Art Institute of Chicago
African Myths and Stories
Young historians discover African stories associated with a royal altar tusk from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria, read myths illustrated on the tusk, and write a story about the life of an oba using figures depicted on the tusk.
Curated OER
The Icky Sticky Frog
Learners practice the strategy of phoneme awareness in order to identify phonemes with vocal gestures in spoken words. They blend letters and sounds together utilizing the phoneme /i/ by symbol and letter representation and listen as the...
Texas Instruments
Collaborating on Flashback
Explore a flashback in a story with readers. They will read a story, identify the flashback in the story, then evaluate how the flashback is used. Using the NoteFolio, students analyze the meaning and merit of a flashback in a story....
Teacher.org
Christmas Around the World Part 1
A creative lesson shines a spotlight on Christmas celebrations throughout six different countries. Scholars read an informative text and share their new-found knowledge with their peers. After hearing about each country, pupils choose...
Curated OER
Hamlet's Soliloquy
Everyone is familiar with the beginning of Hamlet's soliloquy, "To be or not to be..." While reading Hamlet, help your middle schoolers analyze the lines that follow, but how do you help them make personal connections to the text? Use...
Carnegie Mellon University
Debate
Set your environmental studies class up to debate a current topic regarding your choice of six suggested statements about energy use in the United States. Teams read material that you have gathered and then form their arguments. The...
Curated OER
Budget Busters
Use this economic activity to focus on writing summaries of informational text. First, middle schoolers define common economic terms used to describe news about the economy. They closely read news about the federal budget deficit and...
Curated OER
Farm Animals-Cows, Pigs, Horses
Here is a good instructional activity for kindergartners that combines technology, literature, and art. In it, learners take a close look at some famous farm animals. They make the sounds that each animals makes, they use the internet to...
Curated OER
Flat Stanley, a Literature Lesson Plan Transformed into a Multiculturalized and ESOL Strategy-Infused Lesson Plan
Third graders complete a variety of reading and writing activities related to the book "Flat Stanley." They create an illustration and write a short summary for each chapter, and write a letter and send a "Flat Stanley" to a friend or...
Curated OER
Quiet on the Set!
In pairs learners perform a silent skit portraying relationships between two known characters from a popular book or a play for their classmates. Next, the class will read and discuss a NYTimes article about a film school in the Bronx...
Boston Public Schools
What's in a Biography?
Reinforce research skills, close reading, teamwork, and biographical writing skills with one collaborative lesson. Groups create slide shows detailing the elements of a biography through a presentation on a famous American person. Based...
Peace Corps
Community
What is a community? Find out with a lesson that sheds light onto the different types of communities—school, local, and global. Scholars read informational text detailing the life of a young girl from Cape Verde and take part in a...
National Park Service
Who Grows There?
More than 127 non-native species live in Glacier National Park in Montana and their infestations are growing! Pupils read about and gather samples of exotic plants. Participants create a master book of pressed plants and complete a...
Curated OER
Sources of Energy
Fifth graders take a close look at how energy changes from one form to another within their surroundings. They also study the ten different sources of energy and determine which are renewable and which are non-renewable. This seven-page...
EngageNY
Discovering the Topic: Inferring and Confirming Using Evidence
Allow your class to figure out what they will be studying through an inquiry-based anticipatory set that involves analysis of mystery documents and practice with making inferences. The lesson plan document includes a detailed description...
Newseum
Are You a Publisher?: Free Press and You
What kinds of media do your pupils use to read and publish information? After a discussion about what publishing means, and about the freedom of the press, class members interview one or two other people about their publishing habits....
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Morse v. Frederick
If you stop a student from expressing views that advocate drug use, are you violating their right to free speech? Use the 2007 Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick to discuss a nuanced interpretation of the First Amendment. Learners...
Curated OER
It's Time to Sum It Up!!!
Students practice the reading strategy of summarization skills by picking out main events or ideas while reading a chapter in a book. They interact with the article, "SuperCroc," from National Geographic for Kids magazine to summarize...
Curated OER
Lights-Camera-Action
First graders increase their reading fluency through rereading selected text. After reading a grade level appropriate text multiple times, they complete a fluency and reading expression drill with the instructor. Students complete a...
Curated OER
Simon Says: Mother May I?
Student increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After discussing the importance of fluency, learners complete an initial read of a novel text. Working with the instructor, they read complete a timed...
Curated OER
Picture It!
Students participate in visualization exercises as a reading comprehension strategy. As the teacher reads a poem, the students visualize the setting, then read the poem "Daddy's Making Dinner" and create a drawing of what they visualize...
Curated OER
Silent as a Mouse
First graders observe as the teacher models silent reading. They select a book that looks interesting to them that they are able to read. They then read "Leftover Lily" silently as a class and practice reading silently for 20 minutes and...
Curated OER
Loud or Soft? Quick or Slow?
Students discuss storyteling ans what makes a story interesting to listen to. They listen as the teacher demonstrates reading expressively. Students work with a reading partner and practice reading with expression. They read from a...
Curated OER
Reading Food Labels
Students investigate the concept of phonemic awareness in order to help increase reading comprehension. The reading of food labels creates the context for the practice session. They pay particular attention to certain sounds that must be...