Curated OER
Writing Topics
Finding a topic that engages young writers can be difficult. The four prompts offered by this resource focus on pets. Whether it be writing a story about an imaginary pet or about preparing for a pet, your pupils will find something here...
Curated OER
Leading into Good Writing
Discuss the importance of a lead in writing with your upper graders. They examine several examples of leads from literature and practice writing leads for pieces of artwork. They then select a topic from a list and write an introductory...
Curated OER
Unforgettable...
Middle and high schoolers remember their most memorable experiences, and then connect their own narrative with an exposition about the topic associated with their experience. This New York Times lesson plan would be a great addition to...
Curated OER
Expository Journal Prompts
Stuck for a journal topic? Download CAHSEE’s 21 “Expository Journal Prompts” as a pdf handout for yourself or class. A great resource for your writing program, print it up and add it your curriculum library.
Ogden Museum of Art Education Department
Literacy and Landscapes
As the saying goes, art often imitates life ... and literature! A series of activities designed to accompany a visit to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art encourage writers to find inspiration in various landscapes. The lesson plan...
Curated OER
Accentuate the Expositive: Unit 2 Expository Writing
Middle schoolers analyze narrative passages in order to improve their writing skills. For this narrative writing lesson students use the same style of writing that they have analyzed in their own narrative passage.
Curated OER
"Body Decorating and the Risks"
Learners read and outline a piece of expository writing to study the risks associated with tattoos and body piercing. They brainstorm low risk, healthful ways of expressing their identity as teens.
Curated OER
Christmas Candy
Here is a tasty topic for a lesson: Christmas candy! Third and fourth graders research classic Christmas candies, then create their very own! They write a descriptive paragraph about their candy, then use KidPix to create an illustration...
Curated OER
Writing by Committee
Students write short stories of three paragraphs. They focus on the story elements of introduction, body, and conclusion. They exchange papers so that three different students author the stories.
Curated OER
Exposition
Students brainstorm, plan, and organize expository essay topics, and practice word processing and writing skills at the computer.
Curated OER
Argumentation and Logic
Students recognize inductive and deductive reasoning and analyze common fallacies in critical thinking. In this argumentation and logic lesson, students use role playing activities and specific instances of inductive and deductive...
Curated OER
Critical Path
Young scholars widen their understanding of the different points of view surrounding current news topics. They research a current controversy on which public opinion is divided and write a concise commentary on the topic expressing a...
Curated OER
Comparative Paper – Biblical Texts
In this Biblical texts worksheet, students read and complete the narrative for the assignment that requires them to prepare and write comparative papers on Kings and Chronicles, Legal Collections, and Prophecy.
Curated OER
Come to the Fair
Students explore the concept of animal welfare. In this service learning lesson, students present a "Career with Animals" exposition as they research animal welfare careers and present their findings to their peers.
ReadWriteThink
Designing Museum Exhibits for The Grapes of Wrath: A Multigenre Project
Challenge readers of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath to create a museum exhibit that uses artifacts to focus on one issue raised by the award winning story of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and the Joads.
CC Homestead
Summarize
Designed for third graders but appropriate for older learners as well, this packet of materials underscores the necessity of teaching kids how to summarize, how to identify main ideas and supporting details, and how to ask questions...
Curated OER
Duck, Duck, Goose or Swan?
Students study the waterfowl of a wetland. They use Venn diagram to compare and contrast the duck, goose and swan. They research the waterfowl using the Internet. They create a timeline and slideshow of the life of a duck, goose, or swan...
Curated OER
The Myth and the Reality: Pioneering in the Midwest
Students examine the myth and reality of settlement in the Upper Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Curated OER
Why Burn Books?
Students identify the role of free speech in the selection of library books. They choose one banned book to read and evaluate the reason for its censorship. They create an argument for or against the selection of the book.
Curated OER
Black Bayou Lake Short Story
Tenth graders use Microsoft Word to create an original short story. The setting must be Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The characters must be animals found at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The story must contain...