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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tense Buster

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students, after using the "Intermediate" selection of the Tense Buster software, recognize and practice using passive voice in their writing. As a result of this task, they correctly use five new vocabulary terms with passive voice in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transition Words in Expository Writing

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Create to learn! Your class can create posters of transitional words and phrases to help them compose an explanatory text. They work in groups and focus on one type of transition (time, place, importance, etc.). They also create a poster...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing: Laying and Covering the Foundation

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Your middle schoolers can become stronger writers with a lesson covering the basics. They compose effective thesis statements and introductions, discuss different ways to capture a reader's attention, and compare a poorly written...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Elaborating with Showing, Not Telling

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Deciding the Mode

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Are your young writers having difficulty distinguishing between expository and persuasive writing? Discuss the difference between the two, and how some prompts can be responded to in either fashion. Included here is a simple lesson plan...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brain Awareness Week

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore human anatomy by completing a list of activities over five days. In this brain science lessons, students examine images of brains and identify the different parts. Students complete an in-class quiz regarding brain...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mass Measurement

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Middle schoolers explore geometry by completing a physics activity on-line. In this mass measurement lesson, pupils define the terms mass, volume, and density and identify their relationship with each other. They complete an on-line...
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Organizer
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Strategy 3: Using Graphic Organizers Implementation Guide

For Students 6th - 10th
Whether or not you are new to using graphic organizers with informational or expository text, the materials in this guide will prove useful. 
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Lesson Plan
University of Chicago

Using Artifacts for Clues About Identity

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Developing a Story Plan

For Students 6th - 8th
In this developing a story plan worksheet, students describe each of the three parts of their story.  Students create an opening, sequence of events, and a closing.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Write to Read

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students are introduced to cursive handwriting as a symbolic language system. In this cursive handwriting lesson, students apply the Peterson sequence approach and practice gross motor patterning and action word rhythm. Students then...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Cyrano De Bergerac: Understanding Drama Through Characterization and Dialogue

For Teachers 8th
Students explore three major dramatic concepts using Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. In this dramatic concepts lesson, students research the concepts of universal theme, characterization, and dialogue using the given text. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personal Narrative

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars explore personal stories by investigating narrative writing. In this nonfiction writing lesson plan, students participate in a workshop in which they write three events from their own life. Young scholars write first...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World War II Time Line

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students locate information on WWII in reference books. They as a group place key events of WWII in appropriate sequence on a time line and discuss key events that occurred during WWII as a class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TV Documentary on Coal

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are divided into five groups with each group assigned one of the following topics: how coal is formed, how coal is mined, how coal is used to create energy, environmental impact of coal mining, and the benefits of coal energy....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time and Cycles - Dendrochronology

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the lives of trees by examining ring cycles.  In this plant life lesson, students identify the field of study known as dendrochronology and discover its history.  Students investigate a simulated tree ring and...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Researching Information

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Give your junior high researchers a clear concept of how to go about starting their research paper with the resources available in this exercise. Students develop an idea to research, and spend time in the library or computer lab...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Folklore: Redwall

For Teachers 8th
Brian Jacques’ novel Redwall provides the focus for a series of lessons involving the analysis of folklore. Adopting the persona of a character, groups write letters in the voice of their character, assemble a collage using Microsoft...
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Lesson Plan
Perkins School for the Blind

Daily Journal

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Keeping a daily journal is fun. It builds strong writing skills and provides an expressive outlet. For children with visual impairments, it's even more important. It provides a way for them to connect written word with real events, which...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Talking Heads

For Teachers 6th - 8th
After processing notes from research or an interview, middle schoolers turn the information into a script or dialogue for narrative, persuasive, or expository text. Use this activity in any writing unit to reinforce proper writing skills.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Final Copy

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Write short stories in which events are presented in logical order, point of view is clear, theme and characters are developed. Middle schoolers also work on sensory language, concrete language and/or dialogue. They establish their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Checking Sources For Accuracy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers will paraphrase a resource without plagiarizing. Then rewrite after reading text. They then evaluate the site or reference they are using for accuracy. In the end, they complete a note-taking organizer.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Presidential Quotation Report

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Famous quotations by American Presidents are the focus of this Six Trait writing activity, which could be used in a U.S. History class or in language arts. After reading the picture book Theodore by Frank Keating, have your 7th graders...
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Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Identifying Audience and Purpose

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Use a fun and creative activity to introduce junior high learners to how writing changes for different audiences and purposes. The activity begins with a reading by the instructor where teens visualize a food fight in the cafeteria. In...

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