Curated OER
Newsroom
Middle schoolers use the Internet and graphic organizers to organize the information they collect about farm products and exports.
Curated OER
Everyday vs. Extreme Relationships with Nature
Students examine the interactions with nature and the environment. They discover where water comes from and ways to conserve water. They also examine energy sources and consumption.
Curated OER
Cartographer and Journalish as Storytellers
Students collaborate in groups of four students to create a written description of their community during a specific year. They analyze data provided by maps and newspaper articles. They meet as a whole class to discuss their conclusions.
Curated OER
History and Oceanography
High schoolers identify the accomplishments in oceanography from 17th-19th century, construct a time line with the scientists in chronological order, and discuss the parallels of oceanographic contributions with those in other areas of...
Curated OER
Media and the Weather
Students research an historical weather disaster and create a group media presentation emphasizing the importance of weather around the world and on the sea. Presentation is in the format of a T.V. news story, a radio news story, or a...
Curated OER
Courage
Students become familiar with dance vocabulary and, with their bodies, create shapes and transitional movements to depict emotions related to the theme of 'courage.' They coordinate their movements to music and critique each others'...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Story Writing With Arthur
This series of 12 downloadable activities teach students some basics of story writing, using books or videos from the PBS "Arthur" series as a springboard. Activities include creating story maps, asking questions about characters and...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Write a Short Story: Practice 1
A learning module that gives students practice writing a short story in four lessons: Introduction; Before Writing-Brainstorm, Brainstorm, Brainstorm; Writing Prompts; Point of View; and Quick Tips for Writing a Timed Response.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Starting & Stopping With Strong Imagery: Revision Strategy
In this lesson, students will engage in revising their writings to incorporate sensory images. Students will brainstorm topics of places, away from their home, that are special. Then students will choose and then write a descriptive...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Leads for a Most Embarrassing Moment Narrative
Inspired by the embarrassing situation Byron finds himself in during chapter 1 of Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, students will think of their own embarrassing moments they might write about. Using the...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: And the Author Is...using Digital Tools for Writing
Empower students to recognize that they are thinkers and writers! They will collaborate on a writing piece to brainstorm, organize and publish ideas with a digital tool. This lesson highlights different website creations as examples of...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Collaborative Prewriting and Drafting
A very useful lesson that incorporates the process of collaboration to elementary young scholars. Students brainstorm and use prewriting strategies to write a group story.
Caro Clarke
Caro Clarke: Description: What's It For?
This is the twelfth article in a series that is designed to help the new novel writer. This article focuses on how to effectively use descriptions in any writing.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Story Starters: Powerful Sentences
In this lesson, students will click a button that will help them generate ideas for story development. Students can click several times, if needed, until one of the ideas is interesting to them. [Requires Adobe Reader.]
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Counting Up or Down Stories
The writer will brainstorm situations where individuals or people in a group count up or count down out loud together. Using the ending of chapter 5 of Wringer by Jerry Spinelli as a model, the writer will plan a story where someone (or...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Serendipitous & Interesting Story Titles
In this lesson plan, The Paper Bag Princess, a book written by Robert Munsch, is used as a mentor text. Young scholars will reflect on how nouns can sometimes be used as interesting adjectives. Students will collect these ideas in their...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Showing Plots & Conflicts
In this lesson, recommendations from Ralph Fletcher's book called Live Writing will be used as a teacher reference. Students will write introductions to three different stories in their writer's notebooks, but each type of conflict must...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix:"oh, That's Good!" "No, That's Bad!"
How can something that is good, be bad and something that is bad, be good? Inspired by the pattern and concept in Margery Cuyler's picture book That's Good! That's Bad!, students will brainstorm a sequence of related events as the story...
Can Teach
Can Teach: Writing a Cooperative Class Story
In this lesson plan, students will write a cooperative class story, using brainstorming and editing skills. Lesson plan indicated for 3rd grade and above.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Write It: Memoir
Write It Memoir offers a complete writing workshop to develop your personal story. Search your memory through the brainstorming activities to launch your piece. Draft a map of the memories along with reading other models. As the process...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: A Word Game for Kids: The Idea Game for Kids
How can using your five senses help you tell a better story? Young writers brainstorm three sensory details about a personal topic before writing a story about it. If they need help with ideas, they can click the magic button for story...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
After hearing and discussing an excerpt from Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons, students will plan to create a unique description of a character that uses memorable actions that "show" a person's character. They will brainstorm verbs that...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Scheming Against an Adversary
Enemy Pie by Derek Munson makes readers think seriously about this question: "What if I had to spend an entire day with someone with whom I had a conflict?" This question presents young writers with a great launching pad for developing...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Quest Item Poetry
After listening to and sketching several scenes from the stories of Theseus and Orpheus, young scholars will imagine a scene of themselves standing on the road of life, about to embark on a journey into the world. Inspired by the quest...