Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Surprise!: Challenge Activities (Theme 2)
Surprise! is the theme of this series of challenge activities. The surprise comes from the information your scholars will discover when researching topics such as alligators and crocodiles, living in other countries, becoming a...
Curated OER
Introduction to Ludwig van Beethoven
"Ode to la Tortilla" and "Ode to Joy"? Sure! Use Gary Soto's poem to introduce learners to the ode format. After examining the descriptive words Soto uses, class members study a poster of Ludwig van Beethoven, suggest words that describe...
Curated OER
Writing in Different Viewpoints
Students read and analyze the point of view of a selected classic short story. They take notes while reading the story, select a character, and rewrite the story from a different viewpoint.
Curated OER
The Mysterious Tadpole
Second graders examine books written by Steven Kellogg, looking for similarities in his illustrations. They also look at images found on the Internet. They listen to a read aloud of The Mysterious Tadpole up to the point where the eggs...
Curated OER
Terrific Taste Buds
Learners explore descriptive writing by eating food in class. In this descriptive word lesson, students assess different foods in class such as jelly beans and utilize their vocabulary to describe the taste. Learners read the story...
Curated OER
Paws in Jobland: Mystery in Jobland I
Students appreciate and examine the roles that people play in particular situations. In this career lesson plan, students use research and information skills to perform the roles they are assigned.
Curated OER
The Mystery Constellation
Students decipher two teacher chosen mystery constellations a month. They listen to stories, explain what they know about constellations and name the mystery constellation.
ReadWriteThink
Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Narrative Structure
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a comic strip combines both images and words for the ultimate narrative effect. After reading The Three Little Pigs and deciphering the plot elements, elementary readers work through four...
Curated OER
Understanding the Elements of Fiction
Inform your class on the elements of fiction: themes, settings, characters, plots, dialogue, narration, flashback, clues, climax, resolution. They write the definitions of the terms on the worksheet provided.l Tip: Have them write a...
Curated OER
A Fairy Tale: Italian Folklore
Students work in groups to write an original fairy tale in Italian. They research the components of a fairy tale, compare and contrast fairy tales with myths and follow an outline to write a complete, 15-20 page fairy tale.
Curated OER
Shaping Up!
Kindergartners are introduced to basic shapes. Learners spend 45 minutes a day in geometry centers carrying out the activities outlined in this ambitious plan. There are games, hands-on activities, interactive websites, art projects,...
Curated OER
"The Hell of Mirrors" by Edogawa Rampo
Learners read and analyze the short story, "The Hell of Mirrors," by Edogawa Rampo. They write diary entries, develop a video, create an illustration, conduct research, and write a short story.
Curated OER
The Mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke
Students research the Lost Colony of Roanoke by interpreting John White's diary as a primary source.
Curated OER
Writing a News Report
Students explore journalism by analyzing current events. In this news report lesson, students identify important questions to ask during an interview and discuss a fictitious news story about a missing teacher. Students read published...
Blake Education
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
The motto for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry warns that one should never tickle a sleeping dragon, but learners will definitely be tickled by the activities in a packet of materials designed to accompany a reading of the...
Pleasantville Public School
Summer Reading Project
Summer means sun, fun, and a good book! Boost scholars' enthusiasm and proficiency in reading with a summer project of their choice—a book jacket, collage, or shoe box diorama. A variety of titles and authors from every genre offers...
Curated OER
You Decide: Roanoke the Lost Colony
Students develop an idea about what happened at the Lost Colony of Roanoke. In this Roanoke Colony lesson, students examine associated vocabulary before listening to Roanoke The Lost Colony, An Unsolved Mystery from History by Jane...
Curated OER
Treasure Chest
Young scholars explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago lesson, students discover what life what like during this time. Young scholars read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students view...
Curated OER
Tales from Arabia
Students read about Scheherazade and Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp. In this literature/writing lesson, students understand the excitement of foreign places as the setting for a story. Students rewrite their own version of Scheherazade.
Curated OER
Tales from Arabia
Third graders explore and develop interest in reading of foreign lands through the reading of The Arabian Nights and a variety of Cinderella stories. Students participate in a variety of folk literature activities. Students recognize the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Images of Faulkner and the South
Learners research one aspect of the life of Faulkner and the culture of the South. In this As I Lay Dying instructional activity, learners explore a webpage on Faulkner and write a summary. Learners analyze the images and consider the...
Curated OER
You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover, But Can You Judge a Book By Its First Line? #2
For this literature/book analysis worksheet, students read one sentence which is the beginning of a book. Students then answer 6 questions based on this one sentence, predicting what it will be about and other story elements. They then...
Curated OER
"it Was Kitten's First Full Moon"
In this creative reading worksheet, students read the one sentence at the top of the page. Students circle parts of speech, predict what will happen in the story, and guess the genre. Then students write the story.
Curated OER
Physics "24"
Students construct a model house or school. In this physics lesson plan, students research about who wind up clocks work and write an essay about it. They determine the center of gravity of different objects.