Curated OER
Frog Principal Lesson Plan
Students read the fractured fairy tale, The Frog Principal by Stephanie Calmenson and compare it to the original version in order to gain deeper understanding of the fairy tale genre. In this fairy tale instructional activity, students...
Curated OER
What's the Big Idea?
Young scholars choose a paragraph from a book of their choice, identify the main idea, and draw an illustration of the main idea. They write original paragraphs, illustrate them, and trade with a partner, identifying the main idea of the...
Curated OER
Our Own Postal System
First graders address an envelope, write a letter, and perform the duties of the postal worker in a classroom post office.
Curated OER
Reading Restaurant
Third graders complete book reports. They are given the following jobs; chef, who organizes them into genres; maître d', who calls students to share the menu; and waiters/waitresses, who take orders for books from customers, pass out...
Curated OER
Endangered Species... It's Not Too Late
Students choose an endangered species to research and report on. In this endangered species lesson, students complete a worksheet to gather information about their endangered animal and then use to write a book about the animal and...
Curated OER
Nonfiction Text elements
Students research Lewis and Clark and use the information for a book. In this Lewis and Clark lesson, students gather information and complete worksheets in an activity to write a book. Students use a variety of text features.
Curated OER
Interactive Crossword
Students complete a crossword puzzle to revise a set of vocabulary terms studied. They converse with each other as they complete their crossword puzzles in order to share and use each of the vocabulary terms in context and reinforcement.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Write On!
Students write a book, newspaper, or other chose published writing that explains the connection between engineering and the environment. They determine why engineers need to be good communicators.
Curated OER
Water - Our Future
How is it that water that falls as rain ends up coming out of the tap on our sinks? Learners trace water's journey and examine how along the way pollutants make their way into the water supply. They conduct experiments, use the Internet...
Curated OER
Yo! Conventions!
Learners get in groups, take a list of words, put them into story form, and punctuate them. They present their story to the class and consider how punctuation changes meaning. Great excercise.
Penguin Books
An Educator’s Guide to Gayle Forman
Sometimes a novel is the best way to tackle a tough topic. A helpful educator's guide for the novels of Gayle Forman discuss tough topics such as teenage suicide. Discussion questions and writing activities encourage readers to think...
Teaching English
Poetry Project in Three Parts
It’s poetry T.I.M.E! Individuals use the T.I.M.E. format (T = Title, thought, and theme; I = Imagery and figurative language; M = music and sound; E = emotion) to study a poet, collect poems that have a similar theme, and create a...
Scholastic
Perfect Postcards: Illinois
Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional cross-state...
Novelinks
The Devil’s Arithmetic: Semantic Feature Analysis
Organize the characters in Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic according to their shared character traits. After listing character traits as a class, kids note which characters exhibit particular characteristics with a discussion and...
Curated OER
The Kite Runner: What is Afghanistan Like Today?
After completing Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, readers research a topic of interest and prepare a five-minute presentation, and share their findings with the class.
Curated OER
Writing a Children's Book -- Young Authors
High schoolers practice their writing skills by creating a children's book. They integrate five elements of short stories into the narrative. They share their stories with their book buddies.
Curated OER
My Caring and Sharing Book
First graders read the book Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. They consider when they have shared with someone or expressed caring. They write, illustrate and compile a fish book that tells of their caring and sharing experiences.
Curated OER
poem "One Inch Tall" from the book "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein
Young scholars use the terms: ratio, proportion, and measurement in their description of the life of a person one inch tall.
Curated OER
Fictional Narrative Writing in Mathematics
Fifth graders discuss variety of fictional writing genres and connect each to familiar story that has been read, use creative and analytical skills to develop original piece of fictional writing that incorporates math skill, and share...
Curated OER
Write Like David Shannon
Students research the author David Shannon. In this author study lesson, students discuss their favorite David Shannon book and write their own story using his style of writing. Students share their stories with their classmates.
Curated OER
Hiragana - Perfect ~ Writing a Japanese Pictionary
Students listen to a story and view Japanese artifacts. They use the internet to explore the writings known as Hiragana. They create their own Japanese pictionaries and share them with the class.
Curated OER
Books: Writing a Blurb
Students write a blurb for different audiences. Students encounter different forms and functions of the use of blurbs. Students write an original blurb to share with the class.
Curated OER
HyperStudio Book Reports
Fifth graders create a HyperStudio book report after reading a novel. They work in pairs or small groups to design a HyperStudio stack about a previously-read novel. They use a variety of graphic organizers to have Students gather...
Curated OER
Non-Fiction Animal Picture Books
Pupils complete a multi-lesson unit using research to create their own book about an animal of their choice. After discussing the elements of non-fiction texts, they use internet research to explore an animal of interest to them. They...