Curated OER
Spelling Review Game
Pupils play a fast-paced game to review spelling words. This quick spelling practice game can fill a 2-minute transition time or serve as a 20-minute review activity. It can be used in a class which has the same, or different spelling...
Curated OER
Getting the Story
Students examine and discuss the basic elements of a newspaper article. They listen to articles, discuss the 'inverted pyramid' style of a breaking news article, and list imaginary current events based on mythological characters.
Curated OER
Vocabulary Strategy: Call of the Wild
Here is a strategy for groups to contribute to whole class vocabulary development. Teams (based on seating rows) work together to look up dictionary definitions of words from upcoming sections of the book (though previous sections seem...
Curated OER
Literature Study Guide: Gulliver's Travels
Although the title suggests this resource is devoted to Gulliver’s Travels, the materials and templates can be used with any work of literature. Readers fill out a reading schedule chart, write a summary, keep a vocabulary word list, and...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Women in History
Learners read excerpts from Amelia Earhart's autobiography, "The Fun if It," and identify her character traits. To aid visualization of her transatlantic flight, they search books and the Internet for photos related to Earhart's flights....
Curated OER
What's the Purpose Anyway?
Examine author's purpose in newspaper articles, comic books, cookbooks, encyclopedias and other forms of written materials. Working in groups, middle and high schoolers read teacher-selected articles and write an explanation of the...
Curated OER
Identifying Author’s Purpose and Viewpoint in Nonfiction Text
Why do people write books? Pupils discover how to identify the author's viewpoint. They read non-fiction passages their instructor selects (the plan has the class look at nonfiction children's picture books), and then identify the...
Curated OER
The Diary of Anne Frank: Review/Discussion
Explore the hopeful and tragic world of Anne Frank and her family in this presentation. A background to Hitler's rise to power and the writing of The Diary of Anne Frank is given. Additionally, the slides include discussion questions...
Curated OER
Walk Two Moons: DR-TA, Chapter 17: “In the Course of a Lifetime”
Use this question and answer activity as an assignment for Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons. The questions listed support better comprehension and critical thinking of chapter seventeen.
Virginia Department of Education
Elaborating with Showing, Not Telling
This engaging activity is a great change of pace for the classroom. The activity starts with a simple message on the board “The teacher is angry.” The instructor is to stomp around, drop books and glare—anything to show anger. The...
Appalachian State University
What Are Graphic Novels?
To do this engaging and pleasurable activity, your learners should have already read a graphic novel, and produced a piece of writing that can be reproduced into the format of a graphic novel. This exercise provides a script that...
Virginia Department of Education
Researching and Narrowing Topics
Internet research is becoming more common, so why not conduct an online research project in your classroom? Use this resource to get you and your class started. The instructional activity includes basic instructions and a list of...
Curated OER
More Joy of Abstract Nouns 1
Students are provided with a list of 20 adjectives that they must generate abstract nouns to match. For example, the first term, luxurious, would prompt the answer luxury. Directions for this activity explain that abstract nouns don't...
Curated OER
More Joy of Abstract Nouns 2
Continue your classes' study of related vocabulary with a second list of adjectives that have corresponding abstract nouns. Students must fill in the missing abstract noun for each provided adjective. For example, satisfying (satisfied)....
Curated OER
Tom Sawyer Questions: Chapters 1-13
Reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? Give your class a list of reading questions to guide their reading. Questions are divided into seven sections according to the chapters they accompany.
Curated OER
Spelling Proofreading Worksheet
Looking for a quick spelling activity to use as a quiz or warm-up? This resource provides a paragraph of eleven sentences, all of which contain a spelling error. Young learners list the mistakes on the lines below. Make a game out of...
San Antonio Independent School District
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Comprehension questions and vocabulary
Young readers can review chapter one of C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe with a simple vocabulary and reading comprehension worksheet. Included here is a list of 17 idioms and vocabulary words and six...
La Jolla High School
Of Mice and Men: Looking at Themes
Feelings of loneliness and alienation drive the characters in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. Use this handout to set your class members up for a lesson on these big ideas. In addition to finding a couple of definitions...
Canby School District
Hoot Study Questions
After reading each chunk of two chapters of Carl Hiaasen's novel Hoot, ask learners to respond to related study questions. The instructions at the top of the questions suggest that individuals should read the questions first, read the...
Curated OER
Commonly Confused/Misused Words
Demystify tricky words and homophones with this activity on commonly confused words. Learners read each sentence and identify the misused word, choosing the correct word from a short list underneath each question. All of the words...
Scholastic
The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Here is a precise article explaining chronological events that led Martin Luther King, Jr. to march for freedom and civil rights.
University Interscholastic League
English Lesson to Prepare for UIL Spelling and Vocabulary Contest
"i before e. . ." Spelling is easier if kids know the eight basic spelling rules contained in this resource packet.
Scholastic
Myths, Folktales, & Fairy Tales for Grades 7-9
Here is a must-have resource for studying fairy tales, myths, and folktales with your class! It includes instructional ideas, activities, and materials to support a month-long review of these three unique genres of writing.
Scholastic
The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
Practice sequencing events using Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's narrative poem about the famous revolutionary hero. Learners read Revere's own account of the event, and compare/contrast the two texts using a t-chart. Finally, they imagine...