Curated OER
The True Story of Abbie Burgess
First graders read a story from their textbooks about women in the 1850's. They discuss what it was like to be a woman living in American during this time period. They brainstorm heroines of American history and then discuss woman...
Curated OER
Identifying and Describing Story Elements
First graders examine how to identify the different elements of a story and how they fit in a definite sequence. The use of comprehension skills is essential to retell the story as desired within the instructional activity.
Curated OER
Writing: Lesson 5
Eighth graders pre-write a story brainstorming things that they want to tell in their story; writing down as many details as possible. They then arrange the details in chronological order and practice several ways to write a narrative.
Curated OER
Folklore Festivities: Exploring Short Stories
Students explore the stories of "William Tell, The Husband Who Was to Mind the House, The Little Match Girl, and Three Words of Wisdomare" in the five lessons of this unit. The understanding of folktales is highlighted in this unit.
Curated OER
Vivid Adjectives
Students review adjectives and play a game where students compete to see who can write the most adjectives for a given noun. They write a story about one topic and try to use a variety of adjectives in sequence tto describe a noun.
Curated OER
Growing Plants in Science and Literature, More Than an Empty Pot
Students read The Empty Pot as an introduction to plants. In this planting lesson, students understand a sequence of events in the book and relate it to the sequence of a plants life. Students grow plants and record information in flower...
Curated OER
Open Sesame: A Magical World of Reading
Third graders, through six lessons, study tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Aladdin and the Lamp from The Arabian Nights.
Curated OER
Bone's Adventures
Young scholars read and discuss a chapter from the book "A Dog's Life," focusing on the point of view of the dog in the story. They explore dog rescue organization websites, and play the online game "Bone Travels On," creating a story...
Curated OER
Can We Switch Genders of Story Characters?
Students read and review the main elements of a story. In this language arts lesson, students predict what the story read to them would have been like if the genders of the characters had been different. Students write a new story in...
Curated OER
Is This a House for Hermit Crab?
First graders identify text that uses sequence or other logical order. They identify and interpret how different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments and have external features that help them thrive in different...
Curated OER
Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?
Students, at the advanced beginner to low intermediate ESL levels, demonstrate comprehension of the play or story, "Little Red Riding Hood." They construct interviews based on knowledge of the characters in the play Little Red Riding Hood.
Curated OER
Guided Reading: Desert Life
First graders read a book with the teacher while encountering unfamiliar words and learning how to use context clues and visual clues to understand the material. For this reading comprehension lesson, 1st graders make predictions and...
Curated OER
Happy Holidays
Students create holiday story while working in cooperative learning groups, using Chris Van Allsburg's Polar Express as a writing prompt.
Curated OER
Interpreting Mythology Through Dance
Students use abstract movement to tell the story of Re's journey. In this ancient Egypt lesson, students choreograph locomotor and non-locomotor movements to describe ancient Egyptian journeys to the afterlife as described in Egyptian...
Curated OER
Something From Nothing
Students listen to story Joseph Had A Little Overcoat to explore people from another culture and how one item can be used to make other items; students use scraps of fabric and other knickknacks to create pictures or toys.
Curated OER
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Students identify the cause and effect in the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. In this cause and effect lesson, students listen to the story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and discuss what the cause and effect is. As a follow-up,...
Curated OER
Famous Women in American History: Rose Freedman
Fourth graders read about Rose Freedman, a famous American woman. In this famous women in American history lesson, 4th graders read a story about Rose Freedman, answer comprehension questions, and complete an associated worksheet. They...
Curated OER
Legends Old and New
Young scholars 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
My First Kwanzaa Book Activity Card
Kindergartners respond to the events in My First Kwanzaa Book by completing an activity at home with a parent. After cutting out six labeled picture cards, they arrange them in the order in which they appeared in the book.
Curated OER
Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns
What does it mean to grow? To germinate? For the plan detailed here, class members investigate the growth process of an oak tree while focusing on the beginning stages of planting and germination. They plant seeds and record observations...
Curated OER
Making Korean Kimchi
Students make Korean Kimchi. In this Korean culture lesson, students follow the steps for making kimchi and learn about its background.
Curated OER
Comic Book Project
Young scholars write a comic. In this writing lesson, students discuss comic books and why they continue to be so popular. Young scholars create a comic book using an imaginary character. Students must present a problem and solution in...
Curated OER
Take the Mystery Out of Building Suspense in a Narrative
Good thing, bad thing; a fun technique for building suspense in a narrative.
Curated OER
Left-to-Right Reading
Left-to-right, left-to-right, that's the way we read and write! Watch this short video clip and teach your young learners this chant before they start writing!