Curated OER
The 3 R's of Common Denominators (Language)
Students solve various word problems that deal with common denominators, and write the mathematical explanations they used to obtain the solutions.
Clark County School District
Owl Moon by Jane Yolen
A thorough lesson plan takes your first grade class through Jane Yolen's beautiful Owl Moon. It crafts the unit with clear objectives, high-level guiding questions, cloze activities and sentence frames, and extension...
National Library of Medicine
Electricity, Frankenstein, and the Spark of Life
Shocking! After viewing a short clip from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein and reviewing electricity references in Mary Shelley's novel, class members examine Luigi Galvani's and Alessandro Volta's observations on electricity and muscle...
Curated OER
Writer's Toolbox
Present the class with a slide show that will give them a great head start in writing expository and narrative texts. The information is highlighted for easy note taking, well organized, and presented in a kid-friendly manner. It...
ReadWriteThink
Decoding the Dystopian Characteristics of Macintosh’s “1984” Commercial
Known as one of the most iconic advertisements of the 20th century, Macintosh's "1984" commercial has become more of a social statement. Present the ad to a new audience of viewers with a instructional activity focused on...
New York City Department of Education
What Did I Do to Be so Black and Blue: How Did Jazz Influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
How did jazz influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man? Class members read some of Ellison's non-fiction writings about blues and jazz, listen to records, watch videos, and engage in student-centered discussions. They then produce podcasts...
Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Dr. Seuss in the Classroom
Explore the works of Dr. Seuss, such as Horton Hears a Who, Horton Hatches and Egg, The Sneetches and Other Stories, The Lorax, The Butter Battle Book, and Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories. Each story lesson includes reading...
Curated OER
Animal Action
Students construct descriptive sentences. For this cross curricular music and descriptive writing lesson, students listen to classical music and pantomime actions that correspond to the music. Students write descriptive sentences...
Curated OER
Millennium Santa!
Third graders decide what would make Santa look modern and in style. They write a descriptive paragraph that another student then reads. They try to draw the image conveyed in the writing. They read the paragraphs and match them with the...
Curated OER
I Imagine
Students discuss the importance of using sensory words to describe objects; talking about words that refer to size, shape, texture, sound, smell, etc. They select a few objects around the classroom and use sensory words to describe.
Curated OER
I See and I Think (It's A Wonderful World)
Students analyze song lyrics (by listening to the song) to pick-out descriptive vocabulary. They use this descriptive vocabulary to create a drawing of the images they "see" in the song. They compare their drawings to find similarities...
Curated OER
Up Close and Personal with Black Bayou Lake
Students get up close and personal with Black Bayou Lake. Visiting web sites and taking virtual tours, they write multi-paragraph essays using descriptive words and literary devices.
Curated OER
Exploring Photographs
Students explore the basic tools for analyzing images using description, reflection, and formal analysis. In this photography analysis lesson, students analyze a photograph as a class and then in small groups. Students write...
Curated OER
Guess Who?
First graders write riddles about each other using descriptive words. They try to guess who the person is when the riddle is read aloud.
Curated OER
THE WORD WEAVER WRITERS WORKSHOP - Character One Description
In this character development learning exercise, students write the characteristics of the first character in the story they are reading. They note the characters name, age, appearance, favorite things, and other important details.
Curated OER
Harry Hears!
Students explore ear anatomy and the sense of hearing. In this hearing lesson, students discuss the five senses and view a model of an ear. Students place cotton balls in their ears to simulate loss of hearing. Students use descriptive...
Curated OER
Baby Talk
Students read the story Toilet Tales and discuss the importance of using grown up words and not baby talk words. In this speaking lesson plan, students discuss how they are now in school and use appropriate language.
Curated OER
Bag Stories
Students create a personal experience by writing and illustrating. They make a writing connection to family (or other thematic unit) and use descriptive words in writing. They write using a different perspective.
Curated OER
Reaching for the Sky
Students consider features of skyscraper using descriptive words, reflect on notion of skyscraper as orientation point in a city, and explore New York Times Building in Manhattan by reading and discussing article, "Pride and Nostalgia...
Curated OER
Children Using Antonyms to Write Short Stories
Second graders discuss what antonyms are and read the book, Quick as a Cricket. In this antonym lesson, 2nd graders write a short story by describing themselves.
Curated OER
A Heritage Study: Using Information Resources to Research Family History and Traditions
Students 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
Language, As Experienced Through Pin-Hole Photography
Students read about and discuss photographic principles and, under the direction of the art teacher, construct individual cameras from heavy black cardboard and thin sheet metal with a hole for the lens and black tape for the shutter.
Curated OER
Hailstones & Halibut Bones: Using Color to Teach Adjectives
Students write original color poems based on the poems in the book, "Hailstones and Halibut Bones." They select a color, develop a list of adjectives and characteristics, write a poem, and create a drawing.
Developing a Global Perspective for Educators
The Lorax - Language
First graders identify text features and how they communicate meaning to the reader. In this media literacy instructional activity, learners view the movie The Lorax and discuss how students from another country would respond to this...