Middle Tennessee State University
John Brown: Hero or Villain?
"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a instructional activity that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source...
Media Smarts
Looking at Newspapers: Introduction
A scavenger hunt introduces class groups to the different sections of newspapers and the different types of articles found in each section.
Curated OER
In Cold Blood: A During Reading Activity
Following the method used by Truman Capote, class members research a major character from his novel, In Cold Blood, and then conduct an interview with that character. The resulting research is used to craft a newspaper article about the...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.7
When your pupils read an account of an event, are they conscious of the fact that this particular account might focus on certain details, while ignoring others? Open their eyes to bias and varying interpretation of facts with the ideas...
Curated OER
Writing Lowercase Letters
Break down lowercase cursive letters with this packet of materials. Learners copy a cursive alphabet chart, practice letters grouped by starting strokes, work on joining letters, and complete several other activities using their newfound...
Literacy Connects
Activities to Build Phonological Awareness
Begin your reading program each day with a mini lesson on phonological awareness using these engaging activities listed in the resource. Young ones will enjoy word families, clapping and counting syllables, identifying single sounds and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Close Reading Worksheet
A passage from Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome provides the text for an assessment that asks readers to use evidence from the excerpt to decide if Ethan is a victim of his social and physical environment, or of his own personal choices and...
Curated OER
Hieroglyphic Art Project
Students translate words and ideas into pictures. They make a list of words or phrases that could be drawn as symbols. Students complete this as part of a project on Egyptian and other civilizations that used hieroglyphics. They use...
Curated OER
Eng 312: Final Exam
When paired with other powerpoints by Don L.F. Nilsen, this final exam covers topics addressed throughout previous lectures (slide 14 specifies which lectures should be reviewed). Teachers could use this presentation to craft their own...
Curated OER
Practice Paraphrasing
Help your high schoolers identify the main idea of a passage with this instructional activity on paraphrasing. First rewriting a paragraph in their own words, they then underline the most important words in their paraphrase and use them...
Curated OER
Poe's Poetry and Prosody
Motivate your class with this lesson! Learners use passages from Edgar Allan Poe's poetry to practice reading fluency. They read "The Raven" as a rap song to better understand the rhyming patterns and pauses.
Teacher Web
Poetic Sound Devices
As part of a study of poetic devices, kids are asked to identify the assonance, consonance, and alliteration found in a series of lines of poetry, and then identify the rhyme scheme and the types of rhyme found in Poe's "Annabel Lee,"...
Curated OER
Letter Recognition and Letter Sounds
In this letter recognition worksheet, students name and practice the letter sounds "M" and "S." Students practice saying several words that begin with the letter "M."
Curated OER
What Begins With Bb?
First graders match letter sounds to pictures they represent. In this matching letter sound lesson plan, 1st graders use the computer program Kidspiration to match the letter sounds to the corresponding pictures. This can be used for 1...
Curated OER
The Eye of the Beholder: A Media Literacy Activity
Students explore the impact the news media have on shaping perceptions and opinions in general and in their coverage of the presidential campaign.
Curated OER
Place and Character in Poetry
Students examine how place in poetry helps give clues about character. In this poetry lesson, students read a poem while focusing on the descriptions of the room that is being described and predict what type of person would live there....
Tech Coach Corner
Diagramming Sentences
Show this presentation to demonstrate how to diagram sentences. Meant for more advanced grammarians who know the difference between indirect and direct objects, this PowerPoint adds on new elements to each slide. The graphics and sound...
Curated OER
Why is It That Johnny Can't Read?
High schoolers listen to and discuss Don Henley's song, "Johnny Can't Read" and the 10,000 Maniacs song, "Cherry Tree." They research reading literacy and find statistics, evidence, stories, facts, and sources which will support their...
Curated OER
Apply Post-Reading Skills and Discuss Persuasive Text
Students put their reading comprehension skills to practice. In this interpreting text lesson plan, students read "Chief Red Jacket's Reply," and then respond to questions that require them to reason, infer, and analyze the selection.
Curated OER
Goldilock and the Three Bears
Students explore folktales. They create artwork that represents the setting, charactes, and key events of the story. Working collaboratively, students assemble their own artwork to create a class mural. Working collaboratively,...
Curated OER
Grizzly Hibernation
Students explain why and how grizzlies hibernate. They make a den using cardboard boxes. They write a story told from a new-born grizzly.
Curated OER
What Begins With Bb?
Students demonstrate beginning reading strategies. For this letter recognition lesson plan, students match letter sounds to a variety of pictures using the program "Kidspiration".
Curated OER
Phonics Activity
In these phonics worksheets, learners complete 7 different activity activities that help them learn word sounds including vowels and consonants.
Curated OER
Rap as Lyrical Poetry
Students investigate the history of rap as an analysis of lyrical poetry and hip hop culture. In this rap analysis lesson, students watch a PBS NewsHour clip about the difference between rap music and hip hop culture. Students analyze...