Curated OER
Whale Song Acrostic
What do whales sing about? Invite your class to imagine the thoughts of whales before writing acrostic poems on the topic. The plan blends together a bit of life science with plenty of opportunities for creativity and writing.
John Lentine
Butterflies and Bugs
Symmetry, line, shape, art, and math are all connected through a fun hands-on craft. Included are instructions to a classic activity, where learners create butterflies to show symmetry in nature and then discuss symmetry in math. It is...
Curated OER
Story Pyramid and Summary
Students read a short selection of a story individually or as a class. On their own, they create a story pyramid for the selection and write a one page summary. They use text from the story for their supporting details. To end the...
Curated OER
LETTER FROM ONE CHARACTER TO ANOTHER
Fourth graders read stories and pick one with characters they find interesting. Then students create a dialogue of writing a letter from one character to another. The letter must relate to the original story in some way that can easily...
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Family Traditions
High schoolers research their family traditions. They select a tradition that has meaning to them and write about the traditions. They retell the story to a partner and add details. They write a draft of their story to a partner and...
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Families and Neighborhoods
Students build their own neighborhood. In this lesson on community, students are introduced to books about families and neighborhoods. As a class, the students create their own neighborhood, elect a leader for their neighborhood and...
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I Think Mom Loves You Best
Sixth graders listen to, "The Pain and the Great One", by Judy Blume. They discuss advantages and disadvantages to having a particular position in a family. They write a paragraph from the main character's point of view.
Curated OER
The Poet's Message-"The Colored Soldier" by Langston Hughes
Students analyze the poem, "The Colored Soldier" by Langston Hughes to gain a greater experience of how poets use language to create meaning, influence thinking and thus become pioneers of change in American society. They work on the...
Curated OER
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty Lesson Plan 1
Students read the story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty". As a class, they discuss what they daydream about and discuss why the character in the story does it. To end the lesson, they identify the characters, indirect and direct...
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Ninth graders read "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." As they read the story, 9th graders list characters on a chart, define the characters as dynamic or static, make predictions of each character and justify their reasoning. Students...
Curated OER
You Too Can Haiku
Students explore the country of Japan. In this international studies lesson plan, students utilize their geography skills to locate Japan on a map. Students explore some Japanese customs and communities. Students use descriptive...
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Koala Lou
First graders predict what will happen in different parts of the story Koala Louby Mem Fox. In this predictions lesson plan, 1st graders say and write their predictions.
Curated OER
The Odyssey Lesson 2
Ninth graders read and discuss part 1 of The Odyssey and create a mind map and visual images to represent vocabulary. In this reading lesson plan, 9th graders are introduced to poetry, and the Hero Cycle.
Curated OER
Narrative Literature Response Letters: Original Lesson Plan
Readers write a formal letter to an author offering an alternative ending to a story the author has written. First, the class reads a story or novel. Upon finishing the reading, they are introduced to the format of a formal letter. They...
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Clerihew Dances III, 4 and 5
Third graders relate dance movements to chants. They tap out the rhythm of poetry on different body parts.
Curated OER
The Days of Jane Eyre's Life
Students watch the movie Jane Eyre and complete a viewing log. They take a test on their findings.
Curated OER
Scrapbooks, The Collecting of Creative Ideas
High schoolers examine the value and use of scrapbooks in writing and historic inquiry. They view and discuss online interactive scrapbooks by Mark Twain, and in small groups create a collaborative scrapbook that reflects the time and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Responding to Emily Dickinson: Poetic Analysis
Learners explore Emily Dickinson's poem "Safe in Their Alabaster Chambers." In this Dickinson poem lesson, high schoolers analyze the poem as proof of Dickinson' awareness of her reader. Learners analyze her style and identify her...
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The Teller of the Tale, Part 3
Students practice use of volume, stress, pacing, enunciation, eye contact, and gestures needed to meet the needs of the audience when presenting their own tales based on Chaucer. They receive teacher and student feedback and prepare to...
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Children's Book Creations
Students create a children's book version of the Japanese folk story "Momotaro Boy of the Peach" and present the story to elementary students. For this children's book lesson, students design their book to explain Japanese culture to...
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Take a Breath, Steal Some Time
Students explore the art of haiku's by listening to, modeling and creating them. For this haiku poetry lesson, students choose an object to focus their haiku on. After hearing a brief history of the haiku; students...
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Book Project Lesson Plans
Long term book projects can help engage students and enhance their critical thinking skills .
Curated OER
Fish Counting Nursery Rhyme
Students experience The Fish Counting Rhyme. In this counting lesson, students practice counting while listening to The Fish Counting Rhyme.
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Lilting Limericks
Students discover the formula for writing limericks and use it to write their own poems.