Curated OER
Let's Make A Dill
Young scholars perform an "autopsy" on a dill pickle to determine its' cause of death. After finding "clues" inside the "body," students organize facts and use their imagination to write an epitaph. As an alternative, young scholars...
Curated OER
Developing a Study Strategy
Students take notes on how to use a thesaurus using the VSPP strategy. In this notetaking lesson plan, students listen to a lecture on how to use a thesaurus. Students write down the main ideas of a lecture and jot these...
Curated OER
Acronym Names
Students create an acronym out of their name. They use a thesaurus and the computer to create it. They also add pictures to make it more creative.
Curated OER
Parts of Speech: Active Verbs
Students use White Fang to help them study active verbs. In this grammar lesson plan, students define active verbs and find examples in the the novel White Fang. Students then use ProQuest to research a place they'd like to visit....
Curated OER
A Twist On Teaching Affixes
Engaging your class in prefix and suffix instruction with these helpful ideas.
Curated OER
A Heritage Study: Using Information Resources to Research Family History and Traditions
Learners research their family history through ethnographical study. They locate information through a variety of sources, interview people, write a report and present an oral presentation to the class.
Curated OER
Reference Resources: Being a Good Detective
Students explore a variety of reference resources while seeking information. atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and online search engines as well as library card catalogs are utilized in this lesson.
Curated OER
Synonyms
Print this sheet to give your English language learners some practice identifying synonyms. There are six questions listed, and each question has four options. For example, what is a synonym for attractive? The choices are appealing,...
Curated OER
Word Choice in Writing
Sixth graders discover word choices to use when writing a conversation. They explore synonyms for "said." Students examine a thesaurus. They create a writing piece using the writing process. Students edit and revise their work.
Curated OER
Rooting One's Way To Meaning
Students use a thesaurus on the internet to explore the meanings of Greek and Latin roots. They find definitions of given words, draw a concept map for root words, and write four synonyms for each word. Students discover how Latin and...
Curated OER
Happiness is A Warm Puppy
Students investigate dog breeds and write a short story from a dog's perspective. In this dog research and writing lesson, students watch the film, "Dog: The Early Years. They apply critical thinking skills to determine which type of dog...
Curated OER
Word Choice in Writing
Sixth graders explore language arts by writing dialogue. In this vocabulary choice lesson, 6th graders identify synonyms and the importance of using a thesaurus while writing dialogue in their own original work. Students revise and edit...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Match for SMARTBoard
Second graders practice vocabulary using the interactive whiteboard. In this vocabulary match instructional activity, 2nd graders review vocabulary words, take turns revealing a word or definition, and then identify the match. Students...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Comprehension: Text Analysis, Compare and Contrast
Grab any two topics, some index cards, and a couple of kids, and you're ready to compare and contrast! The resource provides instructions for this method and three graphic organizers in addition to or in place of the index cards.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Vocabulary: Word Meaning, Word Clues
Young learners develop a deeper understanding of target vocabulary. In pairs, pupils independently complete a series of word clue cards, asking them to find information about key terms, including their definitions, synonyms, antonyms,...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
8th Grade Poetry: Narrative Poem
The first lesson of a five-lesson unit designed for eighth graders has class members reading and watching a video of Edgar Allen Poe's narrative poem, "The Raven." They then craft their narrative poem, illustrate it, and share their work...
Curated OER
Walk Two Moons: Word Frame
Middle schooler practice their dictionary and thesaurus skills with this vocabulary assignment. Using the provided graphic organizer and the word list from Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, readers define each word, and find a...
Harper Collins
The Giving Tree Anniversary Teaching Guide
Celebrate poetry month all of April with a guide that uses six of Shel Silverstein's most famous books as a basis for the lessons. Discussion questions and writing activities are provided for each of Silverstein's books.
Curated OER
When You Reeeaaallly Want to Say Something
Kids paraphrase an entry from The Elements of Style, and then revise a sentence. They use the Visual Thesaurus and find synonyms for the phrase very pretty, brainstorm a list of intensifiers (as alternatives to really and very),...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Development
What is a root word? What is a prefix? Suffix? Use these questions to spark a discussion amongst your language art learners. Then, start by writing the word irresistible on the board and have teams of learners attempt to create new words...
Curated OER
On-Line Homework Help: An Ethical Dilemma
High schoolers use a visual thesaurus and Vocabgrabber to interpret a news article. In this vocabulary building and comprehension lesson, students analyze quotes from the article. High schoolers use the visual thesaurus and Vocabgrabber...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Builder- Using Inspiration to Generate Lists of Descriptive Words
Students discover how to engage all their senses and powers of observation to effectively communicate and idea or emotion. Using Inspiration Software, they create a vocabulary web and practice using descriptive language to clarify and...
EngageNY
Close Reading: Louie’s Change of Heart
Scholars read additional pages in Unbroken to discover more about Louie's character. Readers use turn-and-talk strategies to discuss character traits that describe Louie. They then answer text-dependent questions and cite evidence to...
Curated OER
What is a Dictionary?
Second graders explore the purpose of a dictionary. In this library media instructional activity, 2nd graders explore My First Dictionary and identify guidewords, entry words, and captions. Students list ways they can use the dictionary.