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Connecting Families through Folk Stories and Fairy Tales
Students engage their families to write down a folk story from their primary language. In this family literacy lesson, students rewrite the story or fairy tales in English. Parents and students are invited to present the stories in both...
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Elements of Fiction
Students investigate themes and settings in their favorite fiction stories. In this creative writing lesson, students discuss the reasons a fictional story works well and discuss ways to create their own. Students create...
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City People, City Stories
Learners create fictional inhabitants to scale for a place called 'Box City'. They develop stories and personalities to go with the created people, share the stories with the class and write a newspaper for their city.
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Story Dolls
Students create autobiographies. In this autobiographical writing lesson, students use a story doll template and write about themselves. Students decorate their autobiographies.
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A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories About Love
Students read an article about teenage pregnancy and the story, "A Couple of Kooks and Other Stories About Love," making notes about how the pregnant teens are characterized. They then compare and contrast the views of pregnant teens in...
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Immigration: Marijana's Story
Second graders explore world geography by researching U.S. history. In this immigration lesson, 2nd graders read the book Marijana's Story and discuss the main character, her goals, and the plot. Students complete a worksheet about U.S....
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Writing A Character Sketch
Middle schoolers are introduced to how a character sketch is an outline of a character that includes the character's outward appearance, family members, personality, interests, and beliefs. They then think of a character they would like...
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South Africa Story: Apartheid, Diamonds & Gold
High schoolers use the internet to research the history, culture and political issues in South Africa. Using writing activities, they discover more characteristics of the country. They write how the natural resources found in the area...
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Story Time
Ninth graders watch soap operas online. In this English instructional activity, 9th graders explore the story elements of the soap opera. Students write a journal on their own interpretations of characters.
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Writing a Book Review - Fiction
Fifth graders write a fiction book review. In this response to literature lesson, 5th graders read a story and share their understanding and opinion of the book. They write what the book is about, what they like about the book, and what...
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Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party
Seventh graders collaboratively research the life and times of Charles Dickens as it relates to a character from the story, and write and present a first-person character analysis.
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Write, Read and Play
Students integrate writing, reading and movement skills. They draw from a hat a movement skill (e.g., throwing, catching, kicking, etc.), sport, or related word (e. g., heart, muscle, etc.) and create a book written on the first or...
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Strange Stories
Students complete activities about new words. In this new words instructional activity, students complete activities to teach vocabulary and practice new words. Students read a story and add in the new words.
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Writing for Different Purposes and Audiences
Third graders explore how to write for different purposes and for a specific audience or person. They read, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Students create a class book after reading the story. They each create their own...
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Writing Application: The Canterbury Tales
Students read stories from The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and create their own tale. In this writing applications instructional activity, students read the tales and analyze the specific details that Chaucer use. Students work...
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Understanding and Writing Fables
Third graders review with the teacher the characteristics for a fable and what it is. They read one paragraph each from the story, "The Fox and the Stork" aloud. They then answer comprehension questions aloud. Next, they listen to four...
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Read and Remember - Story Grammar
Pupils use the Story Grammar strategy to outline the main elements of the story which will help them with free recall and cued recall. The strategy includes: identifying the main characters in the story, recalling where and when the...
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Cinderella Stories From Around the World
Fifth graders are read a variety of Cinderella stories from around the world. In groups, they complete a comparison chart for each story and how it compares to the American version. To end the lesson, they participate in a fairy tale...
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My Getty Vacation Travel Log-A Set of 6 Activities
Students take an imaginary vacation at the J. Paul Getty Museum. They participate in six activities while writing, observing and sketching works of art.
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Comparing Monkey Story with Curious George Stories
Students compare and contrast the main character in Monkey with the main character in Curious George.
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Telling a Story Through Dance
Students explore how to tell a story through dance. In this dance instructional activity, students watch Swan Lake and choose a story of their own to show through dance.
Orange County Department of Education
The True Story of Abbie Burgess
First graders read a story about Abbie Burgess. They identify at least three specific actions exhibiting traits of courage and responsibility. Students explore ways children and adults become heroes by helping others out in a time of...
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Short Stories and Sitcoms
Students compare 19th Century short stories to 20th Century sitcoms. They address seven questions as the watch a sitcom for homework and create a web to use for further comparison.
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Cooperative Learning Groups Cooperate
Students apply Bloom's Taxonomy to reading selections. They prepare questions for each level of Bloom's Taxonomy and exchange them with other groups to answer. They answer another group's questions and report to one another.