Curated OER
Stories! Imagination! Joy!
Rekindle the art of storytelling through imagination and oral tradition.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: The Mango Tree
Readers examine the traditional Indian story "The Mango Tree" as a literary analysis exercise. The story is broken into three parts, each followed by short-answer reading comprehension questions. While there are referential questions...
Curated OER
Pumpkin Time
Students visit a pumpkin farm and discuss the characteristics of a pumpkin and how they grow. They create a class story about the trip to the farm with each student supplying a sequence for the story.
Curated OER
Teaching The Great Gatsby with the New York Times
East Egg, West Egg, the Valley of Ashes, and the green light. Bring Gatsby, the Jazz Age, and the American Dream to your classroom with a resource designed for teachers. Included in the treasury are six great teaching ideas for F. Scott...
Curated OER
Point of View
Students explore point of view. In this acceptance lesson, students listen to a story in which six people didn't listen to the other's point of view and lost out in the end. The students discuss why we all think and feel differently and...
Curated OER
Total English Advanced: Telling Stories
In this telling stories worksheet, students read the beginnings of 5 stories and respond to 5 short answer questions. Students also work with a partner to continue each of the stories.
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: How Do Dinosaurs Go to School?
Students discover the meaning of tier two vocabulary words. In this vocabulary lesson, students read How Do Dinosaurs Go To School? listening for 3 pre-selected, tier two vocabulary words. Words are defined by the teacher and students...
Curated OER
We Like to Read with Enthusiasm
Students develop skills to become independent readers by telling a story with expression and enthusiasm. They read with expression and enthusiasm with a partner the books, "Duck on a Bike," and "David Goes to School," both by David Shannon.
Curated OER
All Aboard the Safety Train
Students listen to a story about safety around trains and participate in story retelling students complete an art project.
Curated OER
Mrs. Perkins Dolch Words: #10 Create a Story
Students write their stories. In this sight words and writing lesson, students examine a list of 20 teacher-provided dolch words and use them to write their own stories. Students share their stories with their classmates.
New York City Department of Education
Theater Units for Lower and Upper Elementary Levels
Introduce middle schoolers to playwriting and the elements of drama with a six-session storytelling unit that encourages kids to expand their acting and writing skills. The 12-page packet includes overviews of the lessons, assessment...
Curated OER
My Antonia: Body Biography Book Report
Examine the characters in Willa Cather's My Antonia with a group project. Small groups illustrate their chosen character on a large piece of paper and choose quotes from the text that tell about the character. Where learners choose to...
Prestwick House
Understanding Language: Slant, Spin, and Bias in the News
We live in a time of fake news, alternative realities, and media bias. What could be more timely than an activity that asks class members to research how different sources report the same topic in the news?
Curated OER
Edit Your Story
In this writing activity, 4th graders read a checklist of editing reminders and practice editing a paragraph on the activity.
Curated OER
Think of an Ending
Good endings are hard to find. And write. This, the final lesson in a six-part series devoted to study of the ingredients of a good story, focuses on crafting endings. Class members draft ideas about what should happen to each of their...
Curated OER
Beginning Short Stories - "My Family"
For this short stories worksheet, learners read the basic and advanced short story titled "My Family." Students then answer the 4 comprehension questions and 4 vocabulary questions.
Curated OER
Musicians and Vampires
Students practice techniques and strategies for understanding the parts of a story to help them remember what they've read. They review and analyze the elements of a story and how to find them first in a paragraph and then in a book.
Annenberg Foundation
Gothic Undercurrents
Terror, mystery, excitement. American writers of the 19th century, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickinson, used these elements to create morally ambiguous tales that challenged the prevailing belief in...
Barbican
Odyssey Worksheet: Step Into the Shoes
Step into the shoes (or sandals, perhaps?) of Odysseus, a member of his crew, or another character featured in Homer's enduring classic, The Odyssey. and send a letter back telling the world your side of this great adventure story.
Kelly's Kindergarten
July Daily Activities
Concerned about your learners forgetting what they've learned during summer vacation? Use a learning guide to keep them busy every day of the week. With activities about writing, drawing, counting, adding, and time, your kids will be...
University of North Carolina
Literature (Fiction)
An informative installment of the Writing for Specific Fields series helps readers learn how to interpret and write about fiction. The website details nine easy steps for writing a literary analysis—a useful method for all readers!
US Department of Agriculture
Agriculture Counts
Agricultural survey and the documentation of livestock or goods was the basis for the first written language. Youngsters discuss sorting and counting, and how these skills have been used for thousands of years. They accent their class...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Look at Us!: Challenge Activities (Theme 1)
Challenge your advanced learners with this set of activities based around a common theme. Learners draw, research, share, retell stories, compare and contrast, and more over the course of these activities, which focus mostly on animals...
Curated OER
Do You Have a Wish?
In this reading worksheet, students read a short story about some children and their wishes. Students complete 5 questions about the story.