Lesson Plan
Vermilionville

Mardi Gras Elementary

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
You don't have to visit Vermilionville to experience the Cajun traditions of Mardi Gras. After examining pictures and hearing stories about these colorful traditions, learners create their own Courir de Mardi Gras masks.
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Smithsonian Institution

War of 1812

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Luckily for those who aren't history buffs, anyone can guess that the War of 1812 happened in ... 1812. But how to cover the rest of the story? The resource does just that with effective direct instruction that includes statistics,...
Activity
Orlando Shakes

Les Misérables: Study Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A writer has the responsibility to defend the less fortunate members of society. At least that was the view of Victor Hugo, author of Les Miserables. The novel is the subject of a study guide from Orlando Shakespeare Theater....
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

Stone Fox: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Wyoming has the lowest population of all 50 states. Using the novel study for Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, pupils create brochures to attract visitors to the state, which is the setting for the novel. Additionally, they answer...
Study Guide
Reed Novel Studies

A Single Shard: Novel Study

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Fulfilling a dream requires a lot of hard work. A study guide for the novel A Single Shard shares the dream of a young Korean orphan. As readers work through the guide, they answer comprehension questions about Tree-ear and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dear Peter Rabbit

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Write dear old Peter Rabbit a letter with this lesson. First, youngsters listen to the story Peter Rabbit and analyze the story elements. Then they complete a story map graphic organizer in order to write a letter to Peter...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Transitions

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders analyze the use of transitions in text. In this transitions lesson plan, 4th graders determine how and why a transition is used at a specific time in a piece of writing. They show transitions by using movements before...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative Literature Response Letters: Original Lesson Plan

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Readers write a formal letter to an author offering an alternative ending to a story the author has written. First, the class reads a story or novel. Upon finishing the reading, they are introduced to the format of a formal letter. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Summarizing Key Information

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Imagine the surprise when small groups present their Evidence Charts to the class and discover that each group has studied a different version of the Cinderella story. Irish, Ojibwa, Egyptian, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Mexican, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beanie Baby Biographies

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners write a biography for their favorite Beanie Babies and then share their biography out loud. A simple, yet effective idea! Everyone loves their Beanie Baby!
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Wanderer's Point of View

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students write an imaginative story using a specific point of view. Students imagine what life along the Mississippi River is like and pretend they are there. Students may use the scenario provided, or create their own for their story.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scenarios: Beginning, Middle (incidents), End

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Pupils investigate writing scenarios that can be performed. They examine the parts and levels of scenarios that can actually be performed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Examining Persuasive Literature

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Examine persuasive literature and writing. In this persuasive literature lesson, pupils work through a variety of activities over the course of three weeks (each week is planned by day). The unit's purpose is to examine examples of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Activity 3: Composing Personal Narratives

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What was your most (exciting, maddening, nervous, thrilling, etc.) experience in school? A part of a unit on narrative writing, in this lesson class members review the elements of the form and then choose an event when they learned a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights: Rosa Parks Centers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Research the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks. Set up different centers and have learners rotate through the activities aimed at researching Rosa Parks. They read The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks, write a...
Writing
Curated OER

Reading Response Journal Lit Logs

For Students 3rd - 6th
Here is a worksheet presenting many ways to create topics and start sentences. The writing prompts are best used for young writers who are creating reading response journals or literature logs. Sometimes, all a writer needs is a good...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Literary Elements: Storytelling Techniques

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Learners think about what makes a story interesting to read or hear. What kinds of details make a story come to life? How can a storyteller create a feeling of excitement or suspense? What kinds of characters do students like? If anyone...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Main Idea

For Teachers 7th
What could you pack for a trip if you don't know the destination? After writing a list of items they would want to bring, fourth graders learn that the "trip" is to the South Pole - revealing the need to understand all available...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tall Tales and Urban Legends

For Teachers 7th - 10th
In this creative writing worksheet, students sort through old pictures and discuss the characterization in each. Students create characters, a setting, and their own tall tale or urban legend based on the pictures.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Popular Bully

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate bullying and nonviolent ways to deal with bullies.  In this conflict management lesson, 5th graders discover the definition for the word ahimsa and examine ways to incorporate that philosophy into their...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Meanest English Teacher Ever

For Students 4th - 6th
Upper graders will use a reading comprehension learning exercise about the meanest teacher to practice comprehension. They will read a 5 page story titled The Meanest English Teacher Ever and answer 4 comprehension questions about it. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Clap Your Hands

For Teachers K - 3rd
Read Clap Your Hands to explore new vocabulary with your class. In this three-tiered vocabulary instructional activity, youngsters read the book and identify the plot, setting, and characters. They also define vocabulary terms from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative Cartoons

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students create narrative cartoons based on the activities of the Peace Corps. In this narrative cartoons lesson plan, students create comic strips where they draw and write about various activities that the Peace Corps is involved in.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newspaper Stories

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the structure of the newspaper. In this newspaper lesson, students look at the different types of articles about giving, sharing, and acts for the common good. They realize the types of voice that are used in the...