Curated OER
Writing Up a Spanish Storm: Using Creative Thinking for Creative Writing
Learners in a Spanish class are introduced to the techniques of creative writing. In groups, they focus on the pre-writing section of creative writing and keep a folder of their works throughout the lesson plan. They end the lessons by...
Curated OER
Trait Variations for Survival
Young learners examine how different traits could give one organism an advantage over another. In groups, they view two different organisms in different environments. To end the lesson, they complete a Venn Diagram on the two organisms...
Curated OER
Building a Mini-Park and Bird Sanctuary
Students build a list of gardening vocabulary from prior knowledge of gardens. In this gardening lesson, students understand the importance of gardens to humans and animals for food, shelter, and air. Students discuss the garden in...
Curated OER
Introductions and Conclusions
The format of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs in an expository essay are the focus of short presentation that details how to craft these all-important sections of a paper. No specific examples are included.
Curated OER
Wild and Wetlands
Upper graders identify the major characteristics of a wetland. They explore the human factors that change a wetland and write a descriptive paragraph about wetlands. This comprehensive lesson also has an interactive "Watershed Game"...
Curated OER
Music Theories
Explore the inception and evolution of hip-hop music as a springboard for writing music reviews and researching other genres of music. Learners will read and discuss the Times' article, From Underground Music to Fashion Statement to then...
Curated OER
Writing A Summary - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Young scholars explore short stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For this literature lesson, students read one of his short stories listed and then summarize the story in a written piece.
Curated OER
Paragraph Proofs
Young scholars explore the concept of paragraph proofs. In this paragraph proofs instructional activity, students make flow charts of the process of getting ready for school. Young scholars convert the flow chart to a paragraph proof....
Curated OER
Research/Technical Writing: Paraphrasing
Young scholars work in groups to paraphrase an article. For this paraphrasing lesson, each group is assigned a paragraph to paraphrase in one sentence. Other groups critique the sentences to make sure each is...
Curated OER
First Grade Writing Lesson #1/ Narrative Prompt
First graders write a descriptive paragraph about a friend.
Curated OER
Formula for a Well-Written Newspaper Article
Students create a formula for a well-written news article. In this informative writing lesson, students share notes from a previous research lesson and identify why an outline is important. Students use an included worksheet to develop...
Curated OER
Does Word Choice Affect the Quality of a Piece of Writing?
Learners discuss the importance of word choice in writing. In groups, they rank a list of words from one extreme to the other. After viewing an example, students apply their knowledge of word choice by writing a descriptive paragraph of...
Curated OER
Animal Hide and Seek
Students become aware of how animals use their colors to their advantage. They participate in a virtual field trip with the Bronx Zoo. Students use correct grammar and punctuation to write a paragraph discussing how an animal's color or...
Curated OER
Total English Advanced: Linking Words of Time and Contrast
For this linking words of time and contrast worksheet, students fill in the blanks in 10 sentences with the appropriate words from the word bank and then use 5 of the linking words to write a paragraph.
Curated OER
Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? So What?
Seventh graders master the SQ3R method. They begin reading for a purpose and organize thoughts through categorizing them. They write in their notebooks what they think about the lesson and the classroom for the day and write a...
Curated OER
Creative Writing Lesson Plan
Students practice recognizing the elements needed to produce a piece of creative writing and become aware of those elements in their own original pieces of writings. In groups, they creatively write a new story utilizing all the major...
Curated OER
A Divided Community
Students work in teams to research the history of African migration and immigration in the U.S. They present their research in a town hall discussion format and then write a paragraph about their experiences.
Curated OER
Finding the Shape of a Web
Young scholars examine spider webs they find as they explore outside. They make T-chart of the shapes found in two different webs and draw them on geoboard paper. Next, they measure length and width of a spider's web before checking to...
Curated OER
Visit a Mesopotamian House
Students examine the various types of architecture used in Mesopotamia. In groups, they identify how climate, resources and cultures affect where and how people live. Using a worksheet, they compare and contrast their house to the one...
Curated OER
A Lesson on Reconstruction Legislation and Amendments
Learners study the legislation and Amendments of Reconstruction period in America. In this Reconstruction lesson, students work in groups to dissect the Black Codes, an article in the US Constitution, as well as the 13th, 14th, and...
Curriculum Corner
8th Grade ELA Common Core Checklists
How close are your eighth graders to mastering the ELA Common Core standards? Keep an eye on progress with these charts, which include every eighth grade identifier and full standard text. As you move through the year and teach,...
Santa Ana Unified School District
The Power of Point of View
Sometimes a whole story can change based on the perspective of the person telling it. Practice identifying and analyzing point of view in various reading passages and writing assignments with a language arts packet, complete with Common...
Teach Hub
New Year’s Resolution Classroom Activity
Create a sense of accountability among scholars with a lesson that focuses on making and keeping New Year's resolutions. Writers compose a five paragraph essay focused on three resolutions—promises to self improvement, to...
K12 Reader
My Hometown
Our town is a very, very fine town. Kids craft a short paragraph about their town, its size, location, interesting features, and climate. The template even provides room for pictures or illustrations.