Poets.org
Ghosts and Spirits
Connect poetry to a naturally kid-friendly topic: ghosts! Draw on your class's prior knowledge of the paranormal to help them access the classic poem "Haunted House" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After a fun warm-up activity describing...
Curated OER
Avoir, Être, et Le Passé Composé
The lesson begins with direct instruction: how and when do we use avoir and être to form the past tense? After identifying the verbs that use either avoir or être, French learners write about five things they did the week prior. Then, in...
Curated OER
Recycling and Reusing
Students complete the associated worksheets as they investigate ways to recycle and reuse common objects. They share ideas on reusing objects while practicing listening, speaking and note-taking skills.
Curated OER
Civil War Letter
Pupils put themselves in the shoes of American Civil War soldiers. For this Civil War lesson, students compose letters to their families from the the perspective of soldiers in the war.
Curated OER
Fuel for Thought
Young scholars explore the mathematical concepts used to compare different types of vehicles. They create a print advertisement in which they persuade an audience to purchase a specific vehicle.
Curated OER
Words That Will Haunt You
Students create taxonomies of Halloween-related terms. Drawing from their compiled vocabulary lists and previous reading, they compose personal essays of their own memories of the holiday. Students present their essays at a...
Curated OER
I've Got News For You!
Learners explore their hometown newspaper for ideas. They create their own classroom newspaper.
Curated OER
The Final Word
Although this lesson is based on “Final Word,” Craig Wilson’s USA Today column, the strategies could be adapted to any local columnist. After reading three articles independently, groups share observations about content and style used by...
Curated OER
The Gift of Gatsby
A reading of “Gatsby’s Green Light Beckons a New Set of Strivers,” a New York Times article by Sara Rimer, triggers a discussion of the American Dream and what it means to strive for something. Following the discussion, class members...
Novelinks
The Little Prince: Anticipation Guide
Begin your unit on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince with an anticipation guide that addresses the novel's themes. Kids read ten statements that discuss love, friendship, and growing up, and determine whether or not...
Curated OER
Speech! Speech!
Critical thinkers consider how word choice in speeches impacts the meaning and effectiveness of the message being presented. They examine and respond to some of the speeches made at the 2004 Republican and Democratic National...
Curated OER
Assessing Presenting the Mask
Eighth graders use a software program to recreate a mask they made in art class. Individually, they write a paper describing their mask with an loose illustration. They combine the pictures of each mask into a class book for others to view.
Clark County School District
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
A thorough lesson plan takes your first grade class through Jane Yolen's beautiful Owl Moon. It crafts the unit with clear objectives, high-level guiding questions, cloze activities and sentence frames, and extension...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
If Men Were Angels: Teaching the Constitution With the Federalist Papers
Much like the methods of group work, the writers of the Federalist Papers worked together to advocate for their viewpoints against the anti-federalists. The resource enables learners to break into small groups and conduct research before...
Curated OER
Angry Feelings (Responsible Personal Conduct)
Students review proper classroom behavior and anger management techniques.
Curated OER
Environmentally Friendly
What can your pupils do to promote better conditions for wildlife? After researching issues around wildlife management, class members use the Internet to locate three different organizations devoted to protecting wildlife. They then...
Curated OER
Journal Entry: What You Want To Buy!
Third graders write a one page paper about what they would like to purchase given the savings techniques. They write down what the object is that they are going to buy, how they are going to earn money to purchase this object, and what...
Curated OER
Germinate Bean Seeds
Students write the steps needed to germinate bean seeds, make predictions and observations and keep an experience journal and complete a chart.
Curated OER
Freak the Mighty Vocabulary/Question Journal Ch. 13-25
In this novel study learning exercise, students review the vocabulary and plot structure of chapters 13-25 of Freak the Mighty as they respond to 21 fill in the blank and short answer questions.
Curated OER
Emersonian Jelly Beans
Young scholars write a journal entry describing how a jelly bean is like an idea. They discuss the entries and write why jelly beans are not like an idea. They create an Argus-like poster of one of the ideas and describe how the idea...
Curated OER
Responsibility
Second graders brainstorm, and then share ideas of how they can behave responsibly by respecting the rights of others. This is lesson plan one of seven in the unit, A Television in My Room.
Curated OER
The U.S. & Navajo Bills of Rights
Middle schoolers are introduced to the United States and Navajo Bill of Rights. In groups, they compare and contrast the two documents and take notes to share with the class. To end the lesson, they write in their journals about their...
Curated OER
Out of the Fire
Students share ideas about a lead for a breaking news story regarding the California wildfires. They brainstorm angles for a series of news items and write analysis papers that address the tone and content of a piece published in The New...
Curated OER
The Flat Stanley Project
Students read the book Flat Stanley. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students participate in earth-friendly activities based upon the book. This lesson includes ideas such as using recycled paper to make a "paper pal."