Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: My Robot and Me
Robots and their interactions with their human counterparts are the catalyst for a fun writing instructional activity. First, the class brainstorms what they'd like to have their personal robot do or be capable of. Then, they each write...
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...
Curated OER
Collective Poetry: Teaching Tolerance
Help your class create collective poetry following a simple, engaging model from Teaching Tolerance (tolerance.org). Each young poet writes five things on an index card: sayings from others, favorite sound, favorite place, favorite...
Curated OER
Picture This!
Students explore and generate story elements for wordless picture books. In this collaborative writing lesson plan, students review wordless picture books and write a story based on the illustrations. Students use post-it notes to...
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Dear Diary
Students analyze a piece of writing by creating diary entries based on a character. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read an assigned book with their classmates and create a sketch of what they believe the main...
Curated OER
Act It Out!
An effective way to demonstrate understanding is by synthesizing one's own work. Use a creative lesson designed for a unit on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun for small groups to show what they know about the play,...
EngageNY
Arithmetic and Geometric Sequences
Arithmetic and geometric sequences are linear and geometric patterns. Help pupils understand the relationship and see the connection with an activity that asks them to write the rules and classify the patterns correctly. A sorting...
Curated OER
Comic Book Characters
Explore gender stereotypes by analyzing how male and female characters are depicted in comic books. Using the provided Comic Book Analysis sheet, students record the attributes of male and female comic book characters. Then the whole...
Gobal Oneness Project
Passionate Pursuits
Not all technology is digital. Teach learners about the low-tech maker movement with a photo essay about six artisans from California and two articles about the local creator movement. After tackling the photo essay in small...
Curated OER
If I Were An Ant - Creative Writing
The teacher reads the story "If I Were An Ant" by Amy Moses. The students then each create a page in a classroom book about what a small object would look like if he/she was an ant. The student writes about their chosen object and then...
Curated OER
Creative Writing
Fourth graders participate in an observation hike in this lesson. They orally share observations from their hike, and develop a paragraph in a shared writing exercise. Finally, the write their paragraph about process writing in their...
Curated OER
Writing and Creating with Power Point
Learners explore the process of creating a Powerpoint presentation. They choose a "How to" topic, conduct research, organize their ideas, and develop and present their Powerpoint presentation.
Curated OER
Let's Make a Mural
Students social skills blossom as they work together on this mural-making activity. In this early childhood visual arts lesson, students develop creative-thinking, fine-motor, language, and social skills as they work together to plan,...
Curated OER
Hands on Essays
Third graders relate the concept of individuality of geometric shapes to the individuality of topic sentences. They write and revise a persuasive argument essay using an established rubric.
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Delicious Words
Fifth graders work together to make simple menus more interesting by adding descriptive words. This plan works well with the Six Traits of Writing as it covers the trait of word choice. This is a really fun way for students to practice...
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Product Persuasion
Learners examine various products and analyze the marketing strategies used to entice consumers. They bring in a product they like to use, and using persuasive writing, they write their own advertisements for their products.
Curated OER
Animal Diaries
Students read Diary of a Worm by Foreen Cronin. In this journal writing lesson plan, students research an animal and write a diary by their animal. Students apply the research they've completed in their writings. Students share their...
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TV and Teaching
Students write a story centered around their favorite TV show. For this story writing lesson, students share their favorite TV shows and discuss their favorite characters. Students draw pictures that illustrate a story in which they are...
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Cloudy With a Chance of...
Second graders will write a story. In this writing and meteorology activity, 2nd graders read the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, then use KidPix to create a weather picture. The picture is imported into a word processor and the...
Curated OER
Putting it On Paper
Students locate and print samples of two different business letter formats. They write rough drafts of business letters inquiring when, where, and how math is used.
Curated OER
FCAT Writes! Frenzy
Fourth graders experience a dress rehearsal of timed demand writing. This activity allows students to prepare for a timed writing test in which they don't know the prompt. This activity includes writing prompts and rubrics imbedded in...
EngageNY
Claim, Reasons, and Evidence: Planning the Body Paragraphs
Planning is the key to success. Scholars continue planning their essays by adding reasons to their Planning My Argument graphic organizers. Additionally, pupils analyze a body paragraph from a model position paper, identifying the...
Curated OER
Pride and Prejudice: Unsent Letter
What would the characters of Pride and Prejudice say to each other in a letter? Draft unsent correspondence between characters from Jane Austen's novel. A great way to explore characterization and plot structure in a creative lesson.
Missouri Department of Elementary
Happy, Sad, Scared and Mad: All Belong To Me
"What are feelings?" and "Why are feelings important to understand?" are the essential questions of a lesson plan that boosts self-awareness. Scholars discuss the four basic emotions—happy, sad, scared, and mad—in...