Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 1: Close Reading/Socratic Seminar
John Knowles' A Separate Peace provides readers with an opportunity to develop their close reading and analytical skills as they look for what Knowles feels are the factors that shape our identity.
Baruch College Writing Center
Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Quoting Workshop
What's the difference between summarizing and paraphrasing? Show class members how to find the main ideas from informational text and condense it, restate it, or quote it directly with a series of educational activities based on two...
EngageNY
Even and Odd Numbers
Even or not, here I come. Groups investigate the parity of products and sums of whole numbers in the 17th lesson in a series of 21. Using dots to represent numbers, they develop a pattern for the products of two even numbers; two odd...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: The Brain on Autopilot
For some people, the force of addiction can be as biologically compelling as the drive for food or water. High schoolers watch a video segment about Ryan, a recovering addict, and learn more about how opioids and other drugs can affect...
Teaching Tolerance
Community Spotlight Cards
Not all heroes wear capes—or cleats. Class members identify unsung heroes in their schools or towns for interviews, then create trading cards. A celebration including presentations or trading of cards completes their investigation of...
Curated OER
Knock On Wood
Students investigate the trees of the Mississippi Valley, specifically looking at the coniferous and deciduous forests. The research of the area is part of a field study when students conduct a survey of local forests in order to create...
Curated OER
Setting Goals for Success
Students construct SMART goals. In this goal-setting lesson, students discover how to write a SMART goal for their student portfolios. Working in pairs students write short-term goals that will build towards a long-term goal.
Curated OER
Painting with Words
Fifth graders discuss words that are over used in their writing such as good, nice, happy, glad sad, etc. they complete a survey about word choice then hear a story and discuss descriptive phrases used in the story and how they help to...
Curated OER
WH AT' S Y O U R A M B I T I O N?
Students read and analyze an excerpt from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. Students use the Six Traits of Writing to compose an essay on a personal life ambition that each students may have. Students use prewriting strategies and...
Curated OER
Check It Out
Students discuss the many processes involved with personal banking. They create their own budget based on their career choices. They also practice balancing a checkbook.
Curated OER
Successful Paragraphs
Students write a five sentence paragraph with varied sentence beginnings. In this paragraph writing instructional activity, students use a teacher modeled procedure. They complete a worksheet about their favorite things, happenings, and...
Curated OER
Community Journals
Learners visit a multimedia online journal as a model for their research and journal about their own communities. They examine writing for themselves and writing for an audience as they study the community and present it in more than one...
Curated OER
The Great Kapok Tree Debate
Young scholars participate in a read aloud of the story, "The Great Kapok Tree" in which a logger decides not to cut down a tree. In small groups, they discuss and write about their opinion on the logger's decision. Each group then...
Curated OER
Ready, Set, Tech (Primp Up Your Poems: Literary Devices)
Students study literary devices used in poetry. They gain access to a specific Internet poetry site that provides a step-by-step guide on how to write a poem. They each write a poem and then exchange it with others in a group for peer...
Curated OER
The Five Ws of Journalism
Learners write a mock article. In this journalism lesson, students define the word "article" and learn the five W's of article writing. Learners complete a worksheet and write a paragraph using what they have learned.
Curated OER
Solar System: Fantasy Planet
Learners create their own fantasy planet using computer software on KidPix. In this planets lesson plan, students also write a paragraph about their planet including the name, population, weather, and more.
Curated OER
Many Happy Returns
Students compare the journey of Lewis and Clark with the space flight of Apollo 11. Students sequence events using a timeline. Students write a persuasive essay trying to persuade the people of the US to support space exploration.
Curated OER
Dinosaurs
Students research and identify the characteristics of a variety of dinosaurs. They participate in a class discussion about dinosaurs, analyze and examine fossils, and conduct research using a variety of sources to write and present a...
Curated OER
Island Inquiry: Based on the Northern Mariana Islands Quarter
Students research two physical and/or human characteristic topics of the Northern Mariana Islands in groups of four students. In this social studies lesson, students analyze how to write magazine articles and research the two topics of...
Curated OER
Mercer Mayer 1: Guided Reading and Using Concept Maps
Students observe a model classroom of children working in a cooperative group activity. After the video, students discuss how cooperative group learning is used to be most effective. They explore the effectiveness of giving well thought...
Curated OER
Violence On TV
Students examine violence on TV. In this data collection lesson, students explore TV violence. Students watch TV shows and fill out a checklist about the amount of violence. Students organize and analyze the information to make a report.
Curated OER
A Guide for Community Living
Students use photography to help them become more knowledgeable about their communities, and to make a "community survival" book in which problems are solved by going to the right community agency.
Curated OER
Science and the Scientific Process
Students investigate the characteristics of different soil samples. In this physical science lesson plan, students play the role of forensics solving a crime by matching soil from the suspect's shoes. They formulate a conclusion after...
Curated OER
Rock Discovery
Fourth graders identify rocks in this discovery lesson by examining rock characteristics and processes. They identify basic properties of minerals and rocks. They revise their theories of the natural world, once they see and learn new...