Curated OER
Memoir Writing Based on Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed
Using chapter 1 of Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed, middle schoolers write a personal memoir based on Spinelli's style and a Six Trait writing activity. The lesson suggests several ways to activate prior knowledge, including a picture book and...
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Beautiful Noise Poetry
"What a beautiful noise comin' up from the street; got a beautiful sound, it's got a beautiful beat..." Use Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise" to guide your class through a Six Trait writing activity, in which they write an original poem...
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Writing Descriptions of "My Favorite Place"
Students write a descriptive writing piece. In this writing activity, students use a visualization exercise to add more descriptions to their writing.
Curated OER
Writing Descriptive Paragraphs
Show a Powerpoint presentation about descriptive writing. Fourth graders brainstorm a list of writing topics and place them in graphic organizers. Then they write their own paragraphs describing topics of their choice and create...
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On the Beach: Disabled and Mother's Pride
What do an early 20th century poet and a 1980's rock star have in common with a novel from the 1960's? Using Wilfred Owen's poem "Disabled" and George Michael's song "Mother's Pride," learners answer questions about the lyrics and themes...
Memorial Art Gallery
Art Alive! - Beach at Blue Point
And then what happened? Class members engage in a series of activities that model for them how to read the story in a painting. Participants respond to questions that ask them to closely examine the elements in William Glackens' "Beach...
Curated OER
Reading and Writing in the Right Direction
Beginning writers practice writing and reading from left to right using green and red dots. You'll need notecards with a green dot on the left side and a red dot on the right side. Do your learners understand that print moves from left...
Curated OER
Why the Whales Came- The Beach
In this why the whales came worksheet, students add adjectives and adverbs to a paragraph about nature. Students fill in twelve adjectives or adverbs from given words and then write sentences of their own.
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You Be the Judge
Students explore nonfiction writing by completing a worksheet in class. In this research questions lesson, students read several stories about the Wild West icons Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok. Students answer study questions about the...
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Writing A Summary - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Learners explore short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In this literature lesson, students read one of his short stories listed and then summarize the story in a written piece.
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Magic Sand-Hydrophopia and Molecules
Students study different kinds of sand, and practice their observational and writing skills.
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Have a Ball with Poetry
Second graders brainstorm words pertaining to the senses about the beach. They write a free verse poem, using these words and adding a line about their feelings.
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Narrative Writing Outline
Students explore the elements of a narrative for its purpose, type of audience, mood, main character, minor characters, setting, and conflicts in the story. A story outline is developed and a five paragraph essay composed in this lesson.
Curated OER
The Kite Runner: Setting Poem
To gain a deeper understanding of the importance of the settings in The Kite Runner, readers use the provided poem frame to create three poems, one for each of the settings in Hosseini's novel.
Curated OER
Why the Whales Came
In this Why the Whales Came worksheet, students answer questions about each chapter in the story for twelve chapters. Students answer five to ten questions about plot per chapter and complete a writing assignment for each chapter.
Curated OER
Taha Moana - The Sea
Learners discuss language, meanings and ideas in a range of texts related to the sea. They write instructions, explanations, arguments and factual accounts, express personal viewpoints on topics related to the sea.
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Toxic Waste
Students examine the problem of excess garbage in New York City and around the world. They answer questions about their personal garbage output, conduct Internet research on a scientific survey conducted in the South Pacific, and write a...
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The Nature of Haiku Poetry
Students brainstorm elements of nature art prints and photos. They identify the syllable count of Haiku and take a nature walk. They write Haiku poems while practicing the use of simile, alliteration, metaphor, and analogy to describe...
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What Type of Community?
Students compare and contrast suburban, rural and urban communities. They read books such as The Little Red Hen and identify the type of community in each book. Using computer software, they write about each type of community and...
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HEALTH & SOCIAL SCIENCE
Students use the information gathered from the Nick News Special Edition about homelessness. Each student creates a homeless collage poster featuring magazine and newspaper pictures and articles about the topic and a brief descriptive...
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Telephone Directory Assistance
Students use their local telephone directory to locake information on a service provider.They write a descriptive paragraph based on the location of their service provider and the service they provide. This lesson is intended for...
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Town Meeting
Learners organize and stage a town meeting. They write a set of discussion guidelines and participate in a political discussion.
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What Did He Say?
Students practice the use of Subjunctive I and II. They then analyze a text to find Indirect Discourse and practice writing sentences in Indirect discourse. For homework, students find an online article written this way in which they...
National Math + Science Initative
Moon Watch: The Tides of War
What role did astronomy play in the liberation of France during World War II? Bring literacy and history into science with a cross-curricular lesson that examines the importance of weather stations and moon phases in the invasion of...