Curated OER
Flat Stanley Travels to U.S. Regions
Fourth Graders read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. In the story a bulletin board flattens the main character. He is then sent in an envelope to a friend in California. During a fantasy genre language arts unit, groups of students...
Curated OER
Character Traits
Using a three-column chart labeled "Character," "Action," and "Trait," pupils analyze the traits of several characters from a short story. The instructional activity is designed for a SMART board, but a teacher could easily do the...
Curated OER
Modeling Integer Multiplication
Pupils multiply positive and negative integers. They represent word expressions with both positive and negative integers and then multiply them. They also create multiplication problems to solve as a class. They create a rhyme, a story,...
Curated OER
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
Second graders use literature journals and discussion groups to summarize and improve their reading comprehension. In this reading skills instructional activity, 2nd graders discuss animals they've loved and read the story The Girl Who...
Curated OER
Animal Tracks Program
Entice your learners with this lesson on animal footprints. After reading the story Footprints in the Snow by Cynthia Benjamin, they use photos to identify animals and their footprints. Then they participate in an activity to classify...
Curated OER
Teaching "Theme" with Children's Literature
In this exercise, learners examine the difference between a theme, topic, and moral. After a class discussion on the definition of literary themes, the instructor reads The Cello of Mr. O by Jane Cutler. Next, individuals analyze the...
Curated OER
Let's Celebrate Christmas!
Students explore the celebration of Christmas as part of an investigation into the multicultural experiences of celebrating holidays. The story written by Richard Paul Evans, "The Light of Christmas" provides the basis for the exploration.
Curated OER
Life Size Characters
Sixth graders analyze character traits and create a life size character outline. In this character analysis lesson, 6th graders analyze character traits of a character using character webs and poems. Students then create a life size...
Curated OER
Separate But Equal Video
Eighth graders watch the video "Separate But Equal." They choose an incident or event from the video that is interesting or meaningful to them and write an objective news article and an editorial.
California Department of Education
Plagiarism is Stealing!
Stop, thief! Do your pupils understand the consequences of plagiarism? Lesson three of six in a series of college and career readiness activities demonstrates the dangers of taking credit for someone else's work. Learners engage in...
Curated OER
Photo Safari
Students take photographs of people and things that impact their lives. In this photojournalism lesson plan, students learn how to use a photo to tell a story and present their project.
Curated OER
Coins In Space! (Creative Writing)
Students practice creative writing. They write an imaginative story in which quarters escape from the space shuttle and ends up in the hands of an alien. Students brainstorm ideas, write a draft, revise, and edit their composition.
Curated OER
Chips, Anyone?
Students identify how computer technology affects their lives, then read a news article about the impact of computer chips implanted under some people's skin. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the...
Curated OER
Medieval News
Fourth graders engage in a instructional activity constructed in order to dissect the parts of a story used by the news media in order to communicate to the public. They use the media in order to help obtain information. Students create...
Curated OER
Arthur's Eyes
Students learn about the parts of the eye. In this eyes and vision lesson, students the story Arthur's Eyes and create a KWL chart about eyes. Students label the parts of the eye, examine the eyes of different animals to...
Curated OER
Paul Bunyan - A Folktale Full of Math
Sixth graders solve math problems from a folktale story. In this solving math problems from a folktale story lesson plan, 6th graders read the Paul Bunyan folktale. Students determine today's cost of the meals that Paul...
Curated OER
The Froggy Page
Students investigate the cycle of life by observing tadpoles. In this biology lesson, students utilize the Internet to read stories, observe pictures, and listen to sounds of frogs. Students create a poster board collage...
Curated OER
Recycling!
The students recall events from Dr. Seuss' story The Lorax and make connections to environmental issues affecting their lives. They are expected to reflect on the facts of the story and respond verbally stating the inferences they made...
Curated OER
Understanding Characters
Students analyzing characters from a story by creating an article about one. In this story analysis lesson plan, students read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, and pick one character to write descriptively about....
Curated OER
Doorbell Division
Learners explore the concept of division using the book "When the Doorbell Rang." They listen to the book, role-play the dividing of the cookies from the story, and create their own story problem to solve using the stamp program from...
Curated OER
Harvesting a Forest: How Would I Do It?
Third graders design a machine for clear-cutting an area of forest. In this agricultural technology instructional activity, 3rd graders are read selections from American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osbourn, discuss how trees are...
Curated OER
Weather "Whys" : Introduction to Weather
Students discuss weather forecasts and different types of weather. In this weather instructional activity, students observe the weather and learn a weather song. They listen to a story and see weather measurement tools.
Curated OER
Loving Literature
First graders, after having "Are You My Mother?" by P.D. Eastman read to them, participate in group discussions or independentally work to analyze a spreadsheet to identify essential elements in the story and graph their data. In...
PBS
What Is Newsworthy?
What is news? What is newsworthy? Who decides and what criteria do they use? Introduce young journalists to the basics of reporting with this media literacy lesson.