Curated OER
My Family
Young scholars read a story entitled, "My Family." They predict what they expect to they family will be doing in the book. Students explore strategies for decoding unfamiliar words. They brainstorm things family members might teach each...
Curated OER
Shizuko’s Daughter: K-W-L
What would your class like to learn about Japanese culture? Prepare them for a novel unit about Kyoko Mori's Shizuko's Daughter with a KWL chart. After listing what they already know about Japanese culture, they write questions about...
Curated OER
Making Connections
Fourth graders investigate visual imagery to aid reading comprehension. In this reading strategies lesson, 4th graders discover how visual imagery helps in comprehending a story. Students use a reader's notebook to record connections.
Curated OER
Using Basic Properties to Solve Problems in Math
Learners identify and define the rules of properties of real numbers. They rewrite each of the problems listed using the commutative or associative properties. Pupils apply problem solving strategies to clarify situations in a table...
Curated OER
What's So Bad or Good About Conflict?
Learners of all ages discuss how conflict can be negative and positive. First, they create a class bulletin board about conflict, and provide their thoughts and connotations surrounding the word. In a class discussion, they ask questions...
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
Kites are Slow, Reading is Fast
Speed read with your third, fourth, and fifth graders. Learners pair up and work together to improve their oral fluency. Use the technique of covering up unknown words to isolate the vowel and decode the word. There's a sheet included to...
Curated OER
Mapping Out the Story
Discuss the reading comprehension strategy of summarization with your elementary schoolers! They read a chapter from their social studies textbook, Regions Near and Far, and create a map, or word web, for the chapter. They identify...
Curated OER
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning
Students use logical arguments and inductive reasoning to make or disprove conjectures. After observing a teacher led demonstration, students discover that the deductive process narrows facts to a few possible conclusions. In groups,...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Bingo: Fever 1793
Prior to reading Fever 1793, class members are introduced to vocabulary drawn from the text of Laurie Halse Anderson's novel with a bingo-style activity. The vocabulary list, a teacher copy with definitions, and the bingo template are...
Curated OER
The Letterbox Lesson
Students analyze phoneme sequence in a word. They spell words using phoneme analysis and read new words using phoneme analysis.
Curated OER
Talk is Cheap
Second graders listen to the tale, "The Tortoise and the Hare" and discuss the moral of the story. Afterward, they brainstorm words that encouraged the Tortoise to accomplish his goal. Students then review the concept of goal setting and...
Curated OER
Hide and Seek Vocabulary!
Third graders practice word recognition and vocabulary building. They find word cards in the classroom. Then they practice reading the words and using them in sentences. Additional practice is gained by writing the words and using them...
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Close Reading
Eleventh graders read and study Hamlet. Then they are introduced to close reading as a means of understanding what is being read--not only understanding the printed word, but also the nuances and connotations of language as it is used by...
Curated OER
Modeling Integer Multiplication
Pupils multiply positive and negative integers. They represent word expressions with both positive and negative integers and then multiply them. They also create multiplication problems to solve as a class. They create a rhyme, a story,...
Curated OER
Building a Paper Bridge: an Introduction To Problem Solving
Eighth graders explore problem solving strategies to build a paper bridge with a partner. As a class they discuss a variety of techniques to solve a simple problem, then in pairs construct the longest non-supported single span bridge...
Curated OER
Night: Socratic Questioning Activity
We construct meaning through discussion, so help your readers of Elie Wiesel's work Night with a socratic questioning activity. The strategy is outlined on the first page, and the second page offers some example questions you give to...
Curated OER
Gone to the Dogs
Approach vocabulary through decoding and chunking. Your class breaks up words into basic syllables or chunks then engages in a decoding activity. Useful for a variety of language levels and grades, just modify to fit your class.
Curated OER
Sssssssss
Students experience the strategy of phoneme recognition to recognize /s/ in spoken words, including plurals, and in writing. They encounter the book Summer Fun by Lucy Lawrence and the tongue twister "Miss Sam saw a sneaky slimy snake in...
Curated OER
Uh Oh!
Help your elementary learners distinguish between short and long vowel /o/ sounds. They are introduced to the vowel-consonant-e pattern that changes short vowel sounds into long vowel sounds. Then they practice reading and spelling words...
Curated OER
Mind Your Pints and Quarts: Making Sense of Liquid Measurement
Elementary and middle schoolers identify different units of liquid measurement. They use the online Visual Thesaurus to learn about the relationships between units of liquid measurement.
Scholastic
Summarizing: Using Hand Motions for Key Words or Points
Learning to summarize texts takes practice. Jump into the training ring and guide your learners through a summarizing practice session. The classic direct instructional practice of "I do, you do, we do" is used to help them identify key...
Curated OER
Cartoon Vocabulary
Third and fourth graders complete a vocabulary log which includes a definition, and a sentence that demonstrates the meaning of the word. Then make an illustration that represents the definition of the word. The trick is that they may...
Curated OER
Rent To Own
Reading can be a good way to learn about many different things, like rent-to-own housing programs. Learners read informational resources about rent-to-own programs and how they work. They complete graphic organizers using the facts they...