Curated OER
Mother's Day Trip
Help your class develop their public speaking skills. They write original scripts for informative infomercials, plays, or poetry. They work to present their information with purpose.
Curated OER
Poetic Teapot Card
Students recognize the role of loved ones in their families and the many things their parents and others contribute to their lives. They write an acrostic poem about their mother, father, or other important person. They then make a...
Academy of American Poets
Incredible Bridges: “Translation for Mamá” by Richard Blanco
Who or what do you miss? That's the question that launches an activity that asks writers to craft a paragraph filled with sensory details that shows how they feel. Next, they listen to Richard Blanco reading his poem, "Translation for...
Curated OER
Mother's Day
Third graders write a poem describing why they love a special family member. They use decorative paper and illustrations for their poems. Students give thanks and praise to their family members.
Curated OER
A Planting We Will Go
Even the youngest kids can make scientific comparisons using collected data. They read The Tiny Seed, then discuss the essential nutrients and elements needed for a seed to grow into a blooming plant. They plant seeds and track their...
Curated OER
Integrated Video Technology
Learners create a Mother's Day video gift by utilizing the latest video technology in class. In this film making instructional activity, students utilize important photographs related to their mother and import them into a computer...
Curated OER
Dialect Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar
Students examine the life and works of Paul Laurance Dunbar. In groups, they read various poems of his and use a database to examine the covers of his books. They also discuss the criticism he faced during his life and how he dealt...
Curated OER
Giving with Imagination
Demonstrate gift giving as an act of caring about someone versus gifts for show (or gifts from the purse). Elementary learners practice giving gifts from the heart by creating a poem for someone special to them.
Curated OER
Box O' Love
Learners create a Valentines Day poem using an empty cereal box as their canvas. In this poetry lesson, students create their poems using rhyming words and create sentences.
Curated OER
Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes
A carefully crafted three-day lesson integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The lesson activates...
Curated OER
"Mother Earth" -- Present
Students examine the Native American belief of "Mother Earth". They read stories from Native American authors and reflect. They illustrate this concept through art and haikus.
Curated OER
Father Time
Students create a memory book and acrostic poem for Father's Day. In this Father's Day lesson, students appreciate unique things their fathers do for them. Students create an original project for their father.
Curated OER
Who Can Achieve the "American Dream"
Exploring the idea of working to achieve the American Dream, the class reads an excerpt from How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Following, the class analyzes the excerpt and discusses the theme of the reading using...
Curated OER
On The Day You Were Born
Students engage in a study about the holiday of a birthday with the help of using children's literature. They make cognitive connections of using the characters of the book and relating them to the personal celebration of a birthday.
Curated OER
Dalai Lama: Day 2 of 5
Sixth graders explore philosophy by researching the Dalai Lama. In this Tibetan history lesson plan, 6th graders discuss the influence of Buddhism on the Dalai Lama and the unique view on life a Buddhist must have. Students read a...
Japan Society
Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure
What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...
Curated OER
Using Opening Lines as Writing Prompts
Help your writers get started with these hooks! Twenty-five opening lines from the "Lives" column in the New York Times Magazine act as prompts for creative writing. Have your learners choose one prompt and write an original essay....
Curated OER
Ballads and Communication
Students compare and contrast different forms of communication. In this poetry lesson, students focus on the ballad form and read "Timothy Winters". Students draw conclusions from the ballad and divide into groups to research the...
Curated OER
Photograph Lesson
Students bring a favorite photograph to class and discuss what they see and don't see in the photos. They brainstorm with the teacher on the overhead and then translate the information into poetic form.
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
How Animals Bond
In this animals lesson plan, students students write a description about a pet or animal that they know. They include details that would help someone who has never met their animal feel like they know it already. Artwork about their...
Curated OER
The Witch of Goingsnake
Students complete literary analysis activities using proverbs. In this proverbs lesson, students interpret a proverb and discuss the structure of poems. Students write essays explaining the summary statement and complete a Venn diagram...
Curated OER
Hyperbole
Pupils define the term hyperbole and determine when it is appropriate to use hyperboles in writing. They work in pairs to develop short stories and poems with examples of hyperboles.