Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mary Had A Little Lamb

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders listen and observe the role play of the various versions of the poem. They take notes while listening and observing and develop their own versions of "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alphabet Books

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Young scholars work with a partner from a different grade level to brainstorm, draft, edit, illustrate and publish alphabet-themed books. They take turns reading the books to each other and conference with a teacher to review their work.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Find a Book

For Teachers 5th
Student receives one book description card and in less than 2 minutes, they walk through the Media Center to find a book matching that description. After a matching book is found, each student evaluates the book.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Can Do It, Mr. And Mrs. Mallard!

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students watch the video "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert Mc Closkey. They write letters to Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and make a map for the mallards. They talk about the importance of animal habitats.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Around Us

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders learn the effects of temperature on the states of water. Then students create paper snowflakes. Finally students complete a computer project with software which teaches the different states of water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in reading and listening to poetry. They are exposed to a variety of poems and examine and identify basic elements of poetry. They write their own poems and recite a poem with enthusiasm, expression, and props.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make Way for Ducklings

For Teachers 1st
First graders use skills to collect, organize, and interpret data. They compare and contrast two stories, Make Way for Ducklings and Chibi: A True Story From Japan. Students create a duckling.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Author, Author!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders, in groups, select and research a favorite studenT author or illustrator. They answer questions about the author, conduct research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation with their findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

John Milton and Paradise Lost

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils read one of his minor poems but focus on Paradise Lost. They apply historical criticism to the poem and note the parallel between the Biblical references and the politics of Oliver Cromwell.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Monster Dictionary

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore several retrieval strategies to find information in a variety of sources. They organize the information they find and create a Monster Dictionary that includes imaginary monsters and their definitions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dangerous for your health

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students articulate the relationship between the Shirtwaist Factory Fire and working conditions in an essay using primary sources. They are introduced to working conditions in America during the Industrial Revolution.
Activity
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Literary Text: Close Reading of Poetry: Practice 3

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson will help you comprehend the poet's meaning by giving you practice in finding imagery, metaphors, symbolism, and allusions.
Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Seven Strategies to Teach Students Text Comprehension

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Comprehension strategies are conscious plans - sets of steps that good readers use to make sense of text. Comprehension strategy instruction helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own reading...
Professional Doc
McGraw Hill

Mc Graw Hill: Mastering the Common Core Accessing Complex Texts With M. Russo

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
This professional development video is instructed by the National Reading Consultant, Marisa Russo. She provides explanations about what makes a complex text, why text complexity is important, and techniques to help student access...
Professional Doc
McGraw Hill

Mc Graw Hill: How to Teach Close Reading With Complex Texts

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
This instructional video demonstrates ways to incorporate "close reading" with complex text. [56:53]
Unit Plan
University of Houston

University of Houston: Extra! Extra! What's the Big Idea?!

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
Get the feel of running a newspaper by selecting articles and pictures. If you are interested in checking out real newspapers, there is a clickable list of online newspapers for younger readers.
Graphic
Other

Ncrel: Reading Strategies: Before, During, and After [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page provides a detailed chart to aid students' understanding of texts. It goes through the steps of pre-reading, during reading, and after reading, outlining what students should be thinking about as they interact with a text. This...
Lesson Plan
Other

Penn. Department of Education:comparing and Contrasting Different Versions

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Comparing and contrasting is a higher-level thinking skill promoted in the Common Core Standards leading to the ability to comprehend and analyze texts through various topics and genres. This lesson on Comparing and Contrasting Stories...
Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: For Middle Schoolers: Activities to Build College Level Reading Skills

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
ACT has developed this list of activities to help middle-school students improve their reading ability. Parents and educators can use this information to help ensure that these students are on target for college and career readiness.
Graphic
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Anticipation Guide

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Anticipating is an effective reading strategy for readers of all ages. Utilize this template and graphic organizer to help your students become better readers.
Article
Other

Nclr: The Essentials of Teaching Reading

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
Find out what the essentials are for teaching reading. This site provides vital information for teachers in developing the most successful reading program for their students.
PPT
Other

Prezi: What Is Complex Literature?

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This Prezi was created by Marko Zlomislic. The presentation explains what constitutes complex literature. It defines complex texts, discusses the varied benefits of learning to read them, and provides links to lesson plans and examples....
Rubric
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Holt Assessment: Evaluating Nonfiction [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This one-page printable worksheet is designed for classroom use in evaluating a reading of nonfiction. The evaluation is set up in a rubric format.