Curated OER
More Details and Transitions
Use details and transition words to enhance writing. Sixth graders examine their own writing and insert more details and transition words provided by their teacher. There is a list of 11 "Terrific Transitions," but brainstorm several...
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Families: Different and the Same
Students compare varying family structures. In this family structures lesson, students write a book about their family. Students read The House on Mango Street.
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Explain Your Vote!
Students improve their essay writing skills using the subject of voting as a topic. In this writing essays lesson, students write expository essays to increase the weight of their vote in the 'Cast Your Vote Poll' for the Trans-Amazon...
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The "Write" Stuff: Third Grade Strategies and Conventions
Students analyze the writing process through the ten lessons of this unit. The expository lessons address topic and detail sentences, paragraph organization and development, note taking, reports and letter writing.
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Election 2000
Students review the 2000 presidential election. Students write an expository essay in response to the following: Should the election process in the United states be changed?
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Comparing Time Periods in U.S. History: The Ashford Project
Fifth graders use a "fact book" comparing periods in American history then students create a picture to illustrate their assigned periods. # # students use their pictures and concept maps to write expository paragraphs about their...
Museum of Tolerance
The Role of Citizens in a Participatory Democracy
Groups research participatory democracies and compare the role and rights of citizens in ancient history with those in recent U.S. history. Guided by a series of questions, individuals compose a persuasive essay in which they discuss the...
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The Trial of the Bloody Sucker
A blood sucking what? Grade schoolers identify the characteristics of blood sucking parasites. They organize their information, identify their arguments, and present them to the class in persuasive arguments. They participate in a debate...
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Masterpieces and the Mass-Produced
Students examine "masterpieces" and mass-produced objects as they discuss humankind's inventiveness and creativity. They also analyze the role of problem solving in the creation of masterpieces and mass-produced items.
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The Rumpelstiltskin Story
Why didn't Rapunzel's hair stop growing? Why did it take the fairy godmother so long to intervene in Cinderella's affairs? Young writers consider unanswered questions like these and compose news articles investigating the true story...
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Indian Story Bag
Students use an object to tell an interesting story from their lives. They write and present a short story about an interesting episode from their life and gather objects in a story bag, which illustrates their story to the class.
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California Artists
Fifth graders identify and compare works of art from various regions of the United States. Telecollaborative partners, from different states, work together to complete this assignment. Using the internet, 5th graders research a specific...
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Find Yourself with Global Positioning
Students examine different types of new mapping technologies. They use the internet to gather information about mapping and navigation. They create their own global positioning tool and defend it to the class.
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Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Fifth graders enjoy learning more about animals and their habitats as they explore the Internet sites in these Student Activities based on the main characters in Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH.
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Ancient Greece
Sixth graders examine the research that archaeologists have done on a Late Bronze Age shipwreck in order to work out the extent of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean during this period, with emphasis on the involvement of the Mycenaeans...
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Vikings in Vinland
Students examine the role of archaeology in gaining information about past civilizations. After reading an article, they discover evidence of the Viking settlement of North America. They summarize the information in the article by...
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Salon Simulation
Students examine the role of the 'Salon'. In this historic communications lesson, students role play and use discussion to enhance their understanding of the role the Salon played in 18th century Europe. Students will divide into groups,...
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Penguins: Sensitive Indicators
Students examine how penguins are affected by climate change. In this climate change lesson students research the impact of climate change then create a poster to call awareness to it.
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Raising Rhino Awareness
Students create a poster that promotes awareness about endangered animals. In this biology lesson, students explain the impact of rhinoceros poaching. They create a poem about them and present it in class.
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Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Wolf?
Students compare wolves' behaviors to those of the human race. In this wolf instructional activity students write a story that will show that wolves are either good or evil.
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Cheetah Challenges
Students research the problems that cheetahs are facing in the wild. In this biology lesson, students discuss how animal rehabilitation works. They write blogs about it and comment on everyone's post.
Mr. Ambrose
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Good discussion questions, quizzes, and tests teach as well as assess. Readers of The Great Gatsby will learn much from the materials in a 36-page packet designed to help students prepare for the AP Literature exam. Included in the...
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Build an Indoor Compost Bin
Students write an essay to describe the contents of a compost bin. In this composting lesson, students create a compost bin. Students examine soil for its contents and explains in an essay the impact of the soil on the environment.
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Responding to Literature: James and the Giant Peach
Fifth grade reader/writers create an alternate ending to an episode in Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach in which our protagonist "loses" the chance to magically solve all his problems. Prompts students not only to write creatively...