Curated OER
Introducing Communication Talent with "Casey at the Bat"
Analyze the poem "Casey at the Bat." Your team of analysts will read the poem and complete a variety of activities, including describing how Casey looks and acts, describing how he feels before and after he strikes out, and sharing...
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Ending a Famous Fairy Tale
Altering the ending of a famous fairy tale is a really fun way for kids to experience creative writing. The instructional activity here has them do just that! Learners listen to the famous fairy tale, "The Twelve Brothers," and change...
K12 Reader
Food Is Our Fuel
After studying a short article about how living things fuel their growth, readers respond to a series of comprehension questions based on the article.
Curated OER
Create a Holiday for Your Favorite Hero
Pupils create a holiday for a hero. The person may be someone in history who is not currently honored with a holiday, another famous person, a family member, a friend, or someone else they admire.
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Nym Family
List and identify words for each part of the "Nym" family: synonyms, antonyms and homonyms. Middle schoolers place words in the correct category, then find the corresponding mate in a dictionary or thesaurus.
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California Gold Rush
Students discover the people who lived in California before and after the gold rush. They use primary source documents to identify how the finding of gold changed the area. They also discover the discrimation that was present during the...
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Johnny Appleseed
Students engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple seeds and...
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Fact Versus Opinion
Young learners distinguish statements as fact or fiction. After exploring a newspaper, they determine the type of information it contains. They read editorial articles and discuss the differences between the editorial page and the front...
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Journal Writing
Students creatively utilize a word processor in order to do daily journal writing. They explore with using simple, compound, and complex sentences in order to present ideas with clarity and precision. They gain computer skills while...
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Woodblock Printing: Early Printing Traditions in China
Pupils examine important role of woodblock printing in Chinese history, identify message important to them, and create woodblock prints to gain first-hand understanding of how it was used as tool for communication.
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Who's Your Hero/Heroine?
Students use research skills on the Internet and write a biographical report and present it to the class. They utilize a worksheet that's imbedded in this plan to guide them in their research. students come to school dressed up as their...
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Analyzing Short Biographies to Discover Characteristics of Biographical Writing
Students read short biographies on Abraham Lincoln from various artists. Using the texts, they identify the subject of the biography and discuss whether or not illustrations contribute to a biography. They research specific information...
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Beginning to Read
Learners explore various books read by their classmates outside of school. After reading books of their choice, the class creates a bulletin board summarizing their main ideas of the book and their opinion of the book using Flat Stanley.
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Social Studies: Thank you Mr. Carver
Students explore the life of George Washington Carver and his inventions. they discover his uses for peanuts and sweet potatoes and how his inventions are still in use today. Students write letters to Carver about his inventions.
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People of the US
Students use a hot list to research a famous person. They make a presentation displaying five things about that famous person. Students research what impact that famous person had on US history. They make a presentation to present before...
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Miss Rumphius
Students engage in a literature study in order to appreciate the world around them and create an innate instinct of working for the cause of conservation for the environment. They answer guided questions that use the story as a resource.
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Lily and Miss Liberty
Learners discuss ways to earn money and why they might need it. Students create crowns to wear all day like in the story. Learners create a play using characters in the story. Students interview "eyewitnesses" at the unveiling of the...
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Spelling Clue Race
Pupils decode clues in order to correctly spell words. They find clues hidden in the classroom to review for their spelling test. Perhaps this isn't the most effective way to review, but it is creative, so it's likely to capture the...
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"Oh, Kingdom in the Sky"
Learners write a poem. In this historical figures lesson, students learn about Mary Ann Camp, read an interview, read vignettes about life in her host countries and read her poem "Oh, Kingdom in the Sky." Learners answer questions about...
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Hawaii: A Stolen Star
Explore the islands of Hawaii. Investigate Hawaiian culture and compare their personal traditions to Hawaiian traditions. They locate Hawaii on a map and research the history of Hawaii.
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Capitalization of Nouns
Which nouns are capitalized? Challenge young editors with these erroneous sentences, all of which require capitalization. After circling all the necessary capitals in 10 sentences, they rewrite two sentences (which are all in capital...
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Using Creative Dramatics With the Teaching of Poetry
Launch your poetry unit in a very dramatic way. Divide your class into groups, and give each group a different poem. After discussing the poem, each group member selects a stanza to study. The group then develops a skit that represents...
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Clear the Cobwebs!
Students actively involve themselves in a review competition of material already covered.
Curated OER
Finding Captain Hook's Treasure
Students use their map-reading skills to find Captain Hook's treasure. They see how the directions on a map correspond with "real-life" directions, and that symbols on a map represent real things.