Curated OER
Fighting Fake News
Fake news. Alternative facts. Internet trolls. In an age of Newspeak, it's increasingly important to equip 21st century learners with the skills needed to determine the legitimacy of claims put forth on social media, in print, and in...
Henry Ford Museum
Transportation Systems
Learners analyze the evolution of cultural attitudes through the lens of transportation, examining several artifacts, documents, and photographs. Topics covered include how American attitudes have influenced society's evolution into a...
Military Kids Connect
Military Life 101
Here's a very powerful video that deserves a place in a Veterans Day lesson. Four young girls talk about what it's like to have a parent deployed and how they support one another during the deployment.
Curated OER
Fortunately, An Analogy
First graders produce a writing based on the story, "Fortunately,". They publish it as a slide show.
Curated OER
History of World Religions
First graders listen to a variety of Noah's Ark, based on the story in the Old Testament. They hear another "flood story" for comparison.
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
Martin's Writing Model
Students use digital resources to learn about the life of Ann M. Martin, her writing process, and how she develops story ideas. They record notes and observations that might be useful in developing characters and a storyline for a...
Curated OER
Treasure Chest
Students explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago lesson, students discover what life what like during this time. Students read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students view replicas of...
Curated OER
Jason and the Golden Fleece
Young scholars read and analyze the classic Greek tale of "Jason and the Golden Fleece." They compare/contrast the story with modern works of literature and films, answer discussion questions, and retell the story in a modern-day setting.
Curated OER
Picture This: Visualization
Sixth graders practice visualizing and understanding that visualization is an important comprehension strategy. They share their visualization of the story through original artwork and determine that ideas, and cultural settings can...
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fantastic Characters
Students study stories. In this writing lesson, students discuss the three aspects of a story, read stories focusing on the characters, write a story as a class about a character made up by the class, and write a story with an exciting...
Curated OER
I Wish I Were a Butterfly
Students inquire about biology by reading a children's book in class. In this insect lesson plan, students read the story "I Wish I Were a Butterfly" and identify the unique characteristics of butterflies and other insects. Students...
Curated OER
Plot/Story Problem/Resolution
Students analyze the plot, problem, and resolution of a story. In this story analysis lesson, students read stories and fill out graphic organizers about the plot, story problems, and resolution.
Curated OER
Photojournalism And Creating A Layout
Students gain an idea of how a photographer prepares and shoots a photo story. They explore how to use Pagemaker and lay out a story for the newspaper. They see the powerful effect that photography can have on news stories.
Curated OER
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
Young scholars, after reading the book, "Esperanza Rising," create a virtual display by combining different story elements into a visual representation. They choose the setting and characters of a scene that will act as a springboard of...
Curated OER
the Whale Game
Students listen to whale stories and answer addition and subtraction problems in the stories. In this addition and subtraction lesson, students receive 20 goldfish. Based on the story they eat the goldfish. Students write...
Curated OER
Beatrix Potter's Naughty Animal Tales
Young scholars gain insight into the unusual, solitary world of Beatrix Potter's Victorian childhood and can compare/contrast it with their own world to explain why Potter wrote such simple stories and why she wrote about animals rather...
Curated OER
Charlotte's Web
Students complete a variety of activities related to the book "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White. They create a comic strip based on the characters, setting, and plot of the story, and examine the author's writing process. In small groups...
Curated OER
Multiple Intelligences and The Illinois & Michigan Canal
Third graders engage in a wide variety of cross-curricular activities designed to give them a thorough understanding of the history of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. There are a very nice set of activities included in this plan!
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Chinese Shadow Puppets
Students explore Chinese culture by performing a shadow puppet play. They create the puppets, develop a script, and rehearse and perform a play which illustrates an understanding of Chinese stories and traditions.
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Bone's Adventures
Students read and discuss a chapter from the book "A Dog's Life," focusing on the point of view of the dog in the story. They explore dog rescue organization websites, and play the online game "Bone Travels On," creating a story map and...
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15 Seconds of Fame
Students write an autobiographical essay. In this writing lesson students read a narrative, Panic in Paris, and review the elements of a narrative as a class discussion. Well-known stories are used as examples for writing their own...
Curated OER
Cinderella Is A Fella
Second graders identify the universal theme in the Cinderella story. In this fairy tale lesson, 2nd graders develop their vocabularies as they read a variation of Cinderella.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Analyzing Literary Elements in Fiction
Young scholars analyze the characters and events in fictional writing. In this literary elements lesson, students study the meaning of the words characterization and fiction. They listen to the story Pigsty by Mark Teague, or any other...