Curated OER
Lesson Plan 11: Beginnings
Every good novel needs a solid beginning! Setting the stage can have your budding authors stumped, so use this lesson to get them thinking. After examining the plot rollercoaster image (included) they consider the four places...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 17: Novel, Take 2
It's all about using peer resources in this writing process lesson, which includes a fantastic novel revision worksheet packet. Learners have read a partner's story draft the night before, and groups have a "lightning round of...
Curated OER
Writers of the 19th Century
Students are introduced to women authors during the 19th century. In groups, they read about the criticism they faced during this time period by the public and literary community. Using the internet, they research one author to...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving Traditions
Everyone celebrates traditions in different ways. Young writers share the ways their families celebrate Thanksgiving with a journal writing prompt and discussion activity.
Curated OER
Alliteration
Use alliteration to describe people, ideas, and places. Young writers will write eight alliterations to describe people, places, or ideas.
Education World
Every Day Edit - Nuts for Pecans
For this editing worksheet about pecans, young writers read and then correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph. The errors range from punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and spelling.
Curated OER
Establishing a Strong Authorial Voice, Worksheet 2
Young writers are asked to revise and modify a series of sentences to make them stronger and relay a sense of voice. No definitions or models are given. You might use the worksheet to check for understanding after a discussion of...
Curated OER
How to Diamond Poem (2+)
Ever heard of a "diamond poem" format? Neither had I, until I came across this lesson. Young writers are shown a format which results in a poem that comes out in the shape of a diamond! This is a simple, yet effective lesson.
Curated OER
Computer Mysteries
Who has been messing with my trampoline? Young writers choose local events as the basis for their own “Who Did It?” mystery. They then devise a plot, problem, and cast of characters and write an introduction explaining the problem and...
Curated OER
Teaching Writing on a Computer
Walk your young writers through the basics of typing and saving their work on a computer. Step-by-step instructions not only help you prepare classroom computers for this exercise but also provide specific instructions so that class...
Curated OER
Friendly Letter Writing
Have your young writers compose a letter with a greeting and a salutation and using this template. This worksheet provides a model greeting and salutation as well as lines on which pupils can write their letter. The formatting of the web...
Curated OER
Basic Skills: Personal Info
Tell us about yourself! Get your young writers familiar with their personal information with this simple graphic organizer. Students fill in basics such as their name, address, birthday, parent's name, and phone number. This would make a...
Curated OER
Reading List: And
Young writers trace the four examples of the word "and.". They read the five sentences that use the word"and," then attempt to write sentences of their own that use this common conjunction.
Curated OER
Narrative Paragraphs
Young writers use the provided Halloween-themed template to record information gathered after researching a topic related to the October holiday. Six different expository text structures are suggested as a guide; however, information on...
Curated OER
Strip-Teasers: A Collaborative Writing activity
Young writers engage in a fun writing activity. They write three different sentences on three strips of paper. Then they get into groups of three, and take a look at all nine sentences that have been written. Their task is to write a...
Curated OER
Critical Thinking & Writing: Brainstorming
Have your young writers organize their thoughts before writing. They generate ideas through various brainstorming activities prior to writing a mock feature news story for USA Today. A series of USA Today articles debating the level of...
Roanoke County Public Schools
Be a Sequence Detective!
Authors are constantly leaving clues that help the reader to understand the sequence of events in a story. Teach young readers how to pick up on these key temporal words and phrases with this slide show. After an introduction to commonly...
Curated OER
Under Construction
Young readers examine the elements of story structure that are included in all stories. They include these elements in their own written pieces. This phenomenally-designed plan has everything you need to easily implement it in your...
Curated OER
Marketing to Teens: Marketing Tactics
Enlighten young consumers to advertising techniques aimed specifically at their generation. Have learners answer questions about how advertisements are geared for a younger audience, then have them practice selling to other teenagers....
EngageNY
Researching and Note-Taking: Becoming an Expert on a Colonial Trade
Fourth graders work in small groups to become experts on different colonial trades in the eighth instructional activity of this unit. Working toward the long-term goal of writing a piece of historical fiction, young scholars read...
Curated OER
Black History Lesson Plan: Gwendolyn Brooks
Learn more about the work of Gwendolyn Brooks with a language arts lesson. Young learners read an informational passage about the acclaimed poet before attempting a shape poem of their own.
Curated OER
"No News Like Ancient News"
Want to know more about Ancient history? Young historians will read a minimum of two web sites to complete the chart "Residents of Olympus". They choose one Greek god or goddess to research. This could be a small group activity or...
Curated OER
Debates on Persuasive Language That Extend Outside of Class
There is no better sight to see than a classroom full of eager young adults, hands raised high, eager to jump into a class discussion. Get your class identifying and discussing rhetorical strategies and then debating long into the night...
Curated OER
Details, Details, Details
Writing can become one-dimensional if authors don't involve all their senses. First, scholars observe a strange object which, ideally, they can touch and even smell. Without using certain words (you can create a list or have the class...