Curated OER
Eat Your Words!
Learners make spelling words using cheese crackers. In this spelling lesson, students use Scrabble Cheez It crackers to make words before eating them.
Curated OER
The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
Sixth graders write a historical fiction narrative. In this interdisciplinary lesson, 6th graders read the historical fiction Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy. Students write a piece from the point of view of the main...
Curated OER
A Picture Is Worth at Least One Word
Learners explore clip art pictures to create a rebus. In this clip art lesson, students define what a rebus is and then create their original rebuses. Learners use clip art from the computer to design their rebuses.
Curated OER
Down by the Bay
Students work with rhyming words to add verses to a song. In this rhyming words lesson, students use rhyming words to add verses to Raffi's song, "Down by the Bay." They look for patterns and rhymes in the original verses before adding...
Curated OER
Play with Words: Rhymes & Verse
Learners listen to poems and rhymes, clap out syllables, and sing along with familiar tunes. They use puppets and crafts to help recall and retell favorite poems, and craft their own poems.
Curated OER
Our City, Our Words
Students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
Curated OER
Word Play
Students define the steps of the formal writing process, consider the value and quality of the work done by Anne Frank in her personal diary, and create their own diary entries using the writing process outlined in class.
Curated OER
Spreading the Word
Students analyze the use of propaganda in the war against terrorism, focusing specifically on the attacks in Afghanistan, exploring the distinction between ideas spread to benefit a cause and those spread to damage an opposing cause.
Curated OER
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Students, after reading the book, "Esperanza Rising," create a virtual display by combining different story elements into a visual representation. They choose the setting and characters of a scene that will act as a springboard of ideas...
Curated OER
Adventure Writing: Oregon's Landscape as a Setting
Students identify geographical features of different regions encountered by migrants on the Oregon trail. Students research how the Oregon landscape may have affected life and 19th century westward migration. Students write a narrative...
Curated OER
Painting Portraits with Words
Students examine how an exhibition of an author's writings can become a portrait or biography of that author . They work in small groups, analyzing various poems by Yeats.
Curated OER
Does a Picture Always Say a Thousand Words?
Students read and discuss "Enigmatic Portraits of Teen-Agers Free of All Context," then choose a photograph and write a first-person narrative from the perspective of the subject.
Curated OER
The Roots of American Culture
Students explore the notion of culture and the influence of Latino culture on the U.S. They work in small groups to identify ways that Latino and non-Latino U.S. cultures have engaged in cultural 'cross-fertilization.'
Curated OER
Words of Deep Meaning
Young scholars create their own poems to express a deep feeling or transformative experience, then write imaginary letters to people in the article, responding to their poetry and sharing their own creative process.
Curated OER
Word Perfect
Students explore the value of personal written communication as compared to the use of e-mail or text messaging.
Curated OER
A Gesture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Students share observations on the nuances of meaning in face to face and online interactions with others. After reading an article, they identify the causes and effects of internet flaming. They create their own comic strips...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Identifying Author’s Opinion and Supporting Evidence: Sports in American Culture
Quiz time! Serving as the mid-unit assessment, scholars complete a Two Opinions Word Sort activity. In addition, they read an article about the importance of sports in America and answer text-based questions.
California Department of Education
Resume Writing for High School Students
Looking to teach your high schoolers how to write a resume? A strong plan for doing so is detailed here. Class members examine a poorly written example and then create their own original resumes using an organizer and Word template. Once...
ESL Holiday Lessons
English Lesson Plan on Labor Day
Download a reading and have learners follow along on a transcript about Labor Day. A series of worksheets follow that include matching, filling in blanks, and unscrambling word spellings. An online multiple choice activity is also...
Curated OER
Word is to Analogy as...
Middle schoolers complete verbal analogies by playing a group game.
Curated OER
Mini Beasts and Dialect
Discover the differences in dialect. Inquisitive minds read poems and discuss how words or phrases are different in standard English and other dialects. Using a dictionary, class members locate the definition of each word, find...
Curated OER
Weather and Dialect
What's the difference between an accent and a dialect? Examine the difference between the two with your scholars. In groups, they compile a dialect dictionary. They interview adults to gather information about accents and ethnic words....
Curated OER
Extreme Poetry Vocabulary
Challenge your class with this comprehensive list of literary vocabulary words. Learners take a pre-test, look up definitions, come up with an example, and then take a post-test. You might use this prior to a unit about poetic devices in...
International Reading Association
Literacy Survival Tips for New Teachers!
Whether new to teaching or a seasoned pro, this 12-page phonics and phonemic awareness guide is a must for your curriculum library. Everything from a summary of research on the topic to exercises and activities is included.