Curated OER
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fourth graders research and write an author report on Roald Dahl, including books written by him, birthplace, family life, and other information on his writing. Students read aloud chapters in the book. Students create a newspaper...
Curated OER
Service Learning
Students view video clips to define service learning. In this civics instructional activity, students read quotes, take a survey, and define altruism. Students view video clips and evaluate the motivation and impact of those who perform...
Curated OER
Integrated Skills and Speaking
Students work in pairs to decode a message that uses character adjectives vocabulary and counting skills. They design an "ideal friend" by listing their top five desired character traits.
Orange County Department of Education
Katie's Trunk
Fifth graders read the story of "Katie's Trunk". They identify the traits of integrity and fairness in the characters John Warren and Katie. Students explore how people can experience the same event but interpret it differently. They...
Curated OER
Take Responsibility
Students examine the importance of responsibility. In this character education instructional activity, students participate in a group discussion to explore and define responsibility.
Curated OER
Mapping Shakespeare
Twelfth graders read a Shakespearean play focusing on a character. They create "Mind Maps" of their characters and act out a selection of the play.
Curated OER
Macbeth - Analyzing Characterization in Drama
The writing activity in this lesson plan could be used to assess student understanding of previously taught concepts of how language reveals character.
Curated OER
Trustworthy Images
Students investigate metaphors. In this writing lesson, students brainstorm traits of a trustworthy person and create a metaphor for a trustworthy person.
Curated OER
During Reading Strategy for Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations
Readers create a literary scrapbook for one of the characters in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations and fill it with mementoes, journal entries, letters, etc. A great way to get kids to think about characterization.
Curated OER
Literature Circles
Fourth graders work in groups in order to motivate one another to develop reading comprehension and literacy skills. The skills are built through the sharing of fine literature. They maintain a reading log to keep accountable for the...
Curated OER
Dramatizing Fables
Students familiarize themselves with fables by listening to several of them. They define fables. They identify the moral of a specific fable. They identify characters, plot and sequence of events. They create a mask of a character in a...
Curated OER
Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers
Learn about the events that helped shape the United States of America. Elementary schoolers explore the Civil War with six different activities. Each activity has a different focus: literature connections, primary sources, vocabulary,...
Curated OER
Adding "Homeside" to "Schoolside" Learning
Learners participate in activities in order to improve their ability to work cooperatively in groups at school as well as with their family at home. They complete the activities at home with their family then discuss the results of the...
Curated OER
Greek Barbie or Action Figure
Young historians bring Greek mythology to the twenty-first century with this engaging research project. Hired to create a Barbie doll or action figure modeled after a Greek god or goddess, students gather the information necessary to...
William & Mary
Inferential Reading Comprehension Considerations Packet
Don't forget to read between the lines! Educators learn tips and activities to help scholars learn to infer to increase reading comprehension. Activities suggested include think alouds, backwards words, and who's who. the packet includes...
Curated OER
Breaking Down Books
Learners practice their reading comprehension by analyzing and discussing books with their classmates. They record their responses to comprehension, evaluation, and interpretation questions provided on a worksheet that is referenced but...
Curated OER
Mental Images in Reading Comprehension
Students use textual clues to create mental images and interpret characters moods and actions. They visualize the setting, characters and events.
Curated OER
The Crucible Essay Questions
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Service Learning
Students explore the value in helping others. In this ethics lesson, students use videos, worksheets, Internet articles and group discussion to develop a personal perspective on what it means to help others.
Curated OER
Responsibility
Second graders make posters. In this good citizens lesson, 2nd graders read Arthur's Pet Business, discuss the examples of good citizenship, share their responsibilities, and make responsibility posters.
Curated OER
Mythology Study Guide
In this literature instructional activity, students respond to 20 short answer and essay questions about noteworthy myths. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
Oliver Twist Goes to Hollywood
How does Oliver Twist, the novel written by Charles Dickens, compare with its screenplay adaptation? Although the activity doesn't require learners to have read the novel, the similarities and differences of the highlighted passages...
EngageNY
Close Reading of Nasreen's Secret School: How Do People Access Books in Afghanistan?
Third graders continue to practice the close reading skills of capturing the gist and reading again for important details in the sixth lesson in a larger unit. This is a great beginning-of-the-year unit for establishing visible thinking...
EngageNY
End of Unit 1 Assessment: Close Reading and Powerful Note-Taking on My Own
As the final lesson plan in a larger beginning-of-the-year unit to establish routines and teach close reading skills, this plan is designed as an assessment piece. Using the story, The Librarian of Basra, learners independently complete...