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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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Show You Care
Students construct a four-line poem to be used on the inside of a Valentine's Day card. They use a digital camera to show themselves to their "buddies" (local nursing home patients) who receive the cards on Valentine's Day.
Curated OER
My Feelings
In this writing worksheet, students make a list of all the things that make them sad, happy, lonely, angry, afraid and silly. Students then write 6 short poems and put them together to make their own personal book of poems.
Curated OER
Hermeneutics: Teaching Students Author's Purpose
Your developing literary critics discuss 'perspective' and discuss how the same occurence can be interpreted by two different people in two different ways. They read Ryszard Kapuscinski's untitled poem, infer meaning of the poem, and...
Curated OER
Write Your Own Description
In this writing activity, students learn about a poem by Gwendolyn Brooks titled "Skipper" which is about her goldfish. Students draw the water, life and objects in a fish bowl shape, then describe what people would see if they looked in...
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Book Jacket Match: Practice with the Dewey Decimal Classification System
As a follow-up activity to being introduced to the Dewey Decimal Classification System, 3rd graders listen to poems from Jackie Mims Hopkins' book The Shelf Elf Helps Out and sort book jackets by category and call number.
Curated OER
Recycling/Solid Waste Education with Shel Silverstein: "Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout"
Both poetry analysis and waste disposal are more engaging topics for young readers with a worksheet to accompany the Shel Silverstein poem 'Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out" from Where the Sidewalk Ends. Not only...
Curated OER
Presentations Come Alive!
Partners create oral presentations about a short story or poem incorporating audiovisual aids. Then they make presentations to their classmates. Linked story map will help guide readers' organization of their presentation;...
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Mannerly Writing
Writers draft paragraphs comparing and contrasting the author's viewpoint in two poems. They also discuss the differences between an informational text and a poem regarding manners. Rubric and assessment are provided.
Curated OER
Writing About Time: My Favorite Times
Start by clicking on the icon that says, "Download the Activity." The format is much easier to read and understand here! Then, encourage your class to write about some of their favorite things through a three-paragraph essay. Examples...
Curated OER
Making Magical Creatures Talk
Invite your young writers to take the reins with writing dialogue. Using two characters of their own creation, kids work with partners and then individually to write short conversations.
Curated OER
Fabulous, Fractured Fables
Elementary schoolers develop an awareness of the literary form known as the fable. They explore how authors write fables to pass along moral lessons. After reading and discussing many famous fables embedded in the plan, learners attempt...
Curated OER
Who Am I?
Get to know a person in your class or a famous figure in history. With questions about the person's birthplace, parents, and what they are famous for. A space at the bottom prompts writers to list three things they have learned.
K5 Learning
The Wolf
Fourth graders have likely heard the expression to cry wolf, but they may not know the saying's origin. A short reading passage tells the story and includes four comprehension questions for pupils to demonstrate their...
Curated OER
Discovering Japan Through Cooperative Research
Search a variety of sources to create a multimedia or book project about Japan. Learners use the independent investigation method to plan and conduct research about Japan. They use the information they discover to create a computer book...
Playbooks
Reader's Theater Exercise: The Night Before Christmas
Yes, Virginia, there really is a reader's theater script for "The Night Before Christmas." The exercise is a great way to productively channel pre-holiday energy.
Curated OER
What Makes a Novel a Novel?
As your authors prepare to write a hypothetical novel, they need all the inspiration they can find! Using a book they have already read (and enjoyed), learners complete a literary analysis by filling in eight short-answer...
Montgomery County Public Schools
Summer Journal Ideas
Twenty prompts, fifteen starters, and ten situations. What more could you ask for from a list of journal ideas?
Curated OER
Preposition Pizazz
Students examine examples of poems and identify the prepositions in them. They write original poems using prepositional phrases and create illustrations to go with them.
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Poetry for Home: Homelessness
Students read a poem to learn about homelessness. In this poetry instructional activity, students make a list of words about their home and then feelings about their home. Students read the poem 'When I Think Home' and then write their...
Curated OER
Alaska Acrostic
In this Alaska worksheet, students write an acrostic poem about the state of Alaska. Students use the letters in ALASKA to begin each new line of poetry about the state.
Curated OER
Arizona Acrostic Poem
In this Arizona acrostic poem worksheet, students write a poem about the state of Arizona. Students use the letters in ARIZONA to begin each new line of poetry.
Curated OER
Massachusetts Acrostic Poem
In this Massachusetts activity, students write an acrostic poem about the state. Students use the letters in MASSACHUSETTS to begin each new line of poetry that tells something about the state.
Curated OER
Montana Acrostic Poem
For this Montana worksheet, students write an acrostic poem about the state of Montana. Students use the letters MONTANA to begin each new line of poetry.