Curated OER
Jack-O-Latern Lesson
Have a Happy Halloween and build strong oral language skills. Special needs Pupils functioning at a moderate level can practice sequencing, writing lists, and using oral language by explaining how they carve a pumpkin.
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
A Case Study of Memory Loss in Mice
Using a short news article, high school or college biologists examine the scientific method in practice. The article, which focuses on an Alzheimer's experiment performed on rats, has very limited information, so learners must be able to...
Curated OER
Learning to Organize Writing
Encourage focus and organization in the writing of your second, third, and fourth grade classes. Learners are asked to select a room in their house and narrow in on how it looks, smells, or feels. After writing a short paragraph...
Curated OER
Using a Comma to Answer Yes or No
Commas set off words. Review this concept with your beginning grammarians, and then give them this practice opportunity to drive the point home. There are several examples as well as a short passage with a list of accompanying questions.
Harvard University
The Nouns of Geometry
Socratic questioning to teach Euclidean geometry? "The Nouns of Geometry," followed by "The Verbs of Geometry," and the misfit, "A Beginner's Story - The Equilateral Triangle" are designed to encourage learners to explore various topics...
Curated OER
Book Share
Sixth graders meet in small groups to reflect on and share their thoughts after reading a short story, poem, or chapter in a novel. Groups of students utilize a book share evaluation worksheet that's imbedded in this plan.
Curated OER
Legends of the Navajo People
Second graders are read a story in which they begin to examine Native American legends. Using different legends, they discuss how they affected the future people of native peoples. They write a short story on the information they gathered.
Curated OER
Design A Community Program
Students read a short story and state the main idea. Using their community as an example, they brainstorm a list of problems they notice. They use the internet to investigate community projects and write a proposal for a project in...
Curated OER
The Easter Celebration
Students read a short story about Easter. They recognize and point to pictures of the key words (egg, chicken, rabbit, basket, flower). They make an Easter basket and count how many chickens can fit inside. They also practice identifying...
Curated OER
Onomatopoeia Poems
Students write onomatopoeia poems. In this creative writing instructional activity, students listen to a picture book that introduces the concept of onomatopoeia. Students create their own list of words and write a short poem using...
Curated OER
Strange Sports
Sixth graders compare and contrast strange sports. In this comparing lesson, 6th graders read an article about strange sports then compare and contrast these sports to ones they are familiar with. This lesson includes an assessment,...
Curated OER
Understanding Character
Students are introduced to literary elements and definitions in the worksheet Understanding Character but reading through each of the elements and definitions aloud. They read the story, "La Bamba" and identify examples of the literary...
Curated OER
Comparing Fiction and Nonfiction
Fifth graders compare and contrast an informational article with a fictional story. They read the story "The Contest" as a class, and discuss the different types of literature genres. Next, they complete a vocabulary worksheet and a...
Curated OER
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Students, after reading the book, "Esperanza Rising," create a virtual display by combining different story elements into a visual representation. They choose the setting and characters of a scene that will act as a springboard of ideas...
Curated OER
Details, Details: How Choices Reveal Character, Setting, Tone, and Theme. (Analyzing and Interpreting, Making Inferences)
Learners respond to works of art. In this art interpretation activity, students examine images of art while using concepts they learned as they read literary pieces. They detail the setting, characters, and the mood and theme of the...
Curated OER
Diary of Anne Frank: Act 1 Scene 1 & 2
Eighth graders read act 1 scenes 1 & 2 of the play Diary of Anne Frank. In this Diary of Anne Frank lesson plan, 8th graders discuss how the setting of the play affects the mood of the story and answer short answer questions.
Curated OER
Symbolism
Students engage in a lesson about symbolism while reviewing the work of Edgar Allen Poe. They review the definition of symbolism and use it to list the symbols in his work. They write a journal about how the author uses many literary...
National Endowment for the Humanities
"Old Southwest" Humorists and George Washington Harris
Young scholars discover the work of George Washington Harris and his influence on American humor. For this George Washington Harris lesson plan, discuss cultural differences in the United States and read Sut Lovongwood stories by George...
Curated OER
Responding to A Sound of Thunder by Writing PowerPoint Presentations
Students, after reading "A Sound of Thunder," create a PowerPoint presentation about time travel. They study and utilize a graphic organizer to assist them in preparing to deliver an oral presentation next and finally they print their...
Curated OER
Health: Influences on Decisions
Students discover factors influencing their decisions after explaining their reasons for choosing favorite beverages. Working in pairs, they complete worksheets about the influences on decision-making. They write stories about...
Curated OER
Exploring War Themes in Art and Poetry
What is war? Students discuss the ethical dilemma of war by viewing Picasso's painting entitled "Guernica" and write down everything they see in the painting. Then they choose one emotion that best summarizes their emotional response to...
Curated OER
Science: Bees: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Young scholars investigate the world of bees and describe their characteristics. by identifying the bees' parts, they demonstrate how these parts function. In the lab, students dissect bees and view the various parts under microscopes....
Curated OER
"In a Grove" and "Rashomon" by Akutagawa
Young scholars read and analyze the short stories, "In a Grove," and "Rashomon," by Akutagawa. They discuss the samurai warrior culture, watch a short video, take a quiz, participate in whole-group discussions, identify similes and...
Curated OER
Rain Forests
Students investigate the animals and plants of the rainforests. They define rainforest, watch and discuss a National Geographic video, and write a short story.