EngageNY
Shared Reading: Learning About Colonial Trades
Trading in Colonial America is the focus of a lesson plan that boosts reading skills. As a class, scholars examine the informational text for crucial details, use their newfound knowledge to share information with their peers, and write...
Curated OER
Community Through Northwest Coast Art & Traditions
Students view video and watch an artist create a potlatch (gift necklace). In this community and resources lesson plan, students understand the culture of Northwest Coast Art & Traditions . Students create their own necklaces and...
Curated OER
Magic Words, Magic Brush: The Art of William Butler and Jack Yeats
Students explore the influence of the landscape of Ireland on shaping the poetry of William Butler Yeats. They work in groups researching the growth of the Irish Nationalist Movement, Celtic origins, invasions, and the impact on the...
EngageNY
Close Read, Part 2: “Taggot, the Blacksmith’s Daughter”
It is just a figure of speech. Readers look for figurative language as they read Taggot, the Blacksmith’s Daughter. They complete a Figurative Language graphic organizer by recording and identifying the types of figurative language found...
Curated OER
Reading about Recent Exhibits in the Art and Design Section
A large part of analyzing or understanding art is knowing how to read about it. The New York Times has put together these who, what, where, when, and how questions to aid learners in comprehending informational pieces related to art and...
Curated OER
New York State Testing Program: English/Language Arts Book 3, Grade 4
This 4th grade English/Language Arts standardized test practice worksheet provides fiction passages along with open-ended questions regarding the pieces. An essay prompt is also included.
Curated OER
English Cognates in Various Indo-European Languages
Studying the history, influences, and cognates of the English language, this presentation provides students in linguistics and language classes with several charts of information on cognates from languages around the world. The slideshow...
Curated OER
Exploring Figurative Language in Fiction and Nonfiction
A reading of Pat Street's There's a Frog in My Throat launches a study of figurative language. Using a pocket chart, display one phrase containing figurative language. Class members choose the best explanation from three choices offered....
Curated OER
The Learning Network: Reactions to Rating Teachers
Meant to be used in connection with the article "In Teacher Ratings, Good Test Scores Are Sometimes Not Good Enough" also available on The New York Times website, this resource provides 12 short-answer writing prompts that ask both basic...
Curated OER
Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi: Mixing Words and Pictures
Create meaningful illustrations to accompany stories in a web-based art and literacy instructional activity focused on "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling. The class takes a virtual art safari with the Museum of Modern Art and then...
Curated OER
Art as Social Commentary
High schoolers engage in this thought-provoking lesson which has them view images from the past that depict the social condition. During the series of four lessons, pupils design a PowerPoint and a photo montage of images they collect...
Curated OER
Figurative Language
Students interpret figurative language. In this language lesson, students are read the poem "I Love the Look of Words" by Maya Angelou and are to find examples of hyperbole and personification in the poem. Students then rotate among...
Curated OER
6th Grade: Express Yourself, Lesson 2: Close Read
The second activity of a pair about Paul Laurence Dunbar, this plan focuses in particular on his poem, "We Wear the Masks." After a short historical introduction, class members conduct a series or readings, marking up the text and...
Really Good Stuff
English/Spanish Cognates: Food
Everyone loves food! Help your English language learners pick up some vocabulary with a series of activities based around cognates and food. Pupils practice each word and focus on the words in-depth by filling out Frayer model...
Curated OER
Art of Illustration: N.C. Wyeth and Literacy
High school artists observe and research the illustrations and techniques of N.C. Wyeth. They read (and reread) stories and illustrate the texts using methods inspired by Wyeth's practice. Includes detailed instructional plan and useful...
Curated OER
Go Free or Die
Groups of older elementary learners begin their study of figurative language by visiting a website and completing the exercises detailed there. They then apply what they have learned by finding examples in several poems. Finally, they...
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment: Analysis of Language Techniques
Watch your language! Scholars work on an end-of-unit assessment in which they demonstrate the language skills they learned. Questions ask readers to work with different types of verbs and moods all about the text in Unbroken.
K12 Reader
What Is a Simile?
As fun as a barrel of monkeys, this figurative language activity will engage your students in learning to write similes. Asking them to first think of adjectives describing the six nouns listed on the page, this exercise has young...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Natural Twig Journals
Connect science, art, and language arts with a nature-themed bookmaking project. Kids craft book covers, cut paper for pages, and learn how to bind their creations.
EngageNY
Analyzing Author’s Craft: Analyzing Hillenbrand’s Language Techniques
Young readers take a look at the conditional and subjunctive moods authors use. The Conditional and Subjunctive Mood handout defines the types of moods and gives them examples and practice. They then work with partners to identify...
Curated OER
The Learning Network: Poetry Pairing July, 21, 2011
Although not a complete lesson plan, this set of emotionally powerful texts could be used in a variety of lessons. From The New York Times' Learning Network site, the resource includes a poem, an excerpt from a New York Times article and...
Curated OER
Persuasive Language
Young scholars read a persuasive story study persuasive language. They then write a 50-word online advertisement for a target audience to try and sell an unusual item to a targeted audience.
Curated OER
Let's Learn Library Language
This PowerPoint presentation provides a review of 'library language', vocabulary associated with books and the library such as cover, title, author, illustrator, call number and fiction/nonfiction. Each slide of this PowerPoint displays...
Curated OER
Character Traits in Fables
Combining art, music, dance, and reading comprehension, this lesson is geared to reach all ability levels. After reading a variety of fables and discussing story elements and character traits, class members select a moral to use as the...