Curated OER
Bouncing Bubbles
Students complete a variety of activities exploring the joys and science of bubbles. They listen to the book "Bubbles Bubbles" by Mercer Mayer, create a bubble picture using Kid Pix, and explore blowing bubbles. Students experiment...
Curated OER
Group Product-Pitch Presentation
Are you just about to teach persuasion in your class? If so, you should consider this short unit. In small groups, learners create a product, develop a magazine ad for the product, and pitch this product to the class using a visual...
Curated OER
The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth????
After listening to Jon Scieska’s The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs, groups discuss whether they think the wolf is telling the truth, whether he deserves punishment, and if so what punishment he deserves. You might use this lesson early...
Curated OER
Follow the Leader
What are the qualities of a good leader? Of a good follower? A reading of Leo Lionni’s Swimmy launches a discussion of leadership and cooperation. Class members brainstorm how they can be leaders at home and how they can encourage others...
Curated OER
Giving Can Be Fun!
That it is better to give than receive can be a difficult concept for little ones, especially during the Christmas holiday season. A reading of Jan Brett’s, Christmas Trolls, helps children focus their attention away from what they want...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Red Riding Hood (Marshall)
It's the classic story of Little Red Riding Hood retold by James Marshall; scholars listen for six new words as you read: bouquet, charming, escort, horrid, tarry, and wicked. Introduce the words before reading so they can listen for...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Frida (Winter)
Combine vocabulary in context with art history using Jonah Winter's colorful biography Frida. Although there are quite a few words you could teach from this text, four are listed here with connecting questions: ill, imitate,...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Rap a Tap Tap (Dillon)
Explore the dancing prodigy and Depression-era African-American icon Bill Robinson as scholars learn new vocabulary words in context. As you read Leo Dillon's Rap a Tap Tap they listen for six new words: clatter, greet, passion, pause,...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Madeline's Rescue (Behelmans)
What new adventure is Madeline on now? Emerging readers expand their vocabulary in Ludwig Behelmans' story Madeline's Rescue. Although there are many words you could focus on here, five have been furnished with comprehension...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Doctor DeSoto (Steig)
William Steig's story of a witty mouse couple will have scholars intrigued as they listen for new vocabulary words and context clues. Doctor DeSoto can be found on YouTube in case you don't have it. Emerging readers expand their...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: My School's a Zoo (Smith)
Your classroom may feel like a zoo sometimes, but it's nothing like this! Stu Smith's book My School's a Zoo is an excellent way to introduce some fun vocabulary words in context, and it's available on YouTube in case you don't have it....
Curated OER
Learning 1 - Write the Word
Let's start from the beginning! Young counters complete activities focused on the number one to solidify their understanding of its value. First, they trace its word form and then try it on their own (maybe more than once, even). Next,...
Curated OER
Play I Spy
If you're looking for a fun way to practice initial phonemes with emerging readers, look no further! They examine a farm scene to find things that begin with f, h, or g, writing the total number they found in a box beside each letter....
Curated OER
Do You Know?: Days, Months, Minutes, and Hours
It's all about time as scholars focus on years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds to practice these concepts. First they put all 12 months back in order, numbering them 1st, 2nd, etc. Two are done for them. Next, there are...
Curated OER
Author, Author
First graders engage in this interesting instructional activity on letter writing and writing skills. In it, youngsters listen to the Jan Brett story, The Mitten, as a warm-up. They think of other animals of the world they could ask Jan...
Curated OER
The or Sound
Before using this vowel sounds crossword activity, be forewarned that the pronunciation here is based on British English, and will be confusing for American English speakers. Learners focus on the /or/ sound, examining five spelling...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Jr.
After listening to a story about Martin Luther King Jr., first graders answer questions about the text. They discuss the importance of the illustrations, identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and complete a writing...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Franklin Goes to the Hospital (Bourgeois)
Franklin the turtle is on another adventure in Paulette Bourgeois' book Franklin Goes to the Hospital, and there are plenty of new words for your young readers to explore as they hear this story. Although you can include more, you'll...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Puff, the Magic Dragon (Yarrow and Lipton)
Puff the Magic Dragon remains a childhood landmark for budding readers (and singers), but did you know it also makes an excellent vocabulary study? By focusing on several in-text words (in this case: billow, cease, fearless,...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World (Priceman)
Ask budding readers, "How do you make an apple pie?" You may get many answers, but Marjorie Priceman takes the cake with her idea in How to Make an Apply Pie and See the World, an adventurous tale full of wonder and new vocabulary. Using...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Kindergarten ABC (Rogers)
As kindergartners are learning the alphabet, expand their vocabulary in the process using Jacqueline Rogers' book Kindergarten ABC. Each page features a letter and various objects for scholars to locate in the picture, and they focus on...
Curated OER
This Is My Life
Students create a time line of their lives from the perspective of 50 years in the future.
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: From Tadpole to Frog (Pfeffer)
Take an amphibious journey with budding readers as you explore vocabulary in Wendy Pfeffer's informative book From Tadpole to Frog. This text is the backdrop of a vocabulary exercise based on six words: fertilize, gills, hatch,...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: I Am Planet Earth (Marzollo)
Explore the world's beauty with Jean Marzollo's colorful book I Am Planet Earth, the context of a vocabulary study focused on the following in-text words: globe, jungle, paddy, planet, and valley. Discuss the text briefly and introduce...