Curated OER
Reading the Play
Do figures of speech enhance a play or story? In small groups, learners locate and describe figures of speech they find while reading a reader's theater play. After making predictions, they describe how the figures of speech make the...
Penguin Books
An Educator’s Guide to Chraisma by Jeanne Ryan
Often, science fiction makes a lot of connections to real life. An educator's guide for the novel Charisma by Jeanne Ryan, has readers discuss many of the real-life issues that come in the text. A brief summary helps garner interest...
Curated OER
Reading and Writing about the Solar System
A superb interdisciplinary approach highlights this instructional activity which incorporates space science knowledge and narrative skills. After reading The Magic School Bus, two excellent poems, and watching a video, all about our...
Missouri Department of Elementary
The Clique
Mean girls and bully packs are favorite topic for films and TV shows that focus on the destructive power of cliques. High school freshmen are asked to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of cliques by reading a short...
Curated OER
During Reading Strategy: Literary Newspaper
Add some writing to your class's reading of Cold Sassy Tree! With this plan, readers assume the role of journalist and create a segment of a paper with their peers. Suggested segments are included, and a worksheet dividing the text into...
Curated OER
Dandelion Wine: Problematic Situation
If forced to move and give away almost everything you own, what five non-essential things would you take with you? Prior to reading about Mrs. Bentley in chapter 15 of Dandelion Wine, individuals are asked to respond to this...
Curated OER
Patterning Lesson Plan
Open the eyes of young mathematicians to the patterns that are found everywhere in the world around them. After a shared reading of I See Patterns by Linda Benton, children complete a series of hands-on activities that teach them...
Curated OER
Understanding a Story
Reading comprehension is the name of the game! After listening to the teacher model and share personal prior knowledge about small children and what they do with food, the class discusses how they too can use prior knowledge to...
Curated OER
Pride and Prejudice: ABC book (Vocabulary Activity)
Master Jane Austen's language from A to Z with an activity based on Pride and Prejudice. As kids read the novel, they find (or are assigned) words that begin with each letter of the alphabet, and create one-page documents that show...
National Security Agency
Classifying Triangles
Building on young mathematicians' prior knowledge of three-sided shapes, this lesson series explores the defining characteristics of different types of triangles. Starting with a shared reading of the children's book The Greedy...
Curated OER
Chrysanthemum
Our uniqueness should be celebrated, not teased. The story Chrysanthemum addresses having a distinct name and dealing with different perceptions. Pre- and post-reading questions are listed to help your learners understand...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Courage “In the Time of the Butterflies”: A Common Core Exemplar
The courage of Las Mariposas, the Mirabal sisters, is the focus of a series of activities designed to accompany a reading of In the Time of the Butterflies that ask readers to consider what it means to be courageous. Beautifully crafted...
Curated OER
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves Storia Teaching Guide
There was an old lady who swallowed some leaves? Little learners read a new version of the old swallow story with a fall twist as they try to answer the big question; Why is that lady swallowing all that weird stuff? The teacher's guide...
Annenberg Foundation
Exploring Borderlands
What motivated Europeans to explore the New World, and what effects did their exploration have on Native American populations? The second installment of a 16-part American Passages series prompts pupils to watch a video and read several...
Curated OER
Plan a Read-All-Day Day
Students celebrate Read Across America Day by holding a Read-All-Day Day. they spend an entire day involved in fun reading-related activities.
Curated OER
The Doorbell Rang Activity Card
In this language arts worksheet, students read a story called The Doorbell Rang. Students cut out 12 cookies and paste them under each character's picture so that each character gets an equal share.
Curated OER
Word Wall Activity List
Second graders perform a variety of activities with a dynamic, ever-changing classroom word wall as outlined in these lessons. They become less dependent on the word wall as the school year progresses.
Curated OER
Summer Nature Activity: Carrots! Carrots!
Students investigate reading, cooking, and planting activities that teach that a carrot is the root of a plant. In this early childhood science activity, students explore the world around them as they read The Carrot Seed and complete...
Curated OER
A Reading Graph
Students construct and interpret a "favorite classroom books" graph. In this literacy and math graphing activity, students choose a reduced size copy of the book cover that corresponds with the book(s) they chose to read during their...
Curated OER
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse Activities
In this book activities worksheet, students read a paragraph about the book Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, use sentence starters, write a song, use idioms, complete a spelling game, and complete a writing pattern. Students complete 5...
Curated OER
Catch the Phrase Home/School Activity
In this home/school activity worksheet, young scholars use a phrase from a book they read in normal daily conversation while their family partner attempts to catch them doing it. They have the family partner guess which book it is from....
Curated OER
What? You want me to read AND enjoy it?
Students appreciate independent reading through learning about authors and genre.
Curated OER
Reading Contract
In this reading contract worksheet, students write the title of a book they will read, how many pages they will read each day and how they will share what they've read. Both the teacher and student sign this agreement. Two reading...
Curated OER
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: Anticipation Guide
Before reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, take part in this thought-provoking, pre-reading activity that invites discussion about the story's theme using universal adages.