Student Achievement Partners
Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston's "Farewell to Manzanar"
Passages from Unbroken and Farewell to Manzanar provide the context for a study of the historical themes of experiencing war, resilience during war, and understanding the lasting trauma of war. Appendices include extension activities,...
Curated OER
Debating Iraq
Students analyze the main themes of President Bush's UN Speech and discussion of the NewsHour report on the Iraq Debate. In this debate activity, students answer pre-listening questions and view a transcript of the speech. In groups of...
Curated OER
Vanishing Verbs
Students analyze recent media trends, and develop critical thinking skills by summarizing main ideas, extracting details, formulating opinions, drawing inferences, and comparing and contrasting attitudes. They also practice paraphrasing...
Curated OER
Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tail
Second graders explore Australian folktales. In this folktales lesson, 2nd graders gain knowledge about Australia and it's animals by reading books and discussion. Students find the adjectives in the book and write what they describe....
Curated OER
Idioms
Students, who are not native English speakers, determine how idioms are used in speaking and writing. In this idiom lesson, students listen to tapes of non-native speakers, and work on vocabulary exercises aimed at increasing their use...
Channel Islands Film
Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 1
Learning to craft quality questions is a skill that can be taught. Class members use the Question Formulation Technique to learn how to create and refine both closed-ended and open-ended questions. They then view West of the West's...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Poetry Aloud/Poetry Out Loud
To appreciate the value of seeing and hearing a poetry performance, groups prepare readings of selected poems and then compare and critique their interpretations and videotaped versions of the same poem. Included in the resource are...
Curated OER
We Can Dance!
Students explore a variety of creative body movements and practice speaking the terms used to demonstrate the movements and shapes. The creation of a video provides an opportunity to learn the vocabulary and practice their speech.
Curated OER
Louisiana's Tragic Hero - "Evangeline"
"Ye who believe...List to a Tale of Love in Acadie." Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline," launches a study of tragic heroines, epic poetry, the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada, and their subsequent migration to Louisiana. The...
Curated OER
Guidance for Creating Writing Lessons for Dyslexic Students
How do you help a child with dyslexia succeed as a writer? Here is a resource for those who need guidance in creating writing lessons for their young scholars with dyslexia. It discusses research-based strategies that can be used and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Concluding the Novel
As I Lay Dying is a beautiful book and a wonderful vehicle for understanding, interpreting, and comparing themes. The class reads and analyzes the novel, discusses possible interpretations, and characterizations. They compare the themes...
Curated OER
Watch the Road Signs
What makes a good speaker? Upper elementary learners practice oral fluency by working with a partner to read nonfiction books. While reading, they practice using correct tone of voice, making eye contact, and speaking clearly.
Utah Education Network (UEN)
7th Grade Poetry: I Am Poem
A study of Alfred Noyes's poem "The Highwayman" opens a lesson about narrative poetry. Scholars read the poem and compare it to the animated video version using a worksheet. Learners look at models and use a template to craft an "I Am"...
Curated OER
Language and Dialect
Practice listening skills while studying oral story tellers from different parts of Louisiana. Consider the regional dialects and insider language of folk groups with your class. Identify language as part of folk life and recognize that...
Anti-Defamation League
Shirley Chisholm: Unbought, Unbossed and Unforgotten
A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...
Curated OER
Think On Your Own Feet
Fourth graders have one minute to prepare a one-minute impromptu speech on a topic that is randomly selected. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders give their speeches, and also act as reviewers of their classmate's speeches.
Curated OER
All's Well That Ends Well
Learners examine and discuss the parts of a speech and how to organize them. They read sample speeches, then write a short presentation to read to the class, identifying the beginning, middle, and ending of their speech.
Curated OER
Let Me Convince You
Students discuss the purposes of persuasive speaking and writing with emphasis upon what makes them different from other kinds. They brainstorm and discuss ways to select "The Greatest American Who Ever Lived" and prepare a persuasive...
Curated OER
Slang Ain't the Thang!
Students examine how a speaker uses words and images to express a message. They read a speech written by Sojourner Truth and discuss the purpose and audience, and identify the speaker's tools used in a speech by George W. Bush.
Curated OER
Mix It Up Grammar!
Students review the parts of speech to begin the lesson. Using computers, they listen to instructions from their teacher and write the word under the categories respresenting the different parts of speech. Using the same word, they find...
Curated OER
Monologues
Students explore speech techniques by reading a monologue in their class. In this language arts lesson, students answer questions about their feelings on specific topics in order to get them comfortable while speaking. Students complete...
Curated OER
Sense of Place: Our School
Students explore the concept of 'sense of place' through journaling and class discussion. In this community activity, students discuss what makes them feel like they belong. Students give three speeches that develop the sense of place...
Curated OER
Read and Review
Learners create presentations to discuss a book they've read using a video format. For this reading and speech lesson, students video tape a presentation about a book they've written a summary for. Learners then produce an in-house...
Curated OER
The Art Of Persuasion
Students engage in a lesson that focuses upon the use of persuasive speech. They conduct research into the famous sayings used by sideshow owners and performers from the Old West. Students then create advertisements for shows that could...