Curated OER
Introduction to Traditional Oral Narratives
Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...
Curated OER
The Blind Men and The Elephant
Students read a traditional story from India and discover how two people can see the event in different ways. Using their own experiences, they examine how each of their classmates is affected by them in how to read a situation. They...
Curated OER
Growing Plants in Science and Literature, More Than an Empty Pot
Students read The Empty Pot as an introduction to plants. In this planting lesson, students understand a sequence of events in the book and relate it to the sequence of a plants life. Students grow plants and record information in flower...
Curated OER
Summarizing with Somebody Wanted But So
Teach your young readers how to summarize a text using a strategy called Somebody Wanted But So. Kids identify the character (Somebody), the motivation (Wanted), the conflict (But), and the resolution (So). The resource comes with...
Curated OER
John Muir in California
Fourth graders listen to key events in John Muir's life and plot locations on a California map. They discover that John Muir was an immigrant to California who encountered environmental problems and found solutions.
Curated OER
The Necklace Of Teeth Comic Strip
Students create a comic strip which identifies the major events in a story of the teacher's choosing in this upper-elementary classroom language arts lesson. The lesson is highly adaptable and can be used in another content area if...
Curated OER
Super Summarization
Students analyze one way to help in comprehending information from text is summarization. They encounter that summarizing includes instruction on how to delete trivial details and redundancies, place items and events in order, and create...
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Folktales
Fourth graders read a Haitian folktale. They study main characters in Haitian folktales and explore multicultural information about Haiti. They clarify understanding by retelling a sentence (paraphrasing) and a passage in their own...
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Tantalizing Tangrams
Students construct a set of tangrams. In this geometry lesson, students read the book, Grandfather Tang's Story and retell the story using tangrams. Students construct their own set of tangrams using the included worksheets.
Curated OER
Humpty Dumpty Webquest
Students explore and dramatize the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty." They explore a variety of nursery rhyme websites, and listen to, dramatize, and recite Humpty Dumpty. Students also answer comprehension questions and sequence the...
Curated OER
Pop Up Fables
Learners read a fable and create a pop-up book of the fable. Students add the moral of the story to the back of the book.
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Reaching Students through Literacy Centers
Continue the celebration of literacy this month by integrating reading centers into the classroom.
Curated OER
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Students investigate storytelling by analyzing images in a book. In this reading analysis instructional activity, students read and analyze the book Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Students observe the illustrations...
Curriculum Corner
ELA Common Core Checklists for K-6
In the hustle and bustle of life in the classroom, it's easy for teachers to lose track of the standards they have taught, and those that still need to be addressed. This Common Core checklist provides educators with an easy-to-use...
Curated OER
Almost Famous: Three People Who Aren't in the History Books
Enrich your history lessons with books about three little known figures: Thomas Banning, Annie Taylor, and Tony Sarg.
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Groundhog Day
Don't miss this resource when Groundhog Day arrives! Youngsters read the book Groundhog Day by Gail Gibbons and practice reading comprehension skills, and then choose from a series of engaging, cross-curricular activities to help...
Jessica Winston
The Biggest Valentine Ever
Combine hearts with minds in a reading comprehension activity with a Valentine's Day theme. Steven Kroll's The Biggest Valentine Ever, named one of the best books for kids in 2014, provides kids with an opportunity to practice their...
Curated OER
Miwok Legend Storytelling Movie
Students read Native American legends and practice storytelling skills. They complete a worksheet about the elements of storytelling and create an iMovie.
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Shadow Puppets
Students examine the role of shadow puppets. They create their own puppet and put on a play.
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Robinson Crusoe: The Original "Survivor"!
Fourth graders read and analyze Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, and participate in problem solving activity similar to television show, Survivor. Eight lessons on one page.
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Children of Clay
Fourth graders identify and interpret the Pueblo Native American culture and history and comprehend their folklore and songs. They also create their own piece of pottery with clay and write a myth about the piece of pottery they made....
Curated OER
Good Health
Students complete a unit with cross-curricular activities to learn about a healthy body and maintaining their health. In this health instructional activity, students complete 8 lessons to learn about good health, a healthy diet, healthy...
Curated OER
Early Settlements
Students embark on a journey through colonial times. In this early settlement lesson plan, students come to understand what life was like for the settlers in the early colonies. Students research and create projects illustrating their...
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Creative Content through Comics
Students identify the different parts of a comic strip and creat their own about the French and Indian War period. They share their comics with the class. They can compile them into a newspaper format if they choose.