Curated OER
On the Edge and Under the Gun
Students brainstorm ideas related to gun control and share with the class. in this gun control lesson, students research teacher approved websites related to gun control. Students write a paper in groups on a self selected topic related...
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Solar System Adventure
Young scholars study the solar system and our galaxy, then write a science fiction story based on what they discover. They utilize worksheets and access websites imbedded in this plan to gain ideas for their stories.
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World without Trees Composition
Fourth graders write a composition on what they think the world would be like without trees. They brainstorm ideas of what they think the world would be like treeless, and creative a story. A rubric is distributed to the students which...
Curated OER
Nudging Questions
Students choose one topic to write about. They brainstorm ideas about their topic or incident. They use sensory details to visualize their topic. They answer a variety of teacher directored nudging question to help them describe their...
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Free Verse
Students write free verse poems. In this poetry lesson, students use a three-step method to create a free verse poem. Students brainstorm ideas, let their ideas "incubate," and write a free verse poem.
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Community Brochures
Second graders research facets of their community in order to create an informational brochure. After brainstorming ideas of what could be included in the brochure, student groups get information from the internet, the library or a...
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My Dream Home
Students investigate the concept of a dream home and create an architectural drawing of it. They design the home with a projected budget of $500,000. They research different designs with the intent of pulling ideas for their design....
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Creating a Fantasy World
Students create the basis for a fantasy story. They discuss what makes a story "fantasy" and identify which stories include something that could not happen in the real world. They determine what these fantasy stories have in common.
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In Our Time
Learners map the ideas, people, and beliefs of a period of history. They analyze influences of historical eras. Students use mapping as a prewriting strategy. They use Inspiration to map the key events, ideas, and personalities of a...
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Information Extra
Students create a paragraph about a subject of their chosing that is informative. In this paragraph writing lesson, students use graphic organizers and work together in groups to create a full, organized...
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Our community-in sculpture form
Students design tiles that represent their community. They discuss ideas with another class through email. They then create the tiles, fire them, and attach them to a masonite board to create a community mural.
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Newspaper Layouts
Learners create a newspaper layout. For this journalism lesson, students view different types of newspaper layouts on various websites. Learners use oaktag to construct a new layout for their school newspaper. Each student presents their...
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Tangerine: K-W-H-L Strategy
As part of the introduction to Edward Bloor's Tangerine, class members generate a KWHL chart listing what they know, what they want find out, how they plan to find this information, and what they have learned or still want to learn.
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The Sound of…Poetry!
Scritch, scratch, scritch. It's the sound of pupils writing poetry! Focus on sensory language and onomatopoeia with a writing lesson plan. After listening to some sounds, learners examine a couple of poems that include sound words and...
Film Education
The Jungle Book
Accompany a viewing of Disney's live-action feature film, The Jungle Book, with a packet equipped with several activities focused on story elements. Scholars discuss and complete diagrams and charts about the movie's characters, setting,...
Macmillan Education
The Tell-Tale Heart
Rather than who done it, the mystery literary detectives have to solve as they examine the evidence found in Edgar Allan Poe's famous "The Tell-Tale Heart" is why did he do it?
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The Old Man and the Sea: Narrative Essay
Finish a unit on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea with a narrative essay. Based on Santiago's harrowing adventures, the essay prompts readers to think about a time when they were faced with a challenge, overcame a...
Curated OER
Making Connection, Using Metaphor
Chief Seatle's "Letter to President Pierce, 1855" provides the text for a skills exercise that asks readers to consider how writers use metaphors to contribute to the meaning and impact of a work. Participants then apply what they have...
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Thankful Writing
Students go through the entire writing process to create an expository essay about what they are thankful for. They use graphic organizers to guide them through the process.
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It's Under Discussion
Students create brainstorming webs to facilitate discussions about writing about an informational topic. In this writing lesson plan, students do this in groups and then free write about their topic.
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Dots
Learners read the story "Ten Black Dots." They brainstorm what you can do with dots. Students create a picture and a story with ten dots. They discuss how a computer uses dots. Additional ideas are listed for cross curriculum.
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The Creative Process
Young scholars demonstrate the steps of the creative writing process. In this creative writing activity, students brainstorm ways to come up with an initial idea and ways to express their ideas. Young scholars write a description of...
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Understanding What Makes a Good News Story
Students explore the news sources at their school in order to write stories that reflect what's going on in all communities and to identify what makes a good story. In this news writing lesson, students journal about what makes a...
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Community Arts Projects
Youngsters learn about community through exploration of their own neighborhood.In this lesson about community, young scholars create a community in their classroom. Students think about what their community looks like by making a map....