Digital Writing and Research Lab's – Lesson Plans
Teaching Close Reading through Short Composition/Revision
This activity may have writers evaluate short compositions, but their subjects are quite tall: great Americans. Pupils read one another's compositions and closely examine how specific phrases and diction contribute to shaping American...
Pace University
Publishing Writing
Scholars become familiar with tagline literature with the help of the story, Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Terrible Day by Judith Viort. After a read-aloud and whole-class discussion, leveled groups complete several...
PBS
The Chrysalis or Pupa
What is one of the most exciting parts of a butterfly's life cycle? When it emerges from its pupa and dries its wings! This is a great activity little ones will love. They discuss what happens during the pupal stage of the butterfly life...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
A lot of secrecy shrouded the creation of the atomic bomb. Readers uncover some of that secrecy using an educator's guide for the novel The Green Glass Sea. Three weeks of lesson plans feature discussion questions and reading...
Arts Ed Washington
Art Lessons in the Classroom: Our Family
Blend art and family into one lesson plan with an activity involving oil pastels and watercolors. After viewing a few famous portraits of families, learners create masterpieces that represent their own families.
Curated OER
Shakespeare Stealer: Design a Set
In groups, learners design sets for the play, "Shakespeare Stealer." They sketch a scale model of a set and present it to the teacher, who will choose which group gets to design the entire set.
Curated OER
Milk Carton Houses
Create a village and learn about recycling at the same time! A materials list is included, as well as instructions for what you need to do to create a recycled carton village with your kids. Two great book links are included.
Curated OER
Have It Your Way Sandwich Collage
You want to make a sandwich out of fabric and paper? If so, this art project provides the instructions needed. Learners will use a variety of fabrics and paper to construct a sandwich through collage. Tip: Have leaners describe the...
Curated OER
Creature Painting
Kids create a free-form art piece using paper, water-based paints, markers, and imagination. They allow the paints to randomly bleed, mix, and move on the paper, then they look for forms in the organic images. They black-line the shapes...
EngageNY
Clarifying Thinking on Water Management: Revisiting the Gallery Walk
One, two, three, go! Scholars gather in triads and number themselves one to three. Each number is responsible for sharing a section of the map homework completed the night before as learners discuss domain-specific vocabulary terms using...
Media Smarts
Tobacco Labels
Adolescents compare and assess the efficacy of tobacco product health warning labels from around the world. In groups, they invent warnings and create labels that would be effective for teens and children. Discussion covers advertising...
Advocates for Human Rights
Human Rights in the U.S.
Here's a fun, creative approach to the profoundly important issue of human rights. Young citizens do three activities, two of which involve them finding images from magazines that reflect human rights of their choosing and creating a...
Illustrative Mathematics
Naming the Whole for a Fraction
How many different ways can you represent a whole? In a picture that represents six parts (two of which are shaded), learners are asked to label the parts appropriately to show how three different mathematical interpretations can be...
California Academy of Science
Poetic Reflections
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
Overcoming Obstacles
Problem Solving on the Job
The truth is there are consequences for actions. The third lesson in the "Problem Solving Module" asks class members to brainstorm a list of problems, select one and invent a system, process, or object that might solve the problem. They...
Curated OER
Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Do the Animal Dance!
Learners create a dance based on animal movements. In this kinesthetic lesson plan, the students will read and imitate animals in a creative way and share their dances with the group. The lesson plan includes a take-home activity and a...
Curated OER
Activity Plan 3-4: Dreamy Rhymes
Students write a story about an animal using rhyme. In this literacy lesson plan, the teacher shares different versions of "Mary Had a Little Lamb" with the class and that becomes the basis for the creation of a picture and story for...
Curated OER
Can You Hear Me Now? A Study Unit on Cell Phones
In this comprehensive reading comprehension lesson, students complete an indepth look at the introductions and history of cell phones. Students research, analyze and determine the answers to twenty two questions regarding what a cell...
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Conservation: Water
Here is a fantastic experiment-based lesson on water conservation, waste, and filtration. The lesson plan is well-developed and provides background information, discussion leads, and six scripted lab activities anyone can do. The class...
Curated OER
Outdoor Activities: Solve It-Outdoors
Students practice problem solving skills. In this early childhood education instructional activity, students foster the ability to use creative and critical thinking to turn obstacles into bridges to greater learning as they complete...
Curated OER
SCIENCE ROLE PLAYS
Students create a play in which each person in the group is a "character" or part of a system. In this creative lesson students are assigned a process in which they write a script about with characters.
Curated OER
"No, You Can't Take Me!"
Students study imitation or pantomime. For this creative drama lesson, students pick an object to imitate and state the reasons why that object should not be taken out of the room pretending to be that object.
Curated OER
Activity Plan 3-4: It's a Zoo in Here!
Students create a classroom zoo for large-group science learning. In this early childhood science lesson plan, students develop their language, science, creativity, and fine motor skills as they research zoo animals and create classroom...
Curated OER
Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Friendship Soup
Students learn creative cooking. In this early childhood lesson plan, students children work together to plan, buy, and prepare a soup for their lunchtime meal.