Curated OER
Using Transitions
Students explore the importance of using transitional phrases in their writing. They discuss why transitions are important to their writing and various types of transitions that they can use. Students practice using transitions in their...
Curated OER
What Do They Have In Common?
Fifth graders use a database to gather information on the United States last five Presidents. Using the information, they identify their similarities and differences and what characteristics made them a good leader. In further detail,...
Curated OER
Comparison and Contrast - D. H. Lawrence
Read The Horse Dealer's Daughter and The Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence, then write an essay comparing and contrasting the two stories. Learners choose some aspect to write about, such as themes, characters, setting, or plot.
Curated OER
The Embodied Presidency Wilson
Students take a closer look at U.S. intervention in Mexico. In this 20th century history lesson, students examine primary documents to consider why the United States entered the Mexican War and then write DBQ essays on the topic.
Curated OER
Narrative Nuts and Bolts
After viewing slides and reading about child labor, young authors compose an original narrative story. They practice note-taking skills and work to effectively engage a reader by incorporating plot, logical order, complex characters,...
Curated OER
PALM TREES Technology :Literacy Challenge Project
Do you have a class set PDAs? Seventh graders use the Note Pad function on their PDAs to brainstorm writing prompts. After three minutes of listing their favorite foods, class members use the Note Pad Eraser to reduce their list to the...
Curated OER
Photographic Journal of Maui
Sixth graders use the photo album to write descriptive paragraphs. They write essays that compare the human and physical characteristics between Maui and Oahu.
Curated OER
"The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe
In this "The Tell-Tale Heart" worksheet, learners write an essay about how Edgar Allan Poe keeps the reader in suspense. The worksheet helps students construct the essay through eleven different scaffolding steps.
Curated OER
Silk Road Assessment
In this ancient trade routes worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions and 1 essay question about the Silk Road and its significance.
Curated OER
Peer Editing Worksheet
The strength of this peer editing activity is that it addresses all the elements that should appear in a well-written essay. In addition, editors are encouraged to avoid one-word responses and instead, to make specific suggestions for...
Curated OER
Comparing Themes
Compare and contrast the themes of two works by J.R.R. Tolkien. High schoolers read The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, Then they write an essay that compares the themes found in each novel.
San José State University
MLA Formatting Guidelines: Ellipsis for Omissions
If you would like a concise overview of MLA formatting, this two-page handout provides it. It addresses page layout, parenthetical citations, and works cited (including when and how to use ellipses to indicate an omission), but it does...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
The Progressive Era: Muckrakers
Using Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, guide your class in the process of identifying unknown terms using context clues and formulating text-based answers. The lesson plan includes a useful worksheet incorporating scaffolding questions on an...
Curated OER
Geographically Speaking
Pupils play a matching game to reinforce the retention of vocabulary words. In this geography lesson, students watch a PowerPoint to define vocabulary words associated with geography, play a memory game with the words, and write an...
Curated OER
Comparison and Contrast: Neat People vs. Sloppy People and Batting Clean-up and Striking Out
After your class reads Neat People vs. Sloppy People and Batting Clean-up and Striking Out, provide them with this resource. Use it as a quiz or a homework assignment to assess your class's understanding of the author's...
Curated OER
Preparing for the New SAT
Read the College Board's explanation of changes in the SAT for 2005, including essay and grammar questions, use College Board's suggestions for ways to study, practice sample questions, and explore other sites with practice tests.
Curated OER
Creepy Read Week
Here's a clever technology twist to writing in the round. Participants rotate through a series of computers adding to stories and editing by keystroke and mouse click. "Locked" forms prevent the loss of stories filled with suspense and...
Curated OER
New York State Testing Program English Language Arts Book 2--Grade 7 (2005)
In this New York State Testing Program English Language Arts learning exercise, 7th graders listen to an article and answer reading comprehension questions. Students then write an essay response and identify grammatical...
Curated OER
What Happens to Our Bodies When We Get Sick?
Seventh graders explore ways in which they become sick. They find out ways that there bodies fight off bacteria. Students watch a video from the Magic School Bus series:"Inside Raphie." After reviewing video students can openly discuss...
Curated OER
Plagiarism
Transform this short, bulleted list into a true or false questionnaire for your young researchers. Most kids aren't even sure if they're plagiarizing, so help them really understand what it means before assigning them a research...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.4
Determining the meaning of a word based on context clues or marking how the meaning of a term evolves in the course of a document can be a challenge in more complex text. Give your pupils an opportunity to practice this skill with a...
Curated OER
WWI Document Based Essay
Pupils read various primary source documents on World War I. After reading each document, they answer discussion questions. Using the internet, they identify the causes of World War I as layed out by President Wilson and his reasons...
Curated OER
Reading the Movies: Another Approach To Teaching Critical Thinking Skills And Writing
Students explore the elements of film to analyze character, action, and the themes in the movie, "Quiz Show." The lesson encourages students to make personal connections and real life applications as they view the movie, critically.
Curated OER
Birthday Buddy
Students explore an Internet web site and/or the Groliers Encyclopedia to investigate a famous person who shares their birthday. They write a five paragraph comparison and contrast essay on their findings and utilize ClarisWorks to publish.