Curated OER
Comments WERD
Students examine several examples of similes and metaphors, stating what is being compared. Then each student chooses a different person from the Civil War era and writes similes and metaphors that describe that person.
Curated OER
State Similes
In this simile learning exercise, students think about their state and then write similes to describe it. Students then pick their favorite simile and illustrate it.
Curated OER
Here's an Instant Activity: Onomatopeia Word-Search
Eighth graders complete a worksheet on onomatopoeia. In this spelling lesson, 8th graders review the concept of onomatopoeia. The attached worksheet for students includes a word-search of thirty onomatopeic words. Although the lesson is...
Curated OER
Mother Goose Poetry
Students practice technology skills such as open, save, print,
type, font size, font type. They also do graphics, importing,text wrapping.Critical thinking,graphic design, presenting are other skills practiced.
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.2
Identifying the theme or central idea of a text is a skill many young readers struggle with. It is also the second standard for reading literature in the Common Core. This resource, one from a series of Common Core lessons, can provide...
Curated OER
Romanticism 1800-1860
What do Roger Chillingworth, Dr. Heidegger, and Ethan Brand have in common? They are all American literature poster boys for Romanticism, advertising the dangers of valuing reason over feeling and intuition. Introduce your class to...
Curated OER
Exploring Themes in Literature: The Oral Tradition
Are you are considering a unit on Beowulf or Superman, on myths, or tricksters? Here's a great overview you can use to launch a study of universal themes and archetypes. The focus here is on the oral tradition, but the concepts apply to...
Curated OER
Express Yourself Lesson Seed 5
Building on the previous activity in this series of lesson seeds, this plan focuses on the use of dialect in Theodore Taylor's novel, The Cay. Class members examine specific lines of text, use their reading journals to respond to the...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5
Your students already know when they like a story and when they don't, but they may not know that the plots of these stories are shaping that opinion. Like all resources in this series, the two activities and quizzes provided here deal...
Curated OER
Express Yourself Lesson Seed 6 Close Reading
Look back at the third chapter of The Cay with your class. Pupils will conduct a close reading, taking a second look at a chunk of text and responding to a series of text-dependent questions. Wrap up with an analytical writing prompt...
Novelinks
Zach’s Lie: Multi-Genre Writing Assignment
How do people solve problems in healthy ways? Writers explore a topic of interest in their multi-genre writing assignment exploring Zach's Lie. The final resource in a series of seven includes multiple scaffolds and organizers for...
University of North Carolina
Art History
Art analysis might help uncover some of life's most puzzling questions, such as the mystery behind Mona Lisa's smile. The handout, from the Writing for Specific Fields series, is particularly useful for those interested in pursuing art...
Curated OER
What Is a Euphemism?
In this euphemism worksheet, students study about this writing convention. Students guess what 5 euphemisms mean, then complete some writing and evaluating questions about euphemisms.
Curated OER
What Makes a Novel a Novel?
They always say to write what you know. This approach is used to get middle schoolers prepared to write novels of their own. Using a favorite book as a model, potential novelists respond to prompts that ask about characters, plot, main...
Curated OER
Demian - Essay Questions
If your class is reading Demian by Hermann Hesse, consider printing this list of essay questions to help them explore the text. There are 13 questions provided; some are basic recall questions, but others encourage a deeper...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 3: Great Book, Gross Book
It's time for your scholars to become book reviewers! Start with a fun review of foods: are they good or gross? Learners apply these evaluation techniques to books, recording their thoughts on large pieces of butcher paper. Simply have...
Curated OER
A Song By Any Other Name Would Be a Poem
Students examine the poetic elements of a piece of music. They discuss favorite songs, select a song, and write a persuasive essay identifying the poetic qualities of the song lyrics.
Curated OER
The Odyssey
Students write a dramatic scene based on The Odyssey and perform it for the class. In this living literature lesson, students work in small groups to discuss the way the characters look, act, and sound. They then choose scenery and...
Curated OER
See Me, Feel Me, Hear Me, Describe Me!
Fifth graders read the poem "Root Cellar" and then close their eyes and describe objects that are placed in their hands.
Curated OER
Revision is Part of the Writing Process: Peer Workshops
Twelfth graders go through the peer editing process by reading each other's work and talking about it. They realize revision is part of the process of writing poetry.
Curated OER
Mother's Day
Third graders write a poem describing why they love a special family member. They use decorative paper and illustrations for their poems. Students give thanks and praise to their family members.
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify...
Curated OER
Imagery
Students listen to poetry and discuss the imagery. They write a creative poem demonstrating imagery. They write about imagery of a picture and visit a website to read poetry tips. They evaluate poetry using an evaluation form.
Curated OER
There's a Writer Waiting Inside Me
Eighth graders are introduced to the concept, What Makes Good Poetry? They are asked to explore the writer within.