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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

So Much Depends Upon...Sixteen-Word Imagery Poems Inspired by Love that Dog by Sharon Creech

For Teachers 6th - 7th
After reading Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (and possibly shedding a few tears), middle schoolers work on their own sixteen-word poems with a Six Trait writing activity. They focus on word choice in this activity to capture an...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Same Setting, Different Moods: Voice and Word Choice Using Lord of the Flies

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Whether it's dark, delightful, or somber, set the mood with William Golding's Lord of the Flies. High-schoolers practice descriptive writing by creating the appropriate mood for an original scene, starring one of the book's main characters.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Analyzing Poetry

For Students 10th - 12th
Use this poetry analysis worksheet to help your learners understand a poem of their or your choosing. This resource asks class members to summarize the poem and analyze it by looking at voice, word choice, imagery, and theme. The...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beautiful Noise Poetry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
"What a beautiful noise comin' up from the street; got a beautiful sound, it's got a beautiful beat..." Use Neil Diamond's "Beautiful Noise" to guide your class through a Six Trait writing activity, in which they write an original poem...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Setting the Tone with Figurative Language

For Teachers 8th Standards
Explore figurative language with your secondary class. Extending a language arts unit, the lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine how an author's word choice establishes a story's tone, possibly using metaphors, similes,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Imagery

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Show, don't tell! Pairs work together to change a list of telling sentences into showing sentences using picture words that create vivid pictures in the readers’ minds.
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Lesson Plan
Pennsylvania Department of Education

6 Traits: Word Choice

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore language arts by participating in a vocabulary usage activity. In this word choice lesson, students read examples of great word usage in literature and discuss with the class why some words appear stronger than others....
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: Animal Imagery

For Students 8th - 9th
Why does Steinbeck use animal imagery to describe Lennie in Of Mice and Men? Readers examine a series of descriptions and comment on the effect Steinbeck creates with his word choice. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Descriptive Prompt: Precise Language

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Incorporate sensory details into a piece of descriptive writing. First, elementary and middle schoolers improve a piece of writing by using precise, vivid language, as well as appropriate word choice. They then listen to a variety of...
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Handout
Nosapo

Writing about a Meal

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
You don't need to be a food critic to describe your meal accurately! A series of activities introduce learners to vivid adjectives when writing about the taste, smell, and feel of food. After working with word choice, parts of a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sound of…Poetry!

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Scritch, scratch, scritch. It's the sound of pupils writing poetry! Focus on sensory language and onomatopoeia with a writing lesson. After listening to some sounds, learners examine a couple of poems that include sound words and then...
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Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Core Analysis Frame: Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Dig deep into any piece of poetry with a set of analysis questions. Ponder the content, form, and language of poetry and provide some question for critique. The first two pages include general questions, and the remainder of the document...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Using Vivid Language

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Analyze the components of precise wording and vivid language in this language arts lesson plan. Middle school writers illustrate a passage from Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and write a response to a Norman Rockwell print....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polar Bear Literacy Activity

For Teachers K - 1st
Students generate vocabulary words synonymous or related to "noise." For this literacy lesson, students listen to the book Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do You Hear? by Bill Martin and Eric Carle and discuss the meaning of vocabulary...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Creative Presentation

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Bring writing to life with this lesson in which elementary and middle schoolers create a display of the imagery they identify in a series of Gary Paulsen books. They read the suggested materials, identify imagery and descriptive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vivid Verbs

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Spice up your writing! Your amateur writers will benefit from concentrating on understanding and improving verb use in writing. An introductory activity addresses weak verbs. A second exercise helps them see the importance of strong...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Color Poems

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students describe colors. In this descriptive writing lesson, students brainstorm color descriptions using all of the senses except sight. Students write poems including similes, sensory images, and interesting word choice. Examples are...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative Writing

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study narrative writing. In this language arts lesson, 5th graders review how an author uses vivid verbs, imagery, and adjectives to capture reader's attention. Students explore literary devices of foreshadowing, flashback...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Onomatopoeia to Tell the Story of an Imaginary Field Trip

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students explore language arts by utilizing word choice to compose a paragraph. In this phonetics lesson, students discuss the importance of a "voice" in their writing as they read the book Rattletrap Car. Students write paragraphs about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picture Me with Words

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students search in newspapers for words that describe them or what they like. They gather the words and use them to create a self-portrait. They read "boring" sentences and rewrite them using more descriptive words. They write 10 word...
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Unit Plan
Mr. Ambrose

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Borrowing Narrative Skills from Mr. Fletcher: Using a "Prompts in Reverse" Technique to Inspire Your Writers

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Help your class find their writing voices with this lesson which uses the work of Ralph Fletcher to guide a "Prompt in Reverse" activity. Using the chapter "First Pen" from Fletcher's Marshfield Dreams, learners decipher what they...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

From Courage to Freedom: The Reality behind the Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study how Frederick Douglass uses language to describe a realistic picture of slavery in his writings which are primary source documents. They examine his use of word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical appeals and use slave...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

From Courage to Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners analyze Frederick Douglass' narrative about Christianity and slavery. In this Frederick Douglass instructional activity, young scholars read his slave narrative and analyze its word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical...