Curated OER
What Do Halloween Costumes Say?
Students analyze Halloween costumes they find in magazines to categorize their findings. For this holiday lesson, students discuss their findings about the costumes based on four different elements.
Curated OER
Tall Tales
Students examine the characteristics of tall tales and how exaggerations are used. They create a character that is larger than life, they brainstorm attributes for their character, before writing a Tall Tale. They plan out their story,...
Curated OER
Probability and Geometry
Students examine the relationship between probability and geometry to solve problems. In this geometry and probability lesson, students investigate the effect of changing percentages on a spinner to the probability of landing on a...
Curated OER
The Poetics of Hip Hop
Students consider the role of rhythm, form, diction, and sound in poetry. In this integrated arts lesson, students discuss the attributes of poetry as they analyze Shakespearean sonnets, hip hop music lyrics, and poems by Nikki...
Curated OER
Nightmare on Joe's Street
Students conduct research and create an eponym dictionary. They use their imaginations to create their own monster. They have a Monster Mash day to show off their creations.
Curated OER
Cruel Schools
Students survey the climate of their school. In this personal health lesson, students discuss bullying and violence in schools. Students then complete a school climate survey, compile the results, and interpret them. Students write data...
Curated OER
Carerrs in Song And Dance
Learners write a job posting for a career in the performing arts. They view a Discovery Channel video as an introduction to the types of performing art careers are possible. They choose one that they are most interested in to research on...
Curated OER
The Chocolate Touch
Students read a book. In this story elements lesson, students share their favorite food, predict what the story will be about and discuss how they would feel if they got to eat their favorite food everyday. Students read the...
Curated OER
Fruit or Vegetable?
Watermelon is a vegetable? A tomato is a fruit? Believe it or not, this debate is decades old. Groups examine rulings by the US Supreme Court, the USDA, and state statutes before developing their own criteria to use when labeling...
Curated OER
Dead Word Wall Kills Overused Words
Have your class attend a funeral for the words they overuse in their writing. They develop a list of alternate words for those overused words, and make an effort to employ alternatives whenever possible. This is a great way to improve...
Media Smarts
Defining Popular Culture
What part does media play in creating, defining, and perpetuating popular culture? High schoolers chart their encounters with fads, trends, and icons and reflect on the media's influence on popular culture.
Civil War Trust
Transcribing Civil War History
Primary sources are valuable for understanding the context of historical events, but the diction and dialect in these documents can be difficult to understand. Middle and high schoolers participation in a transcription process in which...
EngageNY
Establishing Routines for Discussing A Long Walk to Water (Chapter 6)
Middle schoolers use a reader's dictionary to locate words they do not know in chapter 6 of A Long Walk to Water. They then turn attention to gist and work on a Salva/Nya anchor chart to record what happens to the characters....
Curated OER
Ivan the Fool
Young scholars read a classic folk tale, Ivan the Fool, and complete shared reading activities. In this reading activities lesson, students complete a shared reading of the folk tale and write a summary for the story.
Curated OER
Ideas that Lead to Probability
Young scholars explore the concept of probability. In this probability lesson plan, students use random number generators to determine probabilities of events. Young scholars discuss if certain probable events are fair. Students...
Curated OER
Sonnet Explication
Learners analyze close readings of poems, looking up words in the dictionary, and discussing the major parts of dictionary definitions, including word origin and parts of speech. They examine sonnets, then compare/contrast their findings.
Curated OER
Math Prefixes
Students use a dictionary to gather appropriate information for writing simple definitions. They recognize prefixes that relate to numbers, such as mono-, bi-, and tri-. Pupils use their creative abilities to extrapolate new words to...
Curated OER
What's The Word?
Learners define vocabulary words using print or online dictionaries; create crossword puzzles with those words and definitions; and share their puzzles with peers for review.
One Stop English
Brexit
Brexit. Eurosceptics. Titanorak. Frankenstorm. Check out a neat worksheet and the attached article. It's all about buzzwords and how they are birthed. Whoda thunkit.
Curated OER
Vivacious Vocabulary
Students practice looking up the definitions of words using a dictionary. They put the defintion of the word into their own words. They create a PowerPoint slideshow to show illustrations related to their vocabulary words. Using the...
Curated OER
Looking at Lewis and Clark
Fifth graders review information on Lewis and Clark by using a variety of resources. With partners, they travel between stations researching different information based on the expedition. They check each others work and share it with the...
Curated OER
Spirit in the Night
Eleventh graders explain terms using the CD version of The American Heritage Talking Dictionary. They give and seek information in conversations and in group discussions.
Curated OER
Honoring Abe Lincoln
Learners research the life of Abraham Lincoln as a child. They use the information to develop a database. They share the information they collected with the class.
Curated OER
Introducing Grammar: Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation
Focusing on correct grammar usasge as well as the concept of language evolution, this conventions lesson prompts middle and high schoolers to examine the structure of sentences and word classes (parts of speech). Use the three activites...