Curated OER
Analyzing Atmosphere: Macbeth Murder Scene and Dagger Speech
Shakespeare's Macbeth (Act II, Scenes I and II) lacks explicit details of the murder of King Duncan, yet the author creates an atmosphere that allows us to visualize the event. Readers interpret the "Dagger Speech" by writing stage...
Curated OER
Draw it Yourself
What rhymes with fox? Get learners engaged with rhyming words through this drawing instructional activity featuring four single-syllable words for beginning readers. For each, they draw something that rhymes with the word. Challenge...
Curated OER
Lesson: Urs Fischer: Reviving the Past Art Movements
Seven major abstract art movements are analyzed by learners in groups. Each group analyzes various works by determining which work belongs to which movement. They then read Flatland, engage in an art and literary analysis discussion,...
Curated OER
What Does the Government Do Right?
Challenge your class to reevaluate preconceived notions about government with this political cartoon analysis. An image presents a clear example of irony, in which a disgruntled American complains about his government, yet fails to see...
Curated OER
Introduction to Visualization
Fourth graders listen to The Bear's Toothache and illustrate the story in their minds. In this visualization lesson, 4th graders draw pictures of what they hear in a read aloud. Students discuss their pictures and compare and contrast...
Curated OER
On the Road
In this visual thinking activity, 1st graders read and analyze a road map in order to circle the 5 multiple choice answers to 5 questions relating to the road map.
Heritage Foundation
The Constitution, Federalism, and the States
The divide between federal and state government is responsible for much of tension that continues to this day, partly because of the US Constitution. The activities in the 14th lesson plan in a series of 20 are designed to help learners...
Curated OER
Actions
Learners focus on plot and sequence as they read the story Sheila Rae, The Brave by Kevin Henkes. The entire class will follow along with the teacher as she reads and models her thinking about the plot of the story. When instruction has...
Chicago History Museum
Reading Artifacts
History detectives put their keen observation skills to the test as they closely examine artifacts. Drawing on visual and tactile clues, they formulate a theory about who done it, or in this case who made it, why, and for what purpose...
Curated OER
Twig Construction: Recycled Materials
Construction projects of any kind require learners to use spacial reasoning, creative thinking, and critical analysis skills. They design and make a twig/leaf structure out of natural and recycled materials. This project would be great...
Prestwick House
"Because I could not stop for Death" -- Visualizing Meaning and Tone
Emily Dickinson's "Because I could not stop for Death" provides high schoolers with an opportunity to practice their critical thinking skills. They examine the images, diction, rhythm, and rhyme scheme the poet uses and consider how...
Illustrative Mathematics
Building toward fluency
Here is a great learning task that focuses on the development of areas in computational fluency including strategies in mental math. Young learners are guided through a list of addition expressions that help them visually understand the...
Curated OER
Draw it Yourself
Here are four familiar pictures and words for emerging readers: dog, mouse, cat, and hen. After examining the image and spelling, they draw something that rhymes with each in the space provided. Encourage pre-readers to sound out words...
Curated OER
Vocabulary/Reading Lesson for Students with Severe Intellectual Disabilities
Here is a great little reading and vocabulary development lesson created just for learners with special needs. The lesson is constructed with both core content and necessary adaptations in mind. The group will use PECS, pointing/gesture,...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan: How Coyote Came to Shuffle Off to Buffalo
Creative kids read, discuss, play-act, and sketch to examine the cultural significance of Old Man Coyote. They listen to several stories involving Coyote, analyze the Harry Fonseca painting Shuffle Off to Buffalo, and write Coyote...
Curated OER
African Phoenix: Poetry Worksheet
"African Phoenix" is a poem with strong imagery and voice. The class will read two poems then draw an image of what they feel the poems mean. This is a good way to spark critical analysis.
Curated OER
Drama-Dialogue
Use drama to study and practice dialogue. Creative minds discuss what dialogue tells about a character, and how it can be used to advance the plot. They read a play, think about what they gleaned from dialogue, and record their...
Curated OER
Making Mind Movies
Students interact with the strategy of visualization to better understand what is happening in a story. They assess the poem, "Talented Family," and the book, "Sarah Plain and Tall," to visualize and imagine in their minds pictures of...
Curated OER
Visualizing Sarah, Just Plain and Tall
Students define "visualize," practice visualizing day at beach, read poem, Crocodile Toothache, silently, listen to teacher read same poem aloud, share visualizations with classmates, read first chapter of book, Sarah, Plain and Tall,...
Curated OER
Picture This: Visualization
Sixth graders practice visualizing and understanding that visualization is an important comprehension strategy. They share their visualization of the story through original artwork and determine that ideas, and cultural settings can...
Curated OER
Guided Reading: Desert Life
First graders read a book with the teacher while encountering unfamiliar words and learning how to use context clues and visual clues to understand the material. In this reading comprehension lesson plan, 1st graders make predictions...
Curated OER
Poetry and Visualization
Students use visualization techniques when reading poetry. In this visualization and poetry lesson, students work in groups to present a tableau that depicts a word from the poem as classmates guess the word. Students then read the...
Curated OER
Reading Signs
In this signs worksheet, 2nd graders look at a castle picture, find the signs in the picture that have the same shape and size and color each pair of signs the same color.
Curated OER
Julie Chen: Thinking Outside the Book
Students create an original art book after studying nontraditional boomaking. In this visual arts lesson, students watch a video on the work of Julie Chen and discuss the concept of books as three-dimensional art. Then students are asked...