Curated OER
Under the Umbrella
Students complete a variety of activities related to the short /u/ sound. As a class they recite a tongue twister, then trace and write the letter U. Students then listen to a list of words and identify the words containing the short...
Curated OER
Mother's Day Story Time Activities
Students examine all of the jobs a mother does. In this Mother's Day lesson plan, the teacher read the book Five Minutes' Peace, then students brainstorm a list of things their mother does. Students role play the job of a mom and how...
Curated OER
Standing Woman
Students explore a Japanese science fiction story that deals with the dangers of technology, failed attempts at utopia, mind control, and loss of loved ones through the reading of Yasutaka Tsutaka's "Standing Woman."
Curated OER
Keep It Short!
Students examine the process of summarizing text. They participate in a class discussion, and read an assigned passage from their textbook, highlighting the main points of the text. Students then write a short summary of their...
Curated OER
Parts of a Story
Students read a short fiction book and demostrate comprehension by identifying the main characters, setting, conflict, theme, and summarizing the main points. They organize the information in Inspiration and create a powerpoint to show...
Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment
Concept Muraling
Concept muraling helps learners improve their comprehension of a text by giving them a way to organize their understanding of the key concepts in that text. Introduce readers to this process with a carefully scaffolded instructional...
Curated OER
Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find": Who's the Real Misfit?
High schoolers read and analyze the short story, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," by Flannery O'Connor. They write a one-page response, explore various websites, take an online interactive journey, and write a final assessment paper.
Curated OER
The Missing Word
Young scholars, after reading a short story, predict possible missing words by utilizing context clues and graphophonic clues. A picture book with several words covered up sets the scene for this lesson. They share their predictions in...
Curated OER
Have You the Time of Day?
Students read a story about a day in the life of a farmer. They practice reading and writing time. They write a picture story about his or her day. They draw clock faces showing what time of day each of the events occurred.
Curated OER
Was the Wolf Really Guilty?
Students read plays, short stories, or novels which revolve around trials, and write essays explaining or defending the assigned role in a mock fairy tale trial.
Curated OER
Time Travel Writing Assignment using "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
Students examine the consequences of time travel through the analysis of the short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. They watch a PowerPoint presentation, conduct Internet research on endangered ecosystems, and create a...
Curated OER
A Way with Words or Say What?
Students examine Shakespearean language. In this word study lesson plan, students investigate the meaning of words that Shakespeare invented. Students draw and pantomime with the words prior to writing short stories that feature...
Curated OER
Human Evolution
Students recognize that achievements of human beings throughout human history can be considered part of the ongoing story of human evolution. They research settings such as the biosphere and Mars and write imaginative short stories using...
Curated OER
Greek Mythology: Cultures and Art
Students examine literary arts. In this Greek mythology lessons, students read Greek myths and select characters from the myths to study. Students create watercolor illustrations of the characters, write short stories about the...
Curated OER
Latino Folklore and Culture: Stories of Family, Traditions of Pride
Students define the terms fable and folktale. They write a fable to illustrate a Latino proverb. Students are explained that a folktale is a story passed down through the oral tradition of a particular culture. A fable is a type of...
Curated OER
Regions Change
Students examine how geography can have an impact on change in a region. They discuss what their local area might be like in 50 years, and in pairs, select a situation and write a short story to describe how it changed from one thing to...
Curated OER
Esperanza Rising: Lesson 5 of 15 in Unit Plan
Sixth graders complete lesson plan 5 of 15 about the book Esperanza Rising. In this Esperanza Rising lesson plan, 6th graders build on work done in the previous lesson plan. They complete response logs, and vocabulary posters. They...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify...
Curated OER
How Tall, How Short, How Faraway
Second graders determine the correct unit of measure to use for different situations. In this measuring lesson, 2nd graders are introduced to different unit of measure. Students study the origin of measurement and practice measuring....
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast: Literary Analysis
Great for a reading intervention or remedial Language Arts class, this instructional activity uses two stories from Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III ("Terri Jackson" and "Mary Lou" to reinforce note-taking skills, story elements,...
Curated OER
How Bear Lost His Tale: Storytelling
In this storytelling lesson, children practice re-telling the story of "How Bear Lost His Tale", review and write out the story sequence, and learn about homophones like tail/tale, sail/sale, etc. Extension activities for various content...
Curated OER
Counting Sentences' Words
Explore language arts by completing a worksheet with class. They read the story Owl Moon and discuss the rhythm of the writing and how action verbs are used appropriately. Then complete a writing worksheet which discusses writing...
Curated OER
Adopted Dog Goes Home
Young scholars examine the pet victims of Hurricane Katrina. After reading a story about one dog who was misplaced, they write about the situation and their reactions to it. They share their reactions to the class and discuss other...
Curated OER
People are People
Explore human diversity in this human rights lesson. Middle schoolers compare novels, speeches, videos, and short stories that promote diversity and basic human rights. They complete daily coursework as they read the selected literature...