Curated OER
Connotation: Three Lessons for Effective Word Choice
Over the course of three days, middle schoolers explore the concept of connotation. They differentiate between the connotative and denotative meanings of sports team names, develop their own team names, logos, and text, and revise a news...
Curated OER
Dinosaur Themed Guided Reading
Students complete and participate in various guided reading activities about dinosaurs. They read poems, complete a graphic organizer, complete a cloze activity, and develop a list of dinosaur facts.
Curated OER
Writing to Learn History: Annotations and Mini-Writes
Students use their critical thinking skills to write about historical events. In this historical perspectives lesson, students read documents about historical events and make annotations and marginal notes. Students then respond to...
Curated OER
Writing with Writers
Students participate in Writing with Writer's, a step-by-step set of directions aimed at improving different genres of student writing. They identify the characteristics of different genres and follow a specified writing process to...
Curated OER
Abuela's Weave Teacher's Guide
Students read and response to the book, Abuela's Weave. In this African-American literature instructional activity, students discuss pre-reading questions, that focus on family traditions and make predictions about the text. Students...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Revision and Peer Editing
Students are able to evaluate their peers' essays to determine clarity, completeness, and persuasiveness. They are able to revise their own essays for greater clarity and fluency, adding explanation where needed and cutting extraneous...
Curated OER
Journey Home: The Active Learner
Students discuss focus questions prior to reading and preview the book, "Journey Home." For this language arts lesson, small groups present vocabulary words. Students complete after-reading discussion questions and choose writing...
Curated OER
Character Scrapbook Teacher's Guide
Students analyze a book's characters and create a scrapbook to print and save. In this on line interactive characterization lesson plan, students identify character traits and gain a deeper understanding of a book's characters.
Curated OER
Making Healthy Food and Activity Choices: Putting the Pyramid Together
Students work with the Food Guide Pyramid. In this Food Guide Pyramid activity, students draw a large rendering of the food pyramid on a piece of butcher paper. They cut out pictures of foods and place them on the food pyramid, they play...
Curated OER
A River Runs Through It; Anticipation Guide
Learners answer questions to consider before they read A River Runs Through It. In this anticipation guide lesson, students complete a worksheet responding to declarative statements and then discuss their responses in...
Curated OER
The Writing Process
Learners engage in the various steps involved in the writing process. The lesson plan is written as a guide for the teacher to write more in depth lesson plans for specific activities. This is a good model plan to follow.
Curated OER
Teaching Guide: Asking for Help
In this asking for help worksheet, students complete two discussion questions before viewing a video. They answer 10 more discussion questions after viewing the film. They complete assigned writing and student activities associated with...
Curated OER
Indiana Travel Guide
Fourth graders share their information about their home state. In this research lesson, 4th graders use graphic organizers to make a travel guide about the state of Indiana. This lesson could be modified for use with any state, it also...
Curated OER
Writing A Review
Students determine the elements of a review. In this writing lesson, students investigate the parts necessary for a critic to write a review. Students write their own review based on a film or production they have recently...
Curated OER
Lesson Eight: Revising
Second graders practice revising their narrative writing. In this editing instructional activity, 2nd graders revise a narrative paper with the teacher by focusing on re-reading and finding mistakes. They revise their own writing and...
Curated OER
Tornado Brainstorming
While the focus of this lesson is on writing about tornadoes, any topic could be substituted. The lesson provides a well-thought out overview of the writing process. Learners come up with a thesis statement, supporting details, and...
Curated OER
Pudd'nhead Wilson: Guided Imagery
Inspire thought around some of the themes of Pudd'nhead Wilson with a visualization activity. As you read a passage, learners close their eyes and picture the scene. A writing exercise and discussion follow.
Curated OER
Acting as a Pre-write Tool
Second graders use acting to help them in a prewriting activity to develop a story. In this prewriting lesson plan, 2nd graders form a character map and brainstorm ideas for their story.
Curated OER
Using Details from Nonfiction Text to Organize Sequence of Events
Is it important to do things in a certain order? Yes, especially when making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Or so your class will learn in a lesson plan on sequencing. After guided practice, class members generate their own “how-to”...
Curated OER
Anticipation Guide for Much Ado About Nothing
Is falling in love easy or hard? Challenge your class to consider seven statements about love and relationships before reading Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Then, as you work your way through the play, revisit the sheet to record...
Sunburst Visual Media
Clouds
Support science instruction with a combination of engaging activities and skills-based worksheets that focus on clouds. Learners take part in grand discussions, write an acrostic poem, complete graphic organizers, solve word...
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
How to Find a Research Question
There are so many fascinating topics and concepts to learn about in the world. But where do you start? Begin formulating questions for an argumentative research paper with a guided practice instructional activity. After coming up with...
Union Elementary School District
Famous Dead People Project
Despite the slightly off-putting title, the instructions and activities detailed in these project guidelines for researching a noteworthy figure will serve as a fantastic supplement to your next famous person research...
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
Outline Workshop: Responding to Friendly and Skeptical Questions
Answering questions is the best way to hone and revise your argument. Foster receptive writers with a workshop activity that promotes peer editing and argumentative writing skills. Given lists of both friendly and skeptical...