Curated OER
We Are Alike, We Are Different:A Focus on Japan
First graders develop a connection with students in a first grade classroom in Japan. They begin to develop a curiosity about Japan--the landscape, the people, and their culture, while developing an understanding of the Five Themes of...
Curated OER
Story Writing
Students master their compare and contrast writing skills by choosing an American cultural element (fashion, food, religion, etc.) and comparing it to the same element of another culture.
Curated OER
Writing a Fictional Narrative
Fourth graders write a fictional narrative using the computer. They can use files to help them focus on including a beginning, middle and end, characters, setting and plot or planning a story by answering questions.
Curated OER
Creative Writing
Fourth graders participate in an observation hike in this lesson. They orally share observations from their hike, and develop a paragraph in a shared writing exercise. Finally, the write their paragraph about process writing in their...
Curated OER
If I Were An Ant - Creative Writing
The teacher reads the story "If I Were An Ant" by Amy Moses. The students then each create a page in a classroom book about what a small object would look like if he/she was an ant. The student writes about their chosen object and then...
Curated OER
Process-Writing
Learners prepare to write a discursive composition. They pay particular attention to generating, selecting, ordering and organizing ideas. Students incorporate the use of linking devices and paragraph planning.
Curated OER
Passive Voice Exercises
What is the difference between the active voice and the passive voice? Focus on the latter with your middle schoolers to help them strengthen their writing. First, they identify which sentences are written in the passive. Then, they...
Teaching Tolerance
Community Bulletin Board
A project-based lesson has pupils create a bulletin board to share artwork, nonfiction articles, and messages based on social justice themes. The finished board is displayed in the community to create a place for discussion.
Museum of Tolerance
Music Evokes Memories and Emotions
Dim the lights, take a deep breath, and press play to explore the emotions and memories that music elicits. Class members begin using relaxation techniques designed to create a positive listening experience. As music plays, learners...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Respect: Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like
Respect is the focus of a lesson plan designed to encourage social awareness. Following a whole-class discussion, scholars list what they believe respect looks, sounds, and feels. Pupils turn their new-found knowledge into a plan of...
Curated OER
Picture Perfect Poetry
Do your language arts students love to draw? Use this lesson to reinforce poetic techniques with illustration. After drawing what they think poem would look like with no words, middle and high schoolers work on several different...
Curated OER
Pretend Memoirs
Elementary schoolers explore the concept of a memoir. The teacher tells a story from his/her childhood as an example of what a memoir is; a written account of one's past. The kids are asked to pretend that they are now adults, and are...
Curated OER
Prewriting, Using Pictures
Young readers practice getting information from both the text and the illustrations found in books they are reading. They see that quite often, authors use pictures to help them get their writing process started. Youngsters are invited...
Code.org
Practice PT - Encode an Experience
Encoding What I did Last Summer. Class members develop a way to encode a personal experience using a top-down approach to determine components and sub-components of their experience They then pick one portion of the experience and go...
Curated OER
Talking About Sports
Doing research on a sports team can be a way to have students practice a variety of skills. Find fabulous ideas for activities or lessons that you can implement with your class!
Curated OER
Amos and Boris: Text Study
Twenty insightful questions follow a read aloud of the story, Amos and Boris by William Steig. Scholars then show what they know through completion of a cause and effect chart, reading fluency assessment, and a written...
Curated OER
Map It Out
Explore how illustrations add to a story. Young learners will look at picture books to see how the pictures tell the story. They create illustrations to go with a chosen story, and then flip the activity so they have to write a story to...
Missouri Department of Elementary
I’m Thumbody!
Positive and negative thinking is the focus of a activity that boost self-awareness. Beginning with a whole-class discussion, scholars brainstorm what positive thinking looks and sounds like then compares and contrast the two types of...
Curated OER
Does Rick Warren Represent Diversity?
The topic of this lesson focuses on whether or not Obama was able to convincingly defend his choice of choosing Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at his inauguration. This is considered a controversial or hot topic because it...
Seussville
Hats off to Dr. Seuss Hat Toss
Focus on Dr. Seuss's cat's iconic hat with a crafty activity. Kids make their own red-and-white-striped hat and then toss paper balls into the hat. See who has the best aim! Additional Cat in the Hat materials are included.
Curated OER
Confetti
Third graders complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Confetti. In this reading lesson plan, 3rd graders complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer questions,...
Curated OER
Teen Scene
Students examine what teenagers value most, and discuss the trend of decadent sixteenth birthday parties. They read an article, analyze forms of teen-focused media, and create a visual presentation on their media analysis.
Curated OER
"Postcard From Bear"
Students complete various activities related to the book "Postcard From Bear." They participate in a shared reading activity, identify the locations in the book on a map, and write a postcard to the bear in the story.
Curated OER
What's Shaking?
In this Earth movements worksheet, students compare and contrast earthquakes and volcanoes. Students write a short essay about the similarities and differences and then complete 4 matching questions.