Curriculum Corner
February Bell Ringers
Use a set of 30 writing bell ringers to get through the month of February. Writers tap into and write about how February makes them feel, what it smells like, and all types of celebrations that occur during the month.
Curated OER
Jeffrey and Sloth: Six Traits of Writing
Use drawings as inspiration. Have learners doodle for 10 minutes before beginning the lesson. Then, have them use their doodles to inspire a story. Several writing activities are included here to play with writing. One of my favorites...
Gwinnett County Public Schools
Analysis of the Tuck Everlasting and The Birchbark House Text Exemplars
Looking to introduce some text-based questions into your ELA lessons? Practice the kinds of skills the Common Core demands with the seven text-based questions and the essay prompt provided here. Designed to be a three-day lesson, day one...
University of Arizona
Found News Poems
Combine informational text and creative writing with one fun activity! Middle and high schoolers write found poems based on newspaper headlines that they find. The resource includes a thorough lesson plan and many links to articles that...
Curated OER
Modernizing a Traditional Irish Folktale
Students write their own folktales based on "Cathal O'Cruachan and the Cowherd." In discussions they examine the animal symbolism in the story, as well as the characters, events, problems, and solution. With partners, they select...
Curated OER
Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
Curated OER
From Light to Dark and Back
Experiment with light and dark in a series of interactive activities that lead up to reading and writing poetry. Class members have the opportunity to observe their feelings while sitting in the light and dark and to play with shadow...
Brigham Young University
Out of the Dust: Guided Imagery
A guided imagery exercise is a great way to get readers thinking about writing. As part of their study of Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse’s 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, class members listen to a reading of one of the poems from...
Curriculum Corner
My Book of Poems
Copy all pages to create a book of poems during a poetry study. From alliteration to cinquain to acrostic poem, your class won't run out of templates for writing poems! Each sheet serves as a template for an entire book of poems. Other...
Curated OER
The Hat
Honing reading and communication skills through the theme of farm animals is the focus of this activity. Young scholars read a book about Scandinavian farm animals and complete prediction journal activities. They complete a worksheet...
Curated OER
Snowman
In this printing and coloring instructional activity, learners trace one dotted example of the word "Snowman" in Zaner-Bloser printing. Students write this word on their own on the lines and color a picture of a snowman.
Curated OER
Cow Parade
Young scholars create individual works of art using cow cut-outs as their canvas in this hilarious lesson ideal for the High School Art or Art History classroom. The lesson includes resource links and can be adapted for any animal or...
Curated OER
When is a Block, not a Block?
Students use a stamped shape image to create a piece of imaginative art. In this stamped art lesson, students use a stamped shape as a starting point to create their own imaginative piece of art that incorporates the stamped shape.
Curated OER
Rice Wreaths
Students create rice and glue holiday wreaths in this Art lesson ideal for the 1st or 2nd grade. The lesson can be adapted for older or younger students and includes an ingredient list and step-by-step directions for siccessful...
Curated OER
Light Bulb Santa
Students create light bulb Santa's using old light bulbs, acrylic paints, ribbon, and cords in this art lesson for the second through eighth grade classroom. This is a great activity to do before winter break. A picture of the final...
Curated OER
Great Basin Tribes- Use of Land for Sustenance
Students explore four Native American tribes from Nevada. For this Native American history lesson, students identify and generate important corresponding attributes of the Southern Paiute, Northern Paiute, Washoe, and Western Shoshone...
Curated OER
Prewriting
As a class, 7th graders observe examples of brainstorming and then complete brainstorming worksheets themselves. They compose and describe planning strategies. Prior to writing an essay, they identify the purpose and the audience.
Curated OER
Encouraging Others in Class, in the Workplace, in the Home
Students write a letter of encouragement to a classmate to encourage each other and practice writing skills.
Curated OER
Pantomime Exercise
Learners of any age can learn to communicate using gestures and their bodies. They create a pantomime of a specific activity without using any words. This resource includes a link to an Off-Broadway Workshop for kids.
Curated OER
The Life And Times Of The Apple
Students engage in a study about the biology of apples that includes growth and reproduction. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students write a description of an apple brought to class by answering several questions....
Curated OER
Touching Spirit Bear: Chapters 24 & 25
In this Touching Spirit Bear comprehension check worksheet, students respond to 29 short answer questions covering chapters 24 and 25 of Touching Spirit Bear in order to help them better understand the chapters and the novel.
Curated OER
Hanging Scrolls
Students explore prospective content for art, then select and use appropriate
subjects, symbols, and ideas to make art meaningful in this lesson plan suited for upper-elementary and middle level classrooms.
Curated OER
Trees as Symbols: Composing Poetry and Creating Images
Students analyze the tree as a symbol, sharing ideas in class discussion. They use art as the basis for a creative writing assignment in poetry or represent a selected poem with an original student drawing.
Curated OER
Hide the Acorns
Students search for acorns. In this art lesson students imagine they are squirrels finding and storing acorns. The students dig through a water table filled with sand or soil looking for acorns that have been buried.