Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mythological Word Origins

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Review myths and the characters therein, connecting them to vocabulary words in the English language today. Begin by searching online for myths and character names. With at least ten names that are familiar English words, students use...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

No Taxing of the Tea for Thee

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Research the history of the Boston Tea Party. Learners read the book The Boston Tea Party and write down important facts. They use the Internet to continue their research and construct an art project of a boat that contains a tea bag.
Lesson Plan
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program

Civil War on Sunday

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Reading Mary Pope Osborne's Civil War on Sunday? Here's a packet crammed with activities, exercises, reading guides, and project suggestions. A must-have for your curriculum library.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Farewell to Manzanar: Racism and Point of View

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students create a presentation on the computer of the reactions and memories of people who were around during the attacks at Pearl Harbor. In this Pearl Harbor lesson plan, students interview people who were there, discuss the racism,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fantasy Stories

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create fantasy stories. In this creative writing activity, students write a fantasy where they can use characters that they have read about in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fantasies and Myths

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders listen to the book, THE GIVING TREE and discuss what genre category they believe the story fits into and why. They read of of the myths on the website on the computers and then come back together as a group and discuss...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Retale" Value: Exploring Plot Similarities in Fiction and Nonfiction Stories

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore seven basic story lines and apply these story lines to news articles in the New York Times. They write reports comparing the plot of a news article to novels, plays and movies with which they are familiar.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Informal Writing 2

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students explore characteristics of informal writing. They read a class story. Students rewrite the story in an informal style. Students discover that contractions and exclamation marks are used in the informal style.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Computer Violence Debate

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students debate whether playing violent computer games desensitizes people to real-life violence.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rebus Writing

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders write rebus stories using technology. They share the rebus stories with younger students
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Expressing Likes and Dislikes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify slang words that they would use in a conversation. They practice expressing their likes and dislikes in speech and written form. They complete worksheets and discuss them to end the lesson plan.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Assembling A Story

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students observe, discuss, and interpret Radcliffe Bailey's work "By the River" by creating a personal narrative of the 18th or 19th century. Internet access is required and related links are offered for teaching aides.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Pet/Monster Creative Writing Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are instructed to create a monster in a paragraph or even a short story. This activity allows students to work with new vocabulary. It is also a good way to practice using verbs and adjectives in Spanish.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cause and Effect

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the causes and effects of the story, "If You Give A Pig a Pancake" and "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie", by Laura Numeroff. They write a cause and effect story using Kidspiration.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Story Retellings

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders complete story maps in order to retell stories to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Neighborhood:

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students act as tour guides for their communities after conducting research about their neighborhoods. After conducting research, students write stories and create maps of their communities to share with classmates and community members.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Contest Between The Sun And The Wind

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read fables by Aesop and learn about the famous storyteller. In this fables lesson plan, 2nd graders discuss questions about Aesop and then write their own fable.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using a Database to Organize Vocabulary Words

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students use a database as a vocabulary resource during writing/reading. They preview stories and list unknown works into their reading notebooks. Students find the definitions, and enter their words into a database using a teacher...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Survival Story

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students discuss the pros and cons of being deserted on an uninhabited island. Then they write their own survival stories and complete a story jacket.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Look Through My Antonia's Eyes

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore life as a pioneer in the late 1890's. In this appreciation of history lesson, students read excerpts from My Antonia. Students create presentations about life and culture in Nebraska.  Students write an original...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tall Tales

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the characteristics of tall tales and how exaggerations are used. They create a character that is larger than life, they brainstorm attributes for their character, before writing a Tall Tale. They plan out their story,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patty Reed's Doll: The Story of the DonnerParty

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners explore westward movement through eyes of doll belonging to Patty Reed, member of Donner Party. They write journal entries from points of view of characters in book, Patty Reed's Doll, participate in Pack the Wagon game, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloudy With a Chance of...

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders will write a story. In this writing and meteorology lesson, 2nd graders read the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, then use KidPix to create a weather picture. The picture is imported into a word processor and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elements of a Mystery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners write mystery stories. In this writing lesson, students review the definition and components of a mystery. They look at a photo and write a mystery to explain the picture.