Curated OER
Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse
Students explore English by reading a children's book in class. In this story vocabulary lesson, students read the book Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse and discuss the use of three vocabulary words. Students define the selected...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner
Learners explore language arts by reading a book about children. In this tier two vocabulary lesson, students read the book Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner and identify the use of specific vocabulary words. Learners define the vocabulary...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Cows Can’t Fly
Students explore language arts by reading a story book in class. In this tier two vocabulary lesson, students read the book Cows Can't Fly and identify the use of certain vocabulary terms. Students define the selected words and utilize...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Firefighters
Students explore language arts by reading a book with their class. In this story vocabulary instructional activity, students read the book Firefighters and identify the use of specific vocabulary words. Students define the selected vocab...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Fly Away Home
Students explore English by reading a children's book in class. In this story vocabulary lesson, students read the book Fly Away Home and identify the use of specific vocabulary words. Students define the selected vocabulary words and...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World
Students explore language arts by reading a fiction book in class. In this tier two vocabulary lesson, students read the book How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World and identify the use of specific vocabulary words. Students define...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Some Birthday
Students explore language arts by reading a story book in class. In this tier two vocabulary lesson, students read the book Some Birthday and discuss the use of specific vocabulary words. Students define selected words and use them while...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Sorting
Students explore language arts by reading a children's book in class. In this tier two vocabulary instructional activity, students read the book Sorting and identify the use of specific vocabulary words. Students define selected...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: a Day at the Apple Orchard
Students explore language arts by reading a story book in class. In this tier two vocabulary lesson, students read the book A Day at the Apple Orchard and identify the use of specific vocabulary words. Students define the selected vocab...
Curated OER
What's In a Name?
Introduce your language arts class to connotation, denotation, and diction. Middle schoolers identify and differentiate between the connotative and denotative meanings of words by analyzing the fictitious sports team names....
Curated OER
Understanding and Using Suffixes to Expand Vocabulary
After a review of what suffixes are and how they are used, middle schoolers utilize a worksheet that is embedded in the plan to work in pairs to strengthen their understanding and skills in using these very important parts of our...
Novelinks
The Hobbit: Vocabulary in the Round
Blundering, audacious, obscurest. Class members develop strategies for teaching each other vocabulary words drawn from The Hobbit.
Prestwick House
Introducing Symbols–The Beach
Looking for a way to introduce class members to the concept of symbolism and multiple levels of meaning? Readers examine two different passages about the beach and consider how the writers use concrete objects, and places to...
Curated OER
Bill Pickett, Bulldoggin' Cowboy
Who was Bill Picket? Interested readers work through an informational passage to find out about a famous "bulldogger" from the old West. They answer several reading comprehension questions and use a seven step process to decode new...
Novelinks
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle: Magic Square Vocabulary
After reading chapter one of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi, take part in a magic square vocabulary activity in which scholars match the term with its definition and insert its corresponding number in to...
Curated OER
Allegory in Painting
High schoolers examine how allegory is defined and used in the visual arts. They create a list of the arts, and list the objects, symbols, and figures that suggest each art category, analyze various paintings, and identify the...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4
The fourth standard for reading literature in the Common Core calls for young readers to be able to determine the figurative and connotative meanings of words and phrases. Use this resource, a continuation of a series of Common Core...
Achieve3000
Context Clues and Idioms
Kids practice using five types of context clues (definition, synonym, antonym, example, and general) to decode idiomatic language.
Museum of Tolerance
Essential Vocabulary and Concepts
Genocide. Scapegoat. Propaganda. Words are powerful. Words carry the weight of history. To prepare for a visit to The Museum of Tolerance, class members consider the weight of meaning in words related to intolerance.
US Institute of Peace
Defining Conflict
Before there can be peace, we have to understand conflict. Introduce the concept of conflict through a two-part activity that combines discussion, collaboration, and writing. The first in a 15-part series examines the multiple meanings...
Food Project
Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems
A series of hands-on, outdoor activities increase understanding of agricultural terms, soil management, pest control, and more. Plan ahead for this one as it requires a number of supplies and could be messy. Activities include...
EngageNY
Using Informational Text Features and Learning Freaky Frog Vocabulary
What kind of text features help children build a strong vocabulary? Class members use text features such as headers to unpack new vocabulary words. They create vocabulary journals in which they will write what they think the definition...
Monterey Bay Aquarium
What's in a Name?
Combine art and word analysis in a lesson about genus and species. Elementary children sleuth out the meaning of scientific names for a number of shark species using a prefix and suffix definition chart. They then draw an image of the...
Anti-Defamation League
What Is Culture?
Explore the complexity of culture with this rich and comprehensive lesson plan, which will prompt your learners to think critically and respectfully discuss our current definitions of culture, and how those definitions might...