Curated OER
Prefixes
Provide an opportunity for scholars to play around with words. They start with 12 root words and add prefixes to them to create new ones. There are five prefixes here, and learners list the new words beside each. Consider reviewing the...
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Libraries Are the Place to Be
Celebrate National Library Week by discovering all that your local library and the Library of Congress have to offer.
Dream of a Nation
Writing Interdisciplinary Essay
The Grapes of Wrath. The Jungle. Native Son. The Things They Carried. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. To address a current social, political, economic, or environmental issue, class groups pair the reading of a classic...
Dream of a Nation
Writing an Analytic Essay
After researching an issue introduced in Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, writers develop an original thesis statement and craft an analytic essay using evidence collected in their research.
EngageNY
The Opposite of a Number
It's opposite day! The fourth installment of a 21-part module teaches scholars about opposites of integers and of zero. Number lines and real-world situations provide an entry point to this topic.
Curated OER
A Book Is A Window To the World
Second graders listen to pieces of literature that take place in different regions of the world. Using a map, they identify and locate the continents and oceans mentioned in the story. They describe the physical and human characteristics...
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Library Skills: Biography
Biographies deserve special attention when training youngsters how to use the library because they are alphabetized by subject rather than by author. Guide children through the process of finding biographies over a two-visit series. On...
Teach-nology
Author's Purpose
Challenge your class to find the three purposes for writing. After they read three short passages, kids note whether the author's purpose was to inform, persuade, or entertain.
Curated OER
And You Were (Almost) There
Young scholars explore the genre of biography in both its traditional and nontraditional forms. They examine Edmund Morris's unorthodox biography of Ronald Reagan. They conduct research on an historic American and write their own...
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Let Me Tell You About My Favorite Animal
Students create books about their favorite animals using graphic organizers.
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True Tales of Adventure for Young Part 3
Learners explore the Passageways website. They read to compare and contrast the motivations and accomplishments of two explorers.
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Different Strokes for Different Folks
Fourth graders are taken to the media center to review various genre of literature, apply information and concepts to evaluate examples and locate specific genre, and search for materials for reading enjoyment. A good lesson for genre...
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I Just Want to Say
Eighth graders study poetic devices included in conversation poems and explore their eloquent messages. They read and discuss poems by Langston Hughes and Don Marquis.
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Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching the Holocaust
Students are exposed to a variety of readings about the Nazi Party and concentration camps. Using the readings as a guide, they identify moral issues that we all face studing the Holocaust. They decide to work together to end bigotry...
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Highlights of Modern American Family Art and Literature
Students develop imagery in literary and art works. They discuss Jacob Lawrence's painting, the "Tombstones, 1942", which conveyed overcrowded tenements and families living in Harlem (New York, New York). They design picture stories...
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How Tall, How Short, How Faraway
Second graders determine the correct unit of measure to use for different situations. In this measuring instructional activity, 2nd graders are introduced to different unit of measure. Students study the origin of measurement and...
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Fostering Creative Writing
There are many interesting ways to help students develop their creative writing skills through writing prompts and games.
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Science Center Ideas for Students Who Finish Work Early
A science center can be a great way to extend the learning of students who finish their work early.
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Frontier Life Story
Students explore American frontier life. In this history instructional activity, students participate in a series of activities that challenge them to discover what pioneer life was really like.
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Building a Nation
Students research the factors and events which lead to the creation of Canada. Using the internet, they participate in a "Confederation Review Conference" to discover how the country can best serve its citizens. They analyze current...
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Writing Police Reports
Students discover police procedures by filling out crime reports. In this government instructional activity, students discuss the benefits of historical reports pertaining to criminals and victims. Students listen to an officer of the...
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Scaffolding a Reading/Writing Lesson
Students explore pre-reading activities. Through looking at titles, and observing pictures, students predict what will happen in a story. They listen to a part of the story and then write their own conclusion. Students complete the story...
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Building Two Literature Pyramids
Learners create literature pyramids. They read selections of various societies, eras, and ideas. They complete two pyramid sheets for the same literary element including either plot, character, setting, or theme. They color-code their...
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Write, Read and Play
Students integrate writing, reading and movement skills. They draw from a hat a movement skill (e.g., throwing, catching, kicking, etc.), sport, or related word (e. g., heart, muscle, etc.) and create a book written on the first or...