Starfall
Starting Something New
Students write a short composition about learning something new that is hard to do after reviewing the nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, and conjunctions in a picture-word bank.
Curated OER
Transitions
Give examples of transitions and why they are necessary in writing. A bit verbose, this handout is very thorough and provides many examples. The second page lists plenty of transitional phrases in a convenient chart.
Virginia Department of Education
Translate and Evaluate
Translate, evaluate, educate. Discover how to translate and evaluate expressions. Young mathematicians first review words and phrases that indicate operations and learn to write algebraic expressions from verbal descriptions....
EngageNY
Summarizing Complex Ideas: Comparing the Original UDHR and the "Plain Language" Version
The eighth lesson plan in this series continues the focus on vocabulary and increasing young readers' awareness of academic language. Pairs of learners participate in a short vocabulary review activity called Interactive Words in which...
Curated OER
Setting the Tone with Figurative Language
Explore figurative language with your secondary class. Extending a language arts unit, the activity prompts middle schoolers to examine how an author's word choice establishes a story's tone, possibly using metaphors, similes,...
Curated OER
Connectives Worksheet
In this ESL completing sentences activity worksheet, students fill in the blanks in 15 sentences with the correct connectives or conjunctions.
Curated OER
A Persuasive Writing Project That Aligns to Common Core Standards
Create a writing project that focuses on the Common Core ELA Standard for writing an argumentative essay.
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 8: Native Americans
Over five weeks, fifth graders listen to and discuss reading passages that explore the connection between Native Americans and nature. Following daily readings, scholars practice word work, including prefixes, root words, suffixes,...
Curated OER
Hero or Tyrant: Connecting Beethoven’s Third Symphony to Napoleon, Part One
The second and third movements of the Eroica, Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, provides listeners with an opportunity to connect to French Revolution and to Napoleon Bonaparte. As they listen to the music, individuals draw what their ears...
Curated OER
Language and Dialect
Practice listening skills while studying oral story tellers from different parts of Louisiana. Consider the regional dialects and insider language of folk groups with your class. Identify language as part of folk life and recognize that...
EngageNY
Speech Writing: Identifying Reasons, Evidence, and Linking Words
Enjoy the view. Scholars continue viewing a video of an opinion speech, this time identifying the supporting evidence the speaker employs. After watching, they work in small groups on their shared writing projects, crafting a body...
Curated OER
Types of Connectives
In this connectives worksheet, students fill in connectives which are story elements for a story. Students fill in 8 connectives for a particular story.
Curated OER
Worksheet 3 Vocabulary Review: Words That Mean the Same
In this synonyms instructional activity, students read 10 sentences and analyze the word in bold type. From two choices, students circle the letter of a word or phrase that means the same.
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 4
The fourth activity in a unit on crafting a research paper focuses on cohesion within and between paragraphs. Class members examine models that lack cohesion and ones that are cohesive and logically developed before using what they have...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "In cold spring air" by Reginald Gibbons
Reginald Gibbons' poem "In cold spring air" provides learners with a chance to develop their noticing skills. As a warm-up, class members watch Paul McCartney's video singing "Blackbird" and note words and phrases that stand out. They...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “Dead Stars” by Ada Limón
Pay attention! A lesson featuring Ada Limon's poem "Dead Stars" is designed to help learners develop their noticing skills. Class members first study the constellation Orion's image and list what they notice and how the image makes them...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days” by Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman's poem "As I Walk These Broad Majestic Days" offers scholars an opportunity to practice their noticing skills. They first examine a postcard of the Newport News Shipyard listing things they notice about the image and how...
Curated OER
Justice Is Blind, Colorblind That Is
It's so interesting to see kids respond to articles about education. To start the day, prompt learners to discuss the words colorblindness and diversity. Then, split your class in two and have one side read an article from 2007 and the...
Curated OER
Vocabulary: Which Word Doesn't Belong?
In this identifying words that do not belong learning exercise, students read groups of four words, identify how they go together, and check the one that doesn't belong. Students identify 10 answers.
Curated OER
Adventure Writing: Oregon's Landscape as a Setting
Students identify geographical features of different regions encountered by migrants on the Oregon trail. Students research how the Oregon landscape may have affected life and 19th century westward migration. Students write a narrative...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
6 Traits: Word Choice
Students explore language arts by participating in a vocabulary usage activity. In this word choice lesson, students read examples of great word usage in literature and discuss with the class why some words appear stronger than others....
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Working with Words Teacher Directed Activity by Mark Cogan for Elem. Test Prep
Students build word families. For this interactive language arts activity, students visit a website where they play a game creating word families. Students may print out their work when finished.
Curated OER
Possessive Nouns and Pronouns
In this nouns learning exercise, students read eight paragraphs and study the pictures that go with each. Students fill in the blanks with the correct form of the noun or pronoun in the word box.
Starfall
Making a Candy House
In this writing worksheet, scholars use a word bank that includes naming, connecting, and describing words to write about how they would build a candy house.