Curated OER
The Renaissance Person: composing an Extended Definition Essay
Young scholars recognize the characteristics of an extended definition. In this Renaissance person lesson, students read a collection of short stories. Young scholars research the definitions of Renaissance and Renaissance...
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Self Acceptance
Students explore their own self concept. They draw a picture of themselves, read a story, and write a story that has a character like themselves. Afterward, they write and illustrate their stories in PowerPoint.
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Storytelling
First graders create a new scene for the book Curious George Takes a Job. In this storytelling lesson plan, 1st graders continue the story after the teacher reads them the book.
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House Opposite
Students read the short story House Opposite to help them differentiate between the terms "religion" and "spirituality." Students make connections to situations of people who struggle between the two in the real world by creating a...
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Imagine a Kelp Forest
Students write a story based on their research of the kelp forest. In this ecosystem activity, students view a video and research the kelp forest ecosystem. They write a short story imagining the discovery of a new species in the kelp...
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Mirrors and How They Reflect
Students experiment with mirrors. In this Mirrors and How They reflect instructional activity, students read how mirrors reflect light. Then students perform over ten experiments and record their conclusions about mirrors and reflection....
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Science: Bees: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Students investigate the world of bees and describe their characteristics. by identifying the bees' parts, they demonstrate how these parts function. In the lab, students dissect bees and view the various parts under microscopes. ...
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Poems Put to Use
Students listen to sample poetry recitations. They discuss times when poetry might be used in real-life situations to move/motivate other people or audiences. They identify particularly moving passages and then quote them effectively to...
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Langston Hughes and the Blues
Students explore the connections between Langson Hughes and blues music. In this African American culture lesson, students compare and contrast blues music with poetry and short stories by Langston Hughes.
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Tell Me a Train Story
Second graders write a short story based on train track safety and make a train-shaped class book.
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Acronyms - Characters in Hawthorne's Stories
Students create acronyms for book characters. In this literature study, students learn about and create acronyms for characters in Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories The Minister's Black Veil and Young Goodman Brown. Students' acronyms...
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Intergenerational Life Writing Lesson Plan
Young scholars meet with an older adult to complete a writing assignment. Using a topic suggested by the teacher, they each write a story about their own lives and compare and contrast their perspectives. They share their viewpoints...
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The Tell-Tale Hearts of Writers
Knock, knock, knock...Creep out your class with a critical thinking lesson focused on word relationships in Edgar Allen Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart." They investigate the relationship between word choice, mood, and interpretation of...
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The Cutting Edge
Young writers examine the writings of Raymond Carver to investigate editing skills. They will develop original sentences. Then read the work of Raymond Carver to edit and analyze the ending. They revise and ending of their original...
Roald Dahl
The Twits - The Monkeys Escape
Houses come in all shapes and sizes, but not all houses are safe from Mr. and Mrs. Twit. The 10th lesson plan in a unit designed to accompany The Twits by Roald Dahl turns learners into architects. While designing houses for the monkeys,...
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Civil Rights in America
Seventh graders visit the Smithsonian and are shown different exhibits. They are to make their own drawing about one of the exhibits and write about the experience.
Live Oak Media
Activity Guide: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Enhance a reading of the Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback with this collection of learning activities. Starting with general background information about the book and author,...
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The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe: Literature and Theater
Students read and discuss the literary elements of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by C.S. Lewis. They explore the elements of dramatic performance and create a TV news program based on life in Narnia. They videotape their...
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Keep It Short!
Students examine the process of summarizing text. They participate in a class discussion, and read an assigned passage from their textbook, highlighting the main points of the text. Students then write a short summary of their...
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Getting A Story
Students encounter the do's and dont's to journalism writing. Students unearth the facts of a story by watching an animated clip. Students grasp the deeper understanding of the facts of a story and how to write it correctly.
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Stanley's Story
Students create a newspaper story based on the events that occur in the novel Holes. They recall the basic facts of Stanley's story using the 5 W's plus H. Students write a fact based news story based on the information presented in...
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Cinderella: A Story Found in Many Cultures
First graders explore, discuss and examine fairy-tale and make-believe stories. They assess two different types of Cinderella stories to surface a broader look at cultural diversity. Students construct a Venn Diagram or a chart of the...
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Writing a Movie Review
Students view a classic movie in class while taking notes. They write a summary/ review of the movie which includes the name of the movie, who wrote it, the characters and a retelling of the story. They include their opinion and how the...
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Short and Sweet
Students summarize nonfiction text. After reviewing the process for reading in order to summarize, students independently read a nonfiction article. They write a summary paragraph using the checklist outlined by the instructor during...