Curated OER
Literature Focus Unit: Civil War
Fourth graders complete a two-week unit on the U.S. Civil War and the Underground Railroad. They read the books "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Pink and Say," complete story maps, and dramatize a scene from "Follow the Drinking Gourd."...
Curated OER
Spanish Culture Lesson - Cinco de Mayo
Learners role play the characters and events which led to the holiday of Cinco de Mayo. In this Cinco de Mayo lesson, students dance the "La Raspa" dance. Learners complete a Cinco de Mayo word search.
Curated OER
Lights, Camera, Action...Crossing the Delaware in 9 Scenes
How does reading a drama differ from reading a novel? Middle schoolers become playwrights and explore these differences. After viewing the A&E movie,"The Crossing," groups create stage directions, write dialogue, and design sets and...
Curated OER
The Reunion
Students dramatize a postwar reunion between people who held opposing views during the U.S. Civil War.
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Animal Habitats
Students explore animal lifestyles by researching their characteristics. In this animal habitat lesson, students read the story Over in the Jungle and analyze the animal illustrations in the book. Students create clay animal characters...
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Wetlands/Migration
Learners play a game of hopscotch as they simulate birds migrating north through wetlands. They compare the game to real bird migration and discuss how the health of the wetlands is proportional to the health of birds.
Curated OER
Space Exploration Narrative
Fourth graders role-play a space exploration. They read scripts detailing an astronaut's journey on a space exploration. They discuss how it felt to be an astronaut, the emotions, moods and feelings of going on a space exploration.
Maine Content Literacy Project
Introduction to John Updike
Expand your pupils' understanding of the short story genre with a study of John Updike and his story "A&P." This lesson, the fourth in a series of fourteen, invites learners to examine literary terms and read and discuss the story....
August House
Anansi And Turtle Go To Dinner
That tricky Anansi! Join him and Turtle in the story Anansi and Turtle Go to Dinner by Bobby and Sherry Norfolk, based on the African folktale. Kids answer comprehension questions and sing songs about spiders before creating spider...
Curated OER
Portrait of a Hero
Pupils complete a series of interactive activities to explore their beliefs about heroes and heroism. In this hero analysis lesson, students define the meaning of the words hero and heroic. Pupils research U.S. heroes and everyday...
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"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
Of Mice and Men: Viewing Guide
In this Of Mice and Men viewing guide worksheet, students study movie terminology as they read brief descriptions and respond to 26 short answer questions as the watch the film based on Steinbeck's novel.
Curated OER
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
Dramatic activities promote enjoyment of literature, increase reading comprehension, and help develop oral expression. It is important for children to engage in activities which help to develop their creative potential. Drama allows...
Curated OER
Creating Characters: Movement
Students compare two characters and role-play how they would perform various actions. They view and discuss a video, list opposite descriptions for the two girls in the video, and role-play the opposites.
Curated OER
Newscast From An Ancient City
Seventh graders produce a newscast from an Ancient Roman city. In this journalism and history lesson, 7th graders work in groups to dramatize a historical event from the Roman Empire. students sequence the events, role-play, and create...
Curated OER
Predators and Prey
Students explain how the food chain works. They contrast predators with prey and describe their function in nature. Students discuss how the food chain aids in keeping nature balanced. In small groups, they play a game that simulates the...
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Glacier Basics
Students are introduced to the powerful nature of glaciers. Using an atlas, they read the section on glaciers and examine pictures of before and after the glacier moved through an area. In groups, they complete a worksheet on the role...
Curated OER
Breaking the Food Chain
Students investigate the food chain. They brainstorm questions about the human food chain and explain what would happen to living things in the food chain if organisms or resources were removed. They role-play situations in which the...
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Art Auction
Learners participate in a variety of activities that present art history. They arrange an art auction where each student serves as auctioneer to present a favorite piece. Students keep track of their accounts and bid to buy desired...
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Making The Geologic Time Scale Real
Students are assigned significant geologic events in Earth's history. They convert the date of the events into distances and then space themselves (on an outside playing field) away from other groups, to represent time between various...
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Poetry
Fifth graders read several poems by famous poets and identify what about their style makes them unique. They then analyze and compare poetic style, use of forms and themes. Next, 5th graders investigate and collect different examples of...
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Eyewitness Accounts
Young scholars role-play to show the eyewitness accounts of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. In this volcanic eruption lesson, students act as reporters, eyewitnesses, and scientists to dramatize the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. They...
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Zelda and Ivy
Second graders read the theme books Zelda and Ivy and do activities that are related to the books. In this reading lesson, 2nd graders read the books given and then do activities that include a reader's theater, crossword, personality...
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Lewis and Clark In Columbia River Country
Eighth graders research biographies of people who participated in the Lewis and Clark expedition using Internet resources. They role play characters while acting out a campfire scene from the expedition.