Classroom Adventures Program
Creating Characters
Examine character in depth. Over the course of these six lessons, learners explore their own character traits, determine the traits of characters in the books they read, practice comparing and contrasting, and collaborate in small...
Great Schools
A Questionnaire: What Do You Like to Read?
What do your fifth graders know about types of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry? Find out as they fill out this questionnaire that requires them to list authors and texts that exemplify each genre. Not only will you be able to assess what...
Curated OER
Jumanji
Third graders read the book, Jumangi. Then they divide into groups of four or five and choose a habitat - desert, wetlands, Arctic/Antarctic, etc. Then each group can research the habitat to learn what kind of animals live there.
Curated OER
Lesson Mystery: The Game is Afoot
Students enter and experience the world of Sherlock Holmes and hard-boiled detectives in this unit on mysteries. They review and analyze the ""Whodunit Requirements" and the "Mystery Contract" that accompany this lesson. Each student...
Curated OER
Let's Learn About Plants!
After listening to From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons, learners take a walk around their school looking for plants. They use digital cameras to photograph the plants, then construct a class book which has the identities of the plants,...
National Council of Teachers of English
Timelines and Texts: Motivating Students to Read Nonfiction
With the emphasis on incorporating more nonfiction in language arts classes the question arises about how to design activities that motivate kids to engage with informational text. How about an assignment that asks class members to...
Curated OER
A Little Trouble in Amsterdam
Learners read A Little Trouble in Amsterdam and discuss their reading. For this reading comprehension lesson, students complete pre-reading activities and post-reading activities for the book A Little Trouble in Amsterdam by Richard...
Curated OER
The Physical Geography of South Asia
Young scholars describe the physical forces that formed and shaped the Himalaya, then discuss the physical geography of Mount Everest and how it influences the routes climbers take to the summit.
Curated OER
Making Science and Literature Connections
Learners access the Internet and research physical characteristics and route of migration of the gray whale. They complete a database and reproduce the information using Apple Works. They read the novel El Guero by Elizabeth Borton de...
Curated OER
The Magic School bus Inside A Hurricane
Students investigate the concept of a hurricane by using the cartoon series "The Magic Schoolbus" to simulate the fantasy of traveling through a hurricane. The instructional activity uses a KWL graphic organizer in order to guide student...
Curated OER
James and the Giant Peach
This James and the Giant Peach worksheet provides 15 short answer questions and extension activities. They address characterization, basic reading comprehension, making personal connections to the reading, and more. The...
Curated OER
Summarizing: James and the Giant Peach
Text marking and a T-chart format to distinguish important information from trivia help elementary readers summarize effectively. Encouraging readers to construct a chapter summary from paragraph-level topic sentences is another sound...
Curated OER
Scribbleboy
Fifth graders are introduced to the text, SCRIBBLEBOY, discussing the cover page for clues to the genre. They discuss the ordinary surroundings contrasted by the graffiti and the words and phrases used to provide information about the...
Teach Your Children Well
Spinning a Web
Lisa Trumbauer's big book, Spinning a Web, provides kids with an opportunity to practice word sequencing, to use correct punctuation, and to develop comprehension skills with a cloze reading evercise.
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed
Students engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple seeds and...
Curated OER
Total English Elementary: The Arts
In this vocabulary activity worksheet, students consolidate key vocabulary from a unit of study as they classify terms by unscrambling words and identifying 6 films based on the categories listed.
Curated OER
I'm Done! What Now?
You can use these lesson plans to give your high ability math students something challenging to do when they finish early!
Curated OER
Mark Twain Lesson Plans
Celebrate the birthday of Mark Twain and learn about American life and literature along the great Mississippi River.
Curated OER
Charlotte's Web
Fourth graders focus on fluency by reading the book Charlotte's Web. In this reading strategies lesson, 4th graders partner read, do guided reading, and independent reading to increase fluency. Students use Venn Diagrams, discuss...
Curated OER
Beowulf
Students read the epic, Beowulf and examine the nature of good and evil. They compile a list of questions about loyalty tests and take turns asking and answering them. they create Beowulf comic strips and research other epic tales.
Curated OER
Matthew Henson: Heroic Explore Who Conquered Racism
Learners explore the concept of racism. In this character building instructional activity, students read a biography about a hero Matthew Henson. Learners discover the challenges he, and others, faced during a time of...
Curated OER
Amazing Australia (Grade K)
Students listen as the teacher reads "Possum Magic" to them. They watch the movie of the book, and create a T graph illustrating the differences and similarities between the book and movie. They research an animal and print a picture in...
Curated OER
Activity Plan 5-6: Family Banner
Young scholars create family banners. For this early childhood lesson plan, students develop language, creative thinking, and social awareness by creating banners about their families.
Curated OER
Literature of the Ancient World
The literature of the ancient world can provide a motivating way for students to explore history.