Curated OER
What Was Columbus Thinking?
Why is Christopher Columbus one of the most studied figures in history? Upper graders will investigate why Christopher Columbus traveled to the New World and what happened to the native people he encountered. They read and discuss...
Curated OER
Proofreading: Lesson 4
Examine the key strategies to proofreading a piece of writing for errors in sentence structure, usage, mechanics and spelling. Eighth graders practice putting into correct passage commonly confused words (too, two, to) when writing to a...
Curated OER
Hop Into the Op Word Family
An engaging instructional activity that teaches the /op/ word family is here for you. In it, learners utilize a PowerPoint and a worksheet embedded in the plan to help them better-understnad this word family. This fun instructional...
Curated OER
Ancient Egypt
Pupils complete a series of activities to discover life in ancient Egypt. They create want ads for pyramid workers, design vocabulary flash cards and dictionaries, and research famous Egyptians. They also research the "Curse of the...
Curated OER
Validating Votes
Explore the discrepancies in Florida's vote counting process in 2000 and 2002 with this New York Times reading lesson. Middle schoolers study the viewpoints presented in informational text, paying attention to how word choice can...
Teaching Tolerance
Talking About Race and Racism
Set the stage for discussion in a thought-provoking instructional activity on racism. An informative resource prepares scholars to discuss the history of race and racism with a quiz, vocabulary, and guidelines. Academics discuss topics...
National History Day
“Saving the Bear”: The Russian Expeditionary Force of World War One
How have Russian politics affected countries on a global stage? The discussion of the Russian Revolution and World War I begins with an analysis of primary resource letters. Learners finish with a project where they create a timeline of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
John Steinbeck’s "The Grapes of Wrath": The Inner Chapters
Here’s a must-have resource for anyone using The Grapes of Wrath. Everything from guiding questions to background information, from photographs to documentary films, from activities to assessments is included in a richly detailed packet...
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
Mummies in the Morning Egyptian pyramids, hieroglyphics
Visit the Magic Treehouse and take your class on a trip through time with a reading of the children's book Mummies in the Morning. Using the story to spark an investigation into Egyptian culture, this literature unit engages...
Curated OER
Sarah Plain and Tall
Students read the story, dividing it into chapters per day until complete. They respond to the ad, just as Sarah, Plain and Tall did and use the correct parts of a letter used including a return address, greeting, body, closing and...
Curated OER
Let's Write Invitations for our Class Celebration
Students examine the parts of a letter and a written invitation. They write letters inviting family members to a classroom celebration.
Curated OER
Developing Relationships with Older People
Students read books and view movies about older people. They write a questionnaire to interview older people at a retirement center, interview the people, record their information on graphs, and write follow-up letters.
Curated OER
Sato and the Elephants
Students write a persuasive letter to the government of an African country that has elephants as a resource. Students research and debate the pros and cons of ivory use. Students identify the value of ivory products versus the lives of...
Curated OER
Words with Silent Letters
Third graders recognize that some words have silent letters. In this spelling lesson, 3rd graders write words with silent letters dictated by the teacher. Students work in groups to arrange the words by their silent letters.
Curated OER
Two Letters, One Sound
Eighth graders spell double-letter words. In this spelling lesson, 8th graders practice pronouncing words that contain double consonants. Students examine words with one or more sets of double letters, and discuss the proper...
Curated OER
Spelling With Double Letters
Learners practice spelling words with double letters. For this spelling lesson, students read a rhyme chorally and identify the words with double letters. Learners complete a instant activity worksheet to practice spelling their words...
Curated OER
Publishing an Alphabet Book
Students research, write and publish an A,B,C book based on research of their own.
Curated OER
Writing
Fourth graders review the writing process by using the English Language Arts Writer's Checklist. They examine a piece of writing for the key elements of composition. They help to make the writing pieces more interesting by correcting...
Curated OER
Writing Applications: Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics
Twelfth graders rewrite a story in a different format to understand the effects of the author's style. In this writing style instructional activity, 12th graders read Mark Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and...
Curated OER
Autobiographical Writing
In this unique lesson on autobiographical writing, young scholars compare and contrast three types of writing: narrative, poetry and newspaper. Students prepare to produce a short autobiographical writing based on the framework of one of...
Curated OER
Locating Information Using Keywords
Students use keywords. In this keywords instructional activity students research information on how people lived in the past. They record their findings in their journals.
Curated OER
Out of Old England in the 1630s-Flat Me Project
Students write letters to penpals. In this geography/literacy lesson, students become penpals with a classroom in England to learn about customs and society across the ocean. Flat Stanley by Will Holton is read aloud, and students...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Systems Every "Body" Needs to Know
Through an informative WebQuest and group work, learners explore the human body and cell structure. They create a cell diagram, research a disease, write a letter explaining the causes of human disease, and work in small groups to create...
Curated OER
Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library
Young scholars examine the need for a national library. In this Library of Congress lesson plan, students analyze primary sources to investigate the persuasive techniques that Thomas Jefferson used in a letter meant to...