Teachers.net
Figurative Language
When is a staple remover a fanged monster? In your ELA classroom when you're teaching this fun figurative language lesson, of course! Get your young writers using figurative language by making a game of it. Give groups a paper bag full...
Curated OER
Reverie
Fifth graders read the poem "1755", answer questions on vocabulary, and talk about creating things with the imagination.
Curated OER
The Inanimate Speaks: An Exercise In Metaphor
Fifth graders read the poem "Second-Hand Coat" and then discuss objects as a metaphor.
Curated OER
Adventure Writing: Oregon's Landscape as a Setting
Students identify geographical features of different regions encountered by migrants on the Oregon trail. Students research how the Oregon landscape may have affected life and 19th century westward migration. Students write a narrative...
Indiana University
World Literature: "One Evening in the Rainy Season" Shi Zhecun
Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...
Curated OER
The Art of Locomotion
Tenth graders examine the artistic legacy of trains by comparing the representations of trains in the painting of Turner and the photographs of Terry Evans. They write an essay, story or poem using their own observations of trains,...
Curated OER
Christmas Candy
Here is a tasty topic for a lesson: Christmas candy! Third and fourth graders research classic Christmas candies, then create their very own! They write a descriptive paragraph about their candy, then use KidPix to create an illustration...
Curated OER
A Way with Words or Say What?
Students explore the language of Shakespeare. In this literature lesson, students examine words invented by Shakespeare as they interpret their meanings in drawings. Students pantomime the meanings and then write a short story...
Curated OER
Performing Poetry
Learners combine aspects of performance with reading and writing poetry.
Curated OER
Create Your Own Hero
Chinese legends are the focus of an interesting lesson that combines social studies with writing. Learners read the Chinese folk tale, "Li Chi Slays The Serpent." After the story is over, they make a list of the courageous things...
Curated OER
Ending a Famous Fairy Tale
Altering the ending of a famous fairy tale is a really fun way for kids to experience creative writing. The lesson here has them do just that! Learners listen to the famous fairy tale, "The Twelve Brothers," and change the ending of the...
Curated OER
Waterworld
Learners recognize poetry and the literary devices used to express the poem's meaning through poems about the sea. They use their imagination along with critical thinking skills in preparation for a creative writing assignment.
Curated OER
Literacy: The Puerto Rican Papers
Students in an ESL classroom are introduced to new vocabulary before reading a story in their native language. In groups, they discuss how the tradition of writing stories down became a tradition and answer comprehension questions. To...
Curated OER
A Poem for Nature
Students imagine what it would be like to enter a landscape painting and then write a poem on nature.
Curated OER
Valentine's Day: Love Letters
Oh the joys of love! As a special Valentine's Day assignment, budding authors research the life of one of the most romantic poets, Keats. They read the letter, "To Fanny Brawne, 13 October 1819," then compose a love letter of their own....
Curated OER
The Ramayana: Showing your Dharma
Students identify characters and events from the Ramayana. They discuss ways in whcih the images convey non-verbal information and messages. They discuss similarities and differences in the visual and verbal tellings of the Ramayana.
Lisa Staab Shadburn
Play Therapy Activities to Enhance Self‐Esteem
Discover activities to help learners increase self-awareness, build peer and family relations, and develop positive self-esteem. Here you'll find six suggestions for instilling a sense of confidence and self awareness in youngsters. Each...
Curated OER
Free Verse
Students write free verse poems. In this poetry lesson, students use a three-step method to create a free verse poem. Students brainstorm ideas, let their ideas "incubate," and write a free verse poem.
Curated OER
The Art of Poetry: The Lunatic, The Lover, and the Poet
Students, in groups, reflect on their attitudes towards poets and poetry. They read excerpts from George Puttenham's The Arte of English Poesie, which was written during Shakespeare's day. They compare their attitudes toward poetry to...
Curated OER
A unicorn in the Snow
First graders compose own poetic sentences, using repetitive patterns, and carefully select sentenes with imagery. They make connections and see relationships and envision what might be. The poem is to be about an unexpected snowfall...
Curated OER
What a Garden Can Teach
Students read about land and gardening and create found poems from the text. They use the poems to design interpretation quilts of communal text.
Curated OER
Where Do We Come From? who Are We? Where Are We Going?
Students are responsible for producing works for, coordinating (with the teacher?s assistance) and mounting an exhibition to be presented at a parent-teacher open house. They examine literature by Henry David Thoreau and other writers....
Curated OER
Lesson Plans for Fantasy: Allegory of Air
Students use combinations of real and imaginary objects to create illustrations for a book. In this Fantasy in art lesson, students discuss the elements of fantasy in Allegory of Air. Students study the work of Salvador Dali...
Curated OER
Jabberwocky-Identifying Adjectives
Elementary learners identify adjectives in sentences. They read the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll and highlight the adjectives. A good supplemental lesson if you are studying Lewis Carroll and/or "Jabberwocky."