Institute for Humane Education
Selling "Boy" and "Girl"
Monster trucks, action figures, and video games. Are these toys designed for boys or girls? Scholars work in small groups to find and categorize examples of boy and girl toys from catalogs. Next, learners analyze the two sets of pictures...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 17 - Adding Suffixes That Change Base Words' Finally to I
If it ends in a y, change the y to i when adding a suffix like -ness, -ly, or fy. The final activity in the Word Recognition and Fluency series of 17 explains when to change the final letter in a base word to i before adding a suffix....
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 14 - Consonant-Le Syllables
The consonant-le syllable may appear in the word idle, but it is anything but dull. An informative lesson plan introduces words containing the consonant-le syllable. Using guided instruction, learners discover how to break words...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 13 - Multisyllabic Word Reading
One- and two-syllable words may flow from the tongue with ease, but longer words, such as department and volcano, feel like tongue twisters. Scaffolded instruction explains how to break words into their individual syllables, and then...
Stanford University
Ruby Bridges
A two-part lesson features Civil Rights hero, Ruby Bridges. Part one focuses on the heroic actions of Ruby Bridges then challenges scholars to complete a Venn diagram in order to compare themselves to her. Part two begins with a...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 12 - Ed Suffix with Unchanging Base Words
Understanding different verb tenses begins with knowing how to decode words. A lesson plan on the -ed suffix with unchanging base words introduces readers to the past tense. Teachers present the skill with oral reading and spelling...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 10 - Compound Words
Individually, words have power, but when added together, they can take on a whole other level of meaning. Readers learn about compound words in the 10th of 17 lessons of the Word Recognition and Fluency series. A script provides guidance...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 9 - Contractions
Is it do'nt or don't? How about doesn't or does'nt? A lesson on contractions helps learners identify, form, and use contractions. Components within the plan include direct instruction on decoding and encoding contractions, as well as...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 7 - Letter Combinations
Individually, letters have their own sounds, but when combined with other letters, those sounds completely change. Introduce letter combinations with a lesson that asks learners to search for combinations in familiar words and use oral...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 4 - Consonant Blends
Old, ild, ind, and ost may sound like a foreign language, but they actually represent common final consonant blends. Help learners recognize and pronounce consonant blends with step-by-step instructions, including scripted conversations....
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 3 - Consonant Digraphs
Words such as witch, whack, and wish often cause beginning readers to struggle. The third installments in the Word Recognition and Fluency series of 17, covers consonant digraphs. Activities guide learners through the identification and...
PBS
Rosa Parks: Civil Rights Activist
Scholars examine the courageous efforts made by civil rights activist, Rosa Parks. Discussion questions and a brief writing assignment follows a short film. A photograph and a silent film delve deeper into Park's history and three...
Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment
Concept Muraling
Concept muraling helps learners improve their comprehension of a text by giving them a way to organize their understanding of the key concepts in that text. Introduce readers to this process with a carefully scaffolded lesson plan that...
Curated OER
Thinking Spelling
An etymology resource is packed with suggestions for activities designed to build phonological, visual, morphemic, and etymological spelling skills.
Creative Content Australia
Persuasive Language
Language has power. Use the materials in a language arts teaching guide to equip learners with the knowledge of the persuasive techniques, both verbal and visual, that can be used to influence thinking.
Curated OER
Chinese New Year
Gong hei fat choy! Celebrate Chinese New Year with a variety of activities that introduce learners to the Chinese myth of the race that determined which animals earned their place the zodiac.
Core Knowledge Foundation
Year 2: Northern Europe
How is life in Northern Europe different from other areas of the world? Historians journey through the various regions of Northern Europe discovering what type of climate, animals, and lifestyles exist in that section of the world. They...
Lerner Publishing
Dinosaur on Hanukkah
Menorahs, latkes, and dreidels are all part of Hanukkah. As part of a celebration of the holiday, class members listen to the tale of a decidedly devious dinosaur that causes a fuss playing with candles, dreidels, and latkes. Youngsters...
K12 Reader
Winter Adjectives: Shades of Meaning
Is wet damper than soggy? Young grammarians consider shades of meaning by ranking a set of winter adjectives from the weakest to the strongest.
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
A Gift of Gratitude
Words of appreciation make great gifts for special occasions, but people can't tie them up with a bow ... until now! Using the lesson plan, learners write gratitude messages to a chosen recipient. Next, they fill a box or paper bag with...
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
Live and Learn and Pass It On
What are some of life's most tried-and-true lessons? Pupils listen to examples from the book Live and Learn and Pass It On by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. They write down their own life lessons to later compile in a class booklet. As a bonus...
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
A Note of Gratitude
Gertrude Stein once said, "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." Learners break their silence by engaging in discussion and making lists of what makes them grateful. Next, pupils write and illustrate a thank you letter to a chosen...
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
Token of Gratitude
What would the world be like if everyone expressed gratitude? Pupils explore the concept by watching a motivating time-lapse video. Scholars express appreciation by handing out tokens of gratitude, and then write about their experiences.
K12 Reader
Color the Thanksgiving Adjectives
Young grammarians feast on a Thanksgiving-themed instructional activity that asks them to color all the adjectives found in the drawing of a turkey sitting in a pumpkin patch.