Curated OER
Scent-Inspired Composition
Our sense of smell has a wonderful way of bringing back memories. Unlock those memories with an olfactory-inspired writing prompt that challenges writers to tell a story about a specific smell and the memories it conjures.
Curated OER
What a Character!
Middle schoolers read a novel and discuss character personality. First, they analyze a character in a novel and keep a chart or web of the character's identity, which includes specific examples from the book. They then write a script...
Orlando Shakes
Hamlet: Study Guide
Hopefully, learners do not sleep during a performance of Shakespeare's Hamlet. A helpful study guide introduces theater goers to the popular Shakespearean tragedy and includes activities to accompany a production of the play. Activities...
EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge: The Internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, Part 1
It is all in the details. Scholars read The Life of Miné Okubo and pay special attention to details that reveal Okubo's character. Completing their Understanding Miné: Character Traits graphic organizers and recalling the descriptions...
EngageNY
Grade 12 ELA Module 1, Unit 2, Lesson 2
As part of their reading of Leslie Marmon Silko's "Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit," class members analyze how the author develops her narrative through dialogue, description, and multiple plot lines.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust: Background notes about the novel, The Great Depression, and The Dust Bowl
If your class is reading the historical fiction novel, Out of the Dust, then you are in luck. Here are a few slides that will help you provide historical context for the book, as well as define main characters, setting, symbolism, and...
Curated OER
Characterizations: Indirect and Direct
Connect literature to narrative writing by researching descriptive writing techniques. Elementary and middle schoolers identify the importance of a narrator and voice in the storytelling process. They read writing samples and identify...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Writing Prompts for Middle School
Scratching your head when it comes to engaging writing prompts? Check out a list of prompts designed for middle school classes, which includes topics for persuasive writing, expository writing, how-to essays, personal narratives, and...
Curated OER
All About Me!
Students write about themselves. In this descriptive writing lesson, students view a PowerPoint for examples of descriptive writing and then write sentences describing themselves. Students use a computer program to type their sentences...
Curated OER
Barney Bear Gets Dressed
Students identify colors and use descriptive words to create a book about a bear. In this lesson on using descriptive language, students listen to a story and help the teacher explain what happened. Students then participate in...
Curated OER
Major and Minor Characters
In this reading worksheet, students complete a chart about two characters from a book. Information includes the character names, how they look, how they act, how they interact with others, and how the student might relate to them.
Curated OER
Wonderful Wintertime
Learners explore the seasons and how to describe them with adjectives. In this lesson about winter and descriptive language, students develop an understanding of the seasons specifically winter, and become equipped to describe them with...
Curated OER
Descriptive Persuasive Texts
In this Language Arts worksheet, students read about persuasive writing. Students read an example and complete a chart that organizes the information into facts and opinions.
Curated OER
Reading Information-Grade 5
In this grade 5 reading informational passages worksheet, students read several passages and answer a set of comprehension questions for each. Answers are included.
Curated OER
Descriptive Words
In this language arts worksheet, learners examine 10 detailed pictures in a column. Students draw a line to match each picture with a word in another column that describes the picture. Note: All the words are not adjectives; some are...
Curated OER
Using Pre-reading Strategies: Infer
Use this resource to support your class practicing inference with poetry and visual art. The plan calls for an examination of "The Scream" by Edvard Munch and the "Mona Lisa" to promote speculation about artist's intent. From there, it...
Curated OER
Idioms in Everyday Language
Students create an iPhoto book exhibiting a variety of idioms that describe feelings. They take photos using a digital camera that show students exhibiting the feelings explained by the idioms.
Curated OER
What's Black and White and Read Later?
Students work cooperatively to research important events or "lasting news" from the year they were born. They complete a WebQuest and write a newspaper based on the research.
Curated OER
Write It, Read It, Solve It
Writers create an original mystery and have a chance to put it into movie format. The classic elements of a mystery must be present: the crime, the suspects, the motive, the solution and clues. Use iPhoto and Quicktime Movie to integrate...
Curated OER
Using Gustar
Expressing that you like something in English is quite different from expressing that you like something in Spanish. Clarify gustar for your class with the information included here. Pupils can read the information on the webpage to find...
Curated OER
"Can Do!" Reading, Writing, and Understanding the Art of Technical Writing
Technical and informational writing is the most common type of writing that students will encounter. Using this SMART board activity, teach your 10th graders the four different types of technical writing. They can then practice following...
Curated OER
What You See Is What You Read
Using the popular text Franklin Goes to the Hospital, youngsters make predictions by looking at the cover of the book. They draw their predictions, listen to the story, and compare their predictions to what actually happened in the...
Curated OER
Season's Readings
Pupils use descriptive language to write riddles on their favorite seasonal subjects; they illustrate the "answers" to their riddles using the medium of their choice and compile both riddles and illustrations to create a book.
Curated OER
A Reading State of Mind
You can create and support student literacy skills through independent reading.