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...
EngageNY
Close Reading of Waiting for the Biblioburro: Finding the Main Message and Taking Notes
Expose your class to Waiting for the Biblioburro, narrative nonfiction that will act as the bridge between ficiton and informational texts to come. Class members do a close reading of the text, looking at excerpts instead of the whole...
Curated OER
Biopoem: Ender's Game
Here's an activity designed to encourage character analysis. Readers craft a biopoem for a character in Orson Scott Cards' popular science fiction novel Ender's Game.
Curated OER
Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes
A carefully crafted three-day instructional activity integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The...
Novelinks
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Writing Assignment
Ask learners to focus on one scene in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in order to write an analytical essay about Twain's ideas surrounding childhood. The final assignment in a unit, this writing prompt requires learners to use...
Curated OER
Nasreddin Hodja - Turkish and Middle Eastern Folklore Philosopher
Third graders read a readers theater written by Nasreddin Hodja. In this Nasreddin Hodja lesson plan, 3rd graders learn about the philosopher and participate in one of his reader's theaters.
Curated OER
Through the Forest and Home Again: Maps Help Us Find Our Ways
Students read Little Red Riding Hood, focusing on her path home to Grandma's house. In this language arts and geography lesson, students perform a reader's theater, re-creating the walk home and possible routes that could have been...
Curated OER
The Bard, the Globe, the Midsummer Night's Dream
Students complete a unit of lessons to learn about William Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre. In this William Shakespeare lesson, students complete 7 lessons of activities to study William Shakespeare, the Globe Theatre, and the play 'A...
Novelinks
The Winter’s Tale: Bio Poem
Readers of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale demonstrate their understanding of the play by selecting a character and crafting a bio poem that reveals his or her fears and aspirations.
Curated OER
Epic Poetry: Literary Terms for Story Analysis
What do Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and The Odyssey have in common? Why, they are all epics, of course, and are presented here as examples of the literary term. If you are beginning a study of epics, consider previewing the terms included...
Curated OER
Quick as a Cricket
Young scholars explore similes through Quick as a Cricket. In this similes activity, students investigate what a simile is and recognize them when they see them. Young scholars write similes about themselves and illustrate them.
Curated OER
Character Analysis Lessons
Graphic organizers can be a great tool to help students understand character analysis.
Curated OER
Number The Stars: Character Sketch
For this literacy worksheet, students create a graphic organizer for the character of Anne Marie from Number The Stars. Then they write a description of her.
Curated OER
Characterization Lessons for Middle School Students
Students learn characterization by writing about a special person in their life.
Alabama Learning Exchange (ALEX)
Whales, Whales, Whales!
The title says it all! Help your pupils learn all about whales. Class members research different species of whales and share the information via video conferences with kids from another school. They conduct research on a selected species...
Curated OER
A Pixie Biography Report
Students practice biographical writing after completing research on the subject. In this journalism lesson, students read a story of an important person's life and discuss the important moments along the way. Students utilize their...
Curated OER
Kissing Coyotes
Fourth graders are read the book "Kissing Coyotes". During the story, they make predictions about what they believe might happen next. After the story, they create their own story using their imagination and draw illustrations.
Curated OER
Disasters - Where, When, Why
Fourth graders research natural disasters that have occurred in the US in the 20th Century. They create a computer database of the disasters and write a paragraph with the information.
Curated OER
From Seeds to Plants
Second graders review the process of plant reproduction and the role of seeds in that process. The students dissect a seed, analyze their finds, collect and record data, and make predictions about seed germination and plant growth.
Curated OER
Animal Story: An Informational Narrative
Students use the computer to research information and publish creative narrative stories about the life of a specific Everglades animal. This lesson uses many educational, computer programs including the iLife suite, publishing...
Curated OER
Understanding Digestion
Students analyze data from their primary literature (textbook) and explore multiple
aspects of digestion by generating alternative or multiple explanations for questions posed during the lesson. This lesson includes a handout with a...
Curated OER
Comedia dell' Arte Paper Masks
Students create masks from the Italian Renaisance theatre and use them in one-act plays they write. they analyze the role and development of theatre in world cultures.
Curated OER
Independent Novel Project
Students complete activities for an independent novel project. In this novel project worksheet, students follow the 13 steps to analyze and complete a comprehensive project about a novel they've read.