Curated OER
Warm Up with Winter Writing
Try these cool writing lesson ideas that promote creativity and increase vocabulary.
Curated OER
Found Poetry Finds Popularity
Writers use non-fiction pieces to craft found poems across all domains for a New York Times writing contest.
Curated OER
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
Study historical events by combining the study of historical fiction and non-fiction. Learners read about true past events in historical fiction novels and then research non-fiction accounts of the same events. What are some differences...
Dream of a Nation
Creating Awareness through Action Oriented Writing and Research
Middle schoolers aren't too young to feel strongly about politics, social issues, consumer rights, or environmental problems. Demonstrate the first steps toward social change with a project about action-oriented writing. Eighth graders...
Curated OER
Personal Narratives
Students discover journalism by writing about themselves. For this non-fiction writing lesson, students discuss the outline of a personal narrative and write a paper about an experience they've had. Students reflect on the story...
Curated OER
Writing Fiction: Using Older Characters
Out with the old and in with the new? Not so in this lesson plan, which explores the idea of writing older characters in fiction. Students learn the value of varying their characters, exploring different perspectives, and avoiding...
Curated OER
Using a Magazine/Non-Fiction Texts
Working with magazine articles and other informational texts, learners identify the parts of a non-fiction work. The learners use SMART board files to guide instruction, as well as a transition to writing their own non-fiction article in...
Curated OER
Peer writing evaluation (myth)
Students compose myths. In this creative writing lesson students use their knowledge of the features of myths to compose their own, then share with a peer for feedback.
Curated OER
Fact and Opinion Lesson Plan
How are fact and opinion different? Middle schoolers explore fact and opinion and write articles pertaining to a football match, eliminating all opinion statements in order to focus on the facts. Then they discuss bias in the media....
Curated OER
Writing A Thanksgiving Day Story
Students write a Thanksgiving Day Story using some or all of the words included in the worksheet. These stories can be fiction or non-fiction (Personal Essays). They are graded on sentence structure, paragraph structure, grammar,...
Curated OER
Analyzing Nonfiction Text Elements - Editorials
Students examine the text features of non-fiction. In this literacy lesson, students read editorial samples provided by their instructor and analyze the texts for word choice, details, and organization.
Curated OER
Writing to Analyze, Comment and Review
For this writing to analyze, comment and review worksheet, students analyze blurbs, comment on the openings and endings of novels, and review a book from their own choosing. Students answer seventy short answer questions.
Curated OER
Writing A Thanksgiving Day Story
Middle schoolers write a Thanksgiving story. In this holiday writing lesson, students use s list of specific words to create a fictional or non-fiction Thanksgiving story.
Curated OER
Writing - Story Ideas
Young scholars write their story in first person as a non-fiction story, or they can write the story in third person as a fictional story and use different characters. They can choose an idea from one of the story starters provided.
Curated OER
Biography: Telling Someone's Life Story
There are many different ways to help your students get excited about writing biographies.
Curated OER
Learning About Evaluation
Middle schoolers evaluate the essays of their classmates. In this evaluation instructional activity, students write two non-fiction essays on two different topics that they may choose. After a lecture on the aspects of the paper that...
Curated OER
Rain Forest Reporters
Students research and write articles for an imaginary scientific magazine about rain forests. In this rain forest lesson, students research both ecosystems and magazine writing styles. They act as reporters and editors of their own...
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...
Curated OER
I am Special and You are Special Too - Project Children L.E.A.D.
Eighth graders recognize what makes them special through class participation and discussion of rap music, writing a poem about themselves, and designing their own special hat while working in groups.
Curated OER
Puerto Rico: The 51st State?
Learners explore Puerto Rico. In this Puerto Rico current events lesson, students conduct a Webquest to answer questions about Puerto Rico's culture. Learners discuss whether Puerto Rico is a country or a state, and defend their...
Curated OER
Ted Hughes "Pike"
Students analyze how a poet uses language to capture creatures and draft a poem on a 'sinister' animal. In this poetry analysis lesson, students read Ted Hughes' poem 'Pike' and analyze pictures of pike fish. Students use their research...
Curated OER
I, Robot: Chapter One
Students discuss literature about technology in the 20th century. For this book study lesson, students read I, Robot by Isaac Asimov and compare the fiction to technology in the 20th century.
Curated OER
Parts of Speech: Active Verbs
Students use White Fang to help them study active verbs. In this grammar lesson, students define active verbs and find examples in the the novel White Fang. Students then use ProQuest to research a place they'd like to visit. Students...
Dream of a Nation
Big6 Research Project
Do research projects at your school look like a class of eighth graders staring at a blank screen? Use the Big 6 research method to guide middle schoolers through the process of finding a topic, searching for and evaluating sources,...