National First Ladies' Library
The Many Voices of Literature
Students discover the wealth of literature written by individuals not born in the United States. They discover the literature of individuals of multiple ethnicities born in the United States. Students compile a list of books they would...
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed or John Chapman: Which Character is Your Favorite?
Students study the life of John Chapman and compare it with the fictional character, Johnny Appleseed. Students listen to books about Johnny Appleseed, and watch a video and PowerPoint if available. They make a KWL chart, make an online...
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Magnificent Mexico
Students complete a variety of activities in a unit about the art, culture, and traditions of Mexico. They read books about the Day of the Dead, create a skeleton puppet, and create a traditional Mexican tissue paper cutting. Students...
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Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Do the Animal Dance!
Young scholars create a dance based on animal movements. In this kinesthetic lesson plan, the students will read and imitate animals in a creative way and share their dances with the group. The lesson plan includes a take-home activity...
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Personify This
Eighth graders study personification in published works of poetry, then create their own through the use of diamante or cinquain poetry. They read and discuss poetry by Shel Silverstein, William Jay Smith, and Elinor Wylie.
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The Roots of Ahimsa
Students investigate the philosophy of nonviolence. In this Ghandi lesson, students discover that Gandhi inspired many civil rights leaders with the idea of ahimsa. Students complete venn diagrams, create timelines, and discuss...
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Reviewing Features of Fiction Books
Young scholars identify the features of fiction books. In this genre study lesson, students are introduced to the book Armadillo Rodeo and identify the cover, title, author, illustrator and title page. Young scholars discuss how the book...
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Beyond Louisiana
Students examine the challenges that faced the United States as a new nation, especially those related to exploration, expansion, and international affairs. They study the chronology of events related to the expedition of Lewis and Clark.
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Check Comprehension & Apply Writing
Young scholars check their comprehension skills and apply what they've learned to their own writing. They write two or three sentences that tell what happened to make the Learning Tower of Pisa dangerous and describe what was done to...
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Red Hot Resume
Students listen to a "Help Wanted" story, paraphrase the story, and discuss vocabulary. After reading the story again, students complete a worksheet replacing the vocabulary words with their own words so that the story makes sense to them.
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Language Arts Exploration
While an interesting lesson idea involving the exploration of a story about an Asian American boy named Imduk, a teacher would need to have assess to the Scott Foresman reading program to make this work. If not, a teacher could use...
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Autobiography
Sixth graders read and write autobiographical sketches, determine the author's purpose in writing, and type paragraphs using WP utilities.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Stories? Information? What's the Difference?
Students listen to a power point presentation to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction text. In this what's the difference lesson, students identify fact from opinion within a text. Students listen critically and respond to text.
Prestwick House
Author’s Purpose in Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” Speech
President Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech, delivered on June 12, 1987 before the Berlin Wall, provides class members with an opportunity to examine three key aspects of informational text: author bias, the use of facts and...
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How does it feel? Why is the Civil Rights Movement so Important?
Fifth graders study the Civil War. In this US history lesson, 5th graders simulate what life was like during the Civil War by having two groups with one group given more materials than the other group. Students then draw a...
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Dogfighting Hurts Animals
Learners discuss dogfights and relate caring for a baby to caring for their animal. In this dogfighting instructional activity, students view video about dogs forced to fight and relate to parenting skills. Learners...
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Putting the Truth in Writing
Students define "nonfiction" and describe what they view as the best pieces of nonfiction writing. They determine criteria to evaluate whether or not a piece of nonfiction writing is good, and list categories of nonfiction writing.
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Titanic
Students conduct research with the purpose of writing a report about the Titanic. They use a variety of resources. The students produce a written document that has plenty of documented information. They also compare the information that...
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Very Important Points-Determine Importance
Fifth graders investigate very important points in stories. In this reading comprehension lesson, 5th graders read a story and determine what the very important points are within the story by using notes and discussing what they feel the...
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Connection Stems
Pupils connect their lives to a story or nonfiction text. In this reading connections lesson, students make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections as they complete connections stems based on a story.
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Shopping Smarter
Young scholars read a book about money and smart shopping to learn about debt, advertising, and the use of credit cards. In this consumer math lesson, students read the book The Kids' Money Book and discuss economic concepts. Young...
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KWL Chart
Students create a KWL chart on a selected nonfiction topic using a variety of strategies. They infer the answers to four questions, identify a purpose for reading, list four or more things about the topic, and list four or more answers...
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Good Knight Alphabet Quest
Students will learn new words by using their favorite books. They will examine fiction and nonfiction works to differentiate types of literature. The lesson engages learners because it is using the format of a game to deliver instruction.
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Summarize Successfully
Students summarize nonfiction text. After reviewing the process for reading in order to summarize, students independently read a nonfiction article. They write a summary paragraph using the graphic organizer outlined by the instructor...