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Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 1: Memoir - Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

For Teachers 4th Standards
The memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson, is the focus of a unit designed for fourth graders. Scholars begin each lesson with a warm-up, then listen to a read-aloud of a section of the book. Pupils complete word work,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Details, Details, Details

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Writing can become one-dimensional if authors don't involve all their senses. First, scholars observe a strange object which, ideally, they can touch and even smell. Without using certain words (you can create a list or have the class...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

The Immigrant Experience

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
The Buttonhook by Mary Jo Salter is the focus of a unit that explores the immigration experience to Ellis Island. First, scholars bring in an artifact that represents their heritage. A group-exercise allows them to share and discuss...
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Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

An Educator’s Guide to Savvy by Ingrid Law

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Literature circles give learners a chance to explore a novel in a unique way. An educator's guide for the book Savvy uses literature circles as part of the novel study. Additional activities cover elements of figurative language and...
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Lesson Plan
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Learning to Give

Why Volunteer?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Inspire scholars to volunteer their time to make a positive change in their community. With help from research, a public speaker, and reflection, learners define and asses what it takes to be a volunteer in a business, non-profit,...
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Organizer
School District No. 71

Adding Written Detail: Using Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon as a Mentor Text

For Students 1st - 4th Standards
Access your senses with a worksheet on sensory language. Based on Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, the worksheet prompts kids to find examples of each of the five senses, as well as phrases for inner emotion. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative Writing: Using Exact Words

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Review the narrative writing process with your emerging story writers. They read a sample narrative and identify five vague verbs that could be replaced with a more exact, exciting verb. Then they write a personal narrative making sure...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Describing Paintings: Calm or Stormy

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Young writers use nouns, verbs, and adjectives to describe details in two paintings. One depicts a sunny landscape, and the other shows a cloudier view. They write a narrative inspired by the paintings, paying attention to transitional...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Descriptive Prompt: Precise Language

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Incorporate sensory details into a piece of descriptive writing. First, elementary and middle schoolers improve a piece of writing by using precise, vivid language, as well as appropriate word choice. They then listen to a variety of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Come To Your Senses

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
Write narratives that include ideas, observations, or memories of an event or experience, and be sure to use concrete sensory details! Groups utilize a few of the famous I Spy books in order to create narratives that utilize sensory...
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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Jazz music, Dance and Poetry

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Students view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance.  For this jazz dance lesson, students write a cinquain about jazz dance.  Students recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music associated...
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eBook
McGraw Hill

Mc Graw Hill Education: Grade 4: Treasures: Practice Book O [Pdf]

For Students 4th Standards
Help fourth graders reinforce their understanding of reading skills, vocabulary acquisition, fluency, and phonics with the exercises in this 230-page workbook. This workbook is designed to supplement the stories from Grade 4 Treasures.
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Study Guide
University of South Florida

Fcat Express: Teaching Strategies (Reading) [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
Printable, fifty-five page PDF file of a staff development manual containing strategies for teaching reading. Includes chapters on vocabulary, main ideas and supporting details, author's purpose, chronological order, plot and conflict...
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Study Guide
University of South Florida

Fcat Express: Probable Passage

For Students 2nd - 4th Standards
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section provides help in using the "probable passage" technique to aid comprehension. In addition, links are available to...
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Study Guide
University of South Florida

Fcat Express: Semantic Feature Analysis

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section on semantic features helps students recognize supporting details as they read.
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Study Guide
University of South Florida

Fcat Express: Story Mapping

For Students 2nd - 5th Standards
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section focuses on story mapping, which helps students put events of a story in sequential order.
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Study Guide
University of South Florida

Fcat Express: Selective Underlining

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section focuses on identifying main ideas and significant details by selectively underlining them in a text.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Using Word Storms to Explore Vocabulary and Encourage Thinking

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Contains plans for seven lessons about working dogs that teach critical thinking skills and a vocabulary strategy called Word Storms. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Visualizing Using the Sketch to Stretch Strategy

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Contains plans for three lessons to improve reading comprehension using a visualizing strategy called sketch-to-stretch. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well...
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Unit Plan
University of South Florida

Fcat Reading Grade 4: Teaching Strategies

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
This is a great resource that concentrates strategies and student activities in one place in an easy to use format, and can be navigated easily. Find great examples of probable passage, selective underlining, and semantic feature...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic Instructor: Vocabulary Stretchers

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
Here is a list of terrific ideas for teachers to use in the classroom to accompany vocabulary building lessons. These activities are well summarized and easy to understand.
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Unit Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Passages: The Upside of Dyslexia

For Teachers 4th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a nonfiction text about dyslexia and the difficulties and successes it brings and answer questions about comprehension, supporting details, vocabulary, transitions, and more. The text is...
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Lesson Plan
Education.com

Education.com: Words That Make Us Feel: A Lesson on Sensory Language

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] After this lesson centered around the book Owl Moon, students will be able to identify words and phrases that suggest feelings and appeal to the senses.
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Professional Doc
Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets: Teaching Reading: Classroom Strategies

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
A collection of effective, research-based classroom strategies to help build and strengthen literacy skills in print awareness, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.