National Council of Teachers of English
A Bear of a Poem: Composing and Performing Found Poetry
Scholars work collaboratively to compose a found poem from one of their favorite stories. With a finished product in hand, class members form a circle and perform their work for an audience by taking turns reciting one line till the poem...
Curated OER
English Literature Circle Discussion
Students participate in literary circles to analyze characters, critique writing, discuss events, and story elements. In this literary circles lesson, students take responsibility for their learning as a member of the group. Students...
Curated OER
Your Story
Students discover ways to learn about the past. For this writing lesson students use a writing web to organize their ideas about how we learn about the past. The students then start a time capsule about their lives.
Curated OER
My Hero Learning Circle
Students participate in a collaboration activity. In this My Hero Project lesson, students discover what a hero is to someone halfway around the world and themselves. Over the 16-week session, circles, made up of between 6-9 classes from...
Curated OER
Elements of A Story
Eighth graders read stories and identify the six elements of a story. As a group activity, they illustrate random examples of Frankinstein stories, identify the element illustrated, and post the picture in the appropriate station in the...
Curated OER
Story Dolls
Students express themselves through art and writing at the same time in this lesson. Students create paper doll versions of themselves. Students write a biography of their dolls.
Curated OER
Creative Writing Using the Senses
Fifth graders, utilizing a thesaurus to identify alternative word choices and meanings, eat a sweet treat and then list eight different adjectives for each of the five senses. They then describe a sweet with at least then adjectives...
Penguin Books
Wonder in the Classroom
Would you rather be right, or would you rather be kind? A novel unit based on R.J. Palacio's Wonder focuses on the need to be kind to others and to accept their differences. As learners read the book, they discuss the themes of family...
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Eric Carle Mural
Inspire first grade artists to learn about abstract and realistic art while reading Eric Carle's Where are you Going? To See My Friend. Young artists design and make a mural collage by tearing shapes of paper while comparing English and...
Curated OER
Experience This!
What would you do if you had to go to school all day every day? Tillie tackles this problem in Sharon Creech’s A Fine, Fine School. After a discussion of how Tillie got the principal to change his ways, brainstorm with your class...
Curated OER
Civil Rights: Rosa Parks Centers
Research the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks. Set up different centers and have learners rotate through the activities aimed at researching Rosa Parks. They read The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks, write a...
Curated OER
Publishing Pupils
Second graders are guided through the writing process and then given time to use the skills they have acquired by writing a story and publishing it using a computer.
Curated OER
Cinderella Stories: An African Tale
Students read and analyze an African version of the Cinderella story. They listen to John Steptoe's story, "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters," locate Africa on a map, compare and contrast the story with Cinderella, and identify fairytale and...
Curated OER
Story Elements
Eighth graders identify six story elements (setting, characters, character traits, plot, resolution, and point of view) and create short stories utilizing all six elements. They are introduced to story elements as the things that make up...
Curated OER
Getting Hooked, Introduction for a Narrative
How can you interest your reader? Here is a great lesson on reading and discussing the characteristics of a narrative. Elementary schoolers explore writing techniques to hook the reader. They identify their hook and share their...
Curated OER
Fun with Summarizing
Students practice summarization by creating a story map. After reading Freckle Juice, students working in groups, create a story map of the main events of the story. Groups use their story maps to summarize a chapter of the story and...
Curated OER
Story Dolls
Students create autobiographies. In this autobiographical writing instructional activity, students use a story doll template and write about themselves. Students decorate their autobiographies.
Curated OER
Tibetan Monk Sand Paintings
Students complete an art project. In this sand paintings lesson plan, students learn about the history of mandalas and then create a sand painting of their own. Extensions include writing a story or poem about their sand painting, study...
Curated OER
Fighting Fake News
Fake news. Alternative facts. Internet trolls. In an age of Newspeak, it's increasingly important to equip 21st century learners with the skills needed to determine the legitimacy of claims put forth on social media, in print, and in...
Curated OER
Worksheet #4: Simplify Algebraic Expressions With Two Variables
In this algebraic expression worksheet, students simplify algebraic expressions and solve proportions, and write equations from story problems. Thirteen of the 49 problems are fill in the blank, and the remainder are multiple choice.
Curated OER
Understanding and Writing Fables
Third graders review with the teacher the characteristics for a fable and what it is. They read one paragraph each from the story, "The Fox and the Stork" aloud. They then answer comprehension questions aloud. Next, they listen to four...
Curated OER
Storyline Drum Circle
Students perform story songs. In this rhythmic motives lesson, students practice melodies, variations, and accompaniments as they read Peter Seeger's Abiyoyo and create compositions to present it as a story-song.
Curated OER
Pandora Puppy's Caring Circle
Students are introduced to the concept of compassion. As a class, they read a story together about Pandora Puppy's caring circles and identify the main points. They complete a worksheet and take a test to review how compassion is...
Curated OER
Every Graph Tells A Story
Seventh graders explore linear equations. In this graphing lesson plan, 7th graders explore constant rates of change. Students discover the real-life application of graphs and demonstrate their ability to read graphs and write...