Curated OER
Shelling a Pecan
In this pecans worksheet, 3rd graders fill out a graphing organizer sequencing how someone shells a pecan. Students also draw someone shelling a pecan and write a story about it.
Curated OER
Dear Diary
Students analyze a piece of writing by creating diary entries based on a character. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read an assigned book with their classmates and create a sketch of what they believe the main...
Curated OER
Telling My Story - Oral History
Students determine the importance of the process behind creating an oral history. In this oral history lesson, students determine how to ask important questions in an oral history interview. They practice interviewing each other and...
Curated OER
Journal of a Virtual Expedition
Students journey with Lewis and Clark. In this literature instructional activity, students read The Journal of Augustus Pellitier-The Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804. Students keep a journal in the persona of a member of the expedition...
Curated OER
Chuck Close Up Close
Students practice the art of storytelling using realistic art. They pick one illustration of a character in the book and create a story about the possible life he lived. The important details that are needed is the name, occupation,...
Curated OER
Against the Odds
What factors help people achieve goals? What factors prevent people from achieving goals? What are the elements that need to be in place to make a team function well? Using Damien Lewis’ Desert Claw and John Francome’s Winner Takes All,...
Curated OER
Listen to the Voices of the Holocaust
Connect fiction and nonfiction narratives about the Holocaust to show universal themes of human strength and endurance.
Curated OER
Listening to History
Students consider the insight to the past that oral histories can provide. They, in groups, analyze oral histories, prepare to interview a family member on their recollections of a historical event and then write a historical narrative.
Curated OER
Ornithology and Real World Science
Double click that mouse because you just found an amazing lesson! This cross-curricular Ornithology lesson incorporates literature, writing, reading informational text, data collection, scientific inquiry, Internet research, art, and...
University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Images of Faulkner and the South
Learners research one aspect of the life of Faulkner and the culture of the South. For this As I Lay Dying instructional activity, learners explore a webpage on Faulkner and write a summary. Learners analyze the images...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Family Voices In As I Lay Dying
Learners analyze William Faulkner's 'As I Lay Dying' and his use of multiple voices. In this William Faulkner lesson plan, students analyze Faulkner's use of multiple voices in narration. Learners examine the Bundren family through the...
Curated OER
Newspaper Poetry
Young scholars cut out nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from newspapers and create poems using words they have found.
Curated OER
Iditarod Experience Journal
Young scholars use online race updates of the Iditarod race and musher information to create a journal that one of the racers might have kept while participating in the race between Anchorage and Nome.
Curated OER
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Characterization Activity
Oskar Schell's narrative about his expedition to find out more about his father serves as a model for writers who are crafting their own narratives. Class members choose two characters from the novel and collect examples of the methods...
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling
Young scholars write a personal narrative and convert the story into digital format. For this digital storytelling lesson, students write a personal narrative, record the story, create images for the story, add animations or transitions,...
Curated OER
Uncle Sam Wants You!
Students examine several narratives exploring attitudes to World War II involvement at the time. They develop their own opinions and write a fictional personal narrative to record their observations.
Curated OER
Reflections of My Life--Student Autobiographies
Sixth graders provide a writing experience based on their own lives. The components of the writing process will be emphasized as well as narrative writing experiences. They then will publish their autobiography on the computer and use...
Curated OER
Shifting Gears
In this activity, students will write a personal narrative that is designed to help them reflect on the nature and meaning of change in their lives.
Curated OER
Themes in Literature - Langston Hughes "Thank You Ma'm"
Eighth graders study Langston Hughes, "Thank You Ma'am" to discover the elements of plot, character motives and reactions. They express the effects of trust and kindness by writing a reflective personal narrative. They illustrate the...
Starfall
Tate's Birthday
In this language arts activity, students use the word bank in order to create a story related to a birthday suprise.
Starfall
Planting Seeds
In this literacy learning exercise, students use a word bank to create a story about planting seeds.
Curated OER
From Missions to Ranchos
Fourth graders examine the conversion of the California missions into ranchos. They develop a pros and cons chart, write a first person narrative describing the changing life from the missions to the ranchos, and create a poster of...
Curated OER
The Goat in the Rug
Students write a personal narrative about something they produce at home. (examples: make a sandwich, clean room, set table, do homework). Students should remember to mention different types of resources and intermediate goods used.