Curated OER
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson
Middle schoolers who are about to read the chilling tale, The Lottery, do some writing beforehand. They are asked to write how their lives would change if they won a huge lottery jackpot. Then, they read the short story, and will be...
Manchester University
The History of the First Thanksgiving
First graders complete a project about the first Thanksgiving. In this history lesson plan, 1st graders read The Pilgrim's First Thanksgiving, answer comprehension questions, and complete a booklet about the first Thanksgiving.
Curated OER
The Great American Fire Drill
Students read a story about fire safety and create their own ending to the story in order to learn about fire escape plans and to demonstrate their writing skills. In this fire safety instructional activity, students discuss the parts...
Curated OER
The Three Little Pigs
Students analyze storytelling by reading a classic children's tale. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read The Three Little Pigs, discuss their predictions and practice using the vocabulary from the story....
Curated OER
Musicians and Vampires
Students practice techniques and strategies for understanding the parts of a story to help them remember what they've read. They review and analyze the elements of a story and how to find them first in a paragraph and then in a book.
Curated OER
Aztec Dance
Seventh graders study Aztec dance to learn about their culture and civilization. In this Aztec study lesson, 7th graders watch a video of Aztec dancers and describe the dance on an index card. Students visit a website to learn the...
Curated OER
Story Writing
Second graders review the basic elements of a story. Individually, they write their own original story as they use a software program to help them map out their ideas. With a partner, they exchange papers and read them for grammatical...
Curated OER
Suddenly!
Third graders explore the text "Suddenly." They create a new version of the story using the predictable patterns from the original story. Students share their stories with the rest of the class.
Curated OER
Children, Children, What Did You See?
Students listen to a read aloud of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? They write a story based on naming and drawing things they saw when they visited the Black Bayou Lake refuge.
Curated OER
Bird Stories: Fact or Fiction
Young scholars evaluate/distinguish scientific fact from fiction. They discuss similarities and differences in the life cycles of various birds. Student use the Internet as a research tool.
Curated OER
And The Oscar Goes To?
Third graders complete a graphic organizer to determine what a good story looks and sounds like. Using various forms and conventions, they determine which style to use for different audiences and purposes. They write their own story and...
Curated OER
War On Battle of the Books
Young scholars participate in a statewide Battle of the Books competition. They read books and answer questions about them to earn points for their school.
Poetry4kids
How to Write a Cinquain Poem
A lesson challenges scholars to create a cinquain poem. Writers begin by choosing a topic and brainstorm details, then compose their original poem making sure to count syllables.
Curated OER
Show Not Tell
Middle schoolers learn to show, not tell, in their narrative writing. A slide show takes them through the process of choosing strong, descriptive words, and then provides writing prompts for them to use as practice. The first two pages...
Curated OER
Seven Fat Cats
First graders listen to a read aloud of "Seven Fat Cats" matching rhyming, beginning, ending and vowel sounds.
Curated OER
Exploring Film Genres for Telling Hero Stories: Animated Shorts
Students will create short movies. The integration of technology into the curriculum is important for learners to apply in various ways. This lesson is an example of that kind of integration.
Curated OER
Play Me a Story - Sorcerer's Apprentice
Learners explore the story taht accompanies the musical composition, The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Using the 5W-how questions, they explain what is happening in the story as they listen to the musical.
Curated OER
Identifying and Describing Story Elements
First graders examine how to identify the different elements of a story and how they fit in a definite sequence. The use of comprehension skills is essential to retell the story as desired within the lesson.
Curated OER
How to Write a Summary of a Book
Students explore ways to write book summaries. For this summary writing lesson, students discover the steps for writing summaries of fictional books.
Curated OER
Media as a Representation of Reality
Students examine different viewpoints and representations of events. They discover that viewpoints are constructed from different points of view. They also examine how they represent real events.
Curated OER
The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush: Native American Life
Students read," The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie dePaola and discuss the way legends are passed down orally. They then create their own legend and illustrate it on a simulated "Buffalo Skin" made from brown paper.
Curated OER
Stories of Our Lives!
Pupils write their own books based on a life experience that they have had. In this life experiences lesson plan, students practice the writing process along with illustrating their book.
Curated OER
Accordion-Book Summary
In this language arts worksheet, learners will complete an accordion book to summarize a story. Students are provided with the directions to complete the book and prompted to write about the beginning, middle, and end of their selected...
Curated OER
Storyboard
In this storyboard graphic organizer worksheet, students draw pictures representing the beginning, middle and end of a story. They are also write a brief description below each picture.