class and then work independently on a...
Curated OER
Some Simple Rules to Sum it Up!
Students observe and demonstrate three steps to summarize text. They read and discuss the three steps to summarizing, then silently read an article about dugongs from "National Geographic Kids" magazine. Students demonstrate the three...
Curated OER
The Magic Apple
First graders read The Magic Apple and complete interdisciplinary activities related to the book. In this folktale lesson plan, 1st graders answer comprehension questions, recognize and record short /i/ sound words and complete...
Curated OER
Rosa Parks Changed the Rules
Students listen to a story about Rosa Parks and examine the bus seating rules of the 1950s. In this civil rights movement lesson, the teacher reads students a book about Rosa Parks, then students complete a worksheet with a diagram of...
National First Ladies' Library
Save the Animals: The Creation of the ASPCA
Young scholars read Black Beauty and study the history of the founding of the ASPCA and learn about endangered species today. Then they write a short paper about the book, or on some aspect of the history of the ASPCA, and, after...
Curated OER
Cause And Effect
Fourth graders read the book Stellaluna and cite sentences that show cause and effect in the story. In this cause and effect lesson plan, 4th graders also write sentences that show cause and effect in their own lives.
Curated OER
Harriet Tubman
Young scholars investigate Harriet Tubman. In this African-American instructional activity, students read the book A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman and discuss how she was a conductor of the Underground Railroad. Young scholars identify...
Curated OER
Add Awesome Alliteration to your Writing
Students practice writing with alliteration, repeating the same letter sound at the beginning of two or more words in a sentence; students also review of adjectives, verbs, and adverbs while creating an alphabet book.
Curated OER
Add Awesome Alliteration to Your Writing
Students explore alliteration. In this writing lesson, students read the book Thank You for the Thistle and create sentences with alliteration. Students create an alphabet booklet with alliteration.
Curated OER
Legends Old and New
Students listen to a Native American legend and discuss the basic elements of story. In small groups they read and analyze more legends from books and Websites. Then they compose and present an original legend.
Curated OER
"Me and My Family Tree"
Students explore genealogy by reading a family history book in class. In this family tree lesson, students read the story Me and My Family Tree by Joan Sweeney and discuss their own family history. Students identify what the term...
Curated OER
Readers Theatre: The Three Snow Bears
Students dramatize the story, Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett. For this readers theatre lesson, students read the story and then dramatize the events during readers theatre. There is an included script.
Curated OER
Writing with Alliteration
Learners read Thank You for the Thistle and understand what alliteration is. In this alliteration lesson, students write sentences using alliteration. Learners choose a letter of the alphabet and the class writes an alphabet book of...
Curated OER
Esperanza Rising: Lesson 5 of 15 in Unit Plan
Sixth graders complete lesson plan 5 of 15 about the book Esperanza Rising. In this Esperanza Rising lesson plan, 6th graders build on work done in the previous lesson plan. They complete response logs, and vocabulary posters. They...
Curated OER
Counting Crows
Students discuss the fable, The Crow and the Pitcher. In this literature lesson, students read the fable and create a crow sock puppet. Students use their puppets to dramatize the fable.
Curated OER
Narrative Collage
Young scholars use a book or passage for their inspiration to create a narrative collage. They need to illustrate the action or the setting.