Curated OER
Identifying Main Idea
Students locate the main idea in a nonfiction text. In this language arts activity, students participate in a think aloud to locate the main idea of the story. Additionally, students respond to a text and locate the main idea and...
Curated OER
Notetaking Procedures
Sixth graders explore notetaking procedures. In this study skills lesson, 6th graders use text organizers to categorize information. Students select textbook sections and write headings, subheadings, and summary phrases for each section.
Curated OER
Graphic Novel/Comics with Josh Elder
Students read about graphic novels and complete related activities. In this graphic novels lesson, students read about the genre and author Josh Elder. Students complete novel analysis activities for the lesson.
Curated OER
Kalahari Explorations
Students explore world geography by completing graphic organizers and researching the Internet. In this Kalahari desert lesson plan, students identify the geographic location, weather and creation of the Kalahari desert. Students define...
Curated OER
Memories, A Connection to the Past
Students read four or more books. They make predictions before reading, complete a picture walk, read in partners and complete graphic organizers. Various graphic organizers are provided in English and Spanish.
Curated OER
Communication Comparisons
Students investigate various methods of communication. In small groups, they conduct Internet research, compare/contrast three methods of communication, and complete a graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Paragraph Writing
Third graders receive Gummi hamburgers. They discuss parts and structure of a (real) hamburger. Students dissect the gummi hamburger and rearrange the pieces. Students discuss the problems that would be caused by this with a real...
Curated OER
Book Report Alternative
Students create a video book report. In this literature lesson, students read a book independently and fill out a graphic organizer. Students use a digital camera to record their book review.
Curated OER
The Editorial Revisited
Students identify different types of editorials. They explain, using a graphic organizer, the elements that make an editorial powerful. They offer elements they came up with and the examples and list them on the board.
Curated OER
Different Ways We Celebrate
Young scholars examine a variety of ways that families celebrate winter holidays. They complete a graphic organizer comparing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and write a five-sentence paragraph about one of the holidays discussed. ...
Stanford University
Reconstruction Structured Academic Controversy (SAC)
Young scholars debate whether African Americans were free during Reconstruction. In this debate instructional activity, students use primary documents to support their argument as to whether African American were free during the...
Curated OER
Same Setting, Different Moods: Voice and Word Choice Using Lord of the Flies
Whether it's dark, delightful, or somber, set the mood with William Golding's Lord of the Flies. High-schoolers practice descriptive writing by creating the appropriate mood for an original scene, starring one of the book's main characters.
Curated OER
Impersonating Great Poets Using "Science Verse" by Jon Scieszka
A great way to bring poetry and parody into your language arts classroom, this instructional activity mimics famous poems based on Jon Scieszka's Science Verse. The activity not only allows the class to see examples of poem parodies, but...
Scholastic
Tell Us a Tale: Teaching Students to Be Storytellers
Encourage scholars to retell their favorite short story or folktale, adding personal details to make it their own. After reading their book of choice several times, story tellers retell a tale verbally to their classmates.
Penguin Books
Folklore and Fairytales: A Guide to Using Traditional Tales and Reimagined Classics
Every culture has its own stories to tell. An interesting educator's guide shares a large collection of fairytales and folktales, some from different cultures and some re-creations of classics. A summary and brief teaching ideas...
Code.org
Events Unplugged
Introduce event-driven programming. Young computer scientists learn the meaning of event-driven programming and how it is different from previous styles of programming. They play a card game to simulate the challenges that occur in this...
Curated OER
Understanding Core Values Using the Frayer Model
Students complete the Frayer Model. In this literature lesson, students review the concept of theme in literature. Students identify major themes in books they've read. Students learn the attributes of the Frayer Model and then complete...
Curated OER
Home in the Desert: Lesson for Use with This House is Made of Mud
Third graders examine how a family modifies their environment to create a home out of mud. They read the book "This House is Made of Mud" by Ken Buchanan, and write a description of their own home that compares the home of mud to their...
Curated OER
Birds' Eggs
More than just data, scatter plots are full of information that can be used to answer a variety of questions. This lesson uses a plot with information about bird egg sizes to answer questions about the relationship between length and...
EngageNY
Writing and Revising Our Texts: Using Peer Critique to Improve First Drafts
Mail me a postcard. Individuals design a postcard to show what Meg Lowman from The Most Beautiful Roof in the
World might have written to her friends at home. They then continue to work on writing a science journal entry.
Bantam Books
The Martian Chronicles: K-W-H-L Activity
Prepare your class for a unit on Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles with an activity that works for pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading. Learners fill out a K-W-H-L chart to reflect on what they already know, what they'd...
EngageNY
Congruence Criteria for Triangles—AAS and HL
How can you prove it? Guide classes through an exploration of two possible triangle congruence criteria: AAS and HL. Learners connect this criteria to those previous learned and also explore criteria that does not work. The lesson...
Virginia Department of Education
Pythagorean Theorem
Investigate the meaning of the Pythagorean Theorem through modeling. After comparing the area of the square of each side, individuals cut triangles and squares to facilitate the comparison.
Penguin Books
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Young Readers Edition
As the saying goes, you are what you eat. A useful set of lesson plans encourage young readers to take a second look at their eating habits. Pre- and post-reading questions bring in reflective writing and discussion while extension...