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Unit Plan
Trinity University

I Didn’t Know that was Poetry

For Teachers 8th Standards
Poetry or prose? That is the question facing middle schoolers as they begin a month-long poetry unit by examining the characteristics that differentiate poetry and prose writing. Pupils learn about poetic devices and different types of...
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Website
Shakespeare Globe Trust

Twelfth Night

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Whether you choose to include Twelfth Night in your course or whether Shakespeare's comedy has been thrust upon you, be not afraid to incorporate an interactive resource into your study of Shakespeare's tale of loss, love, and identity....
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Student Achievement Partners

"The Glorious Whitewasher" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain with Mini-Assessment

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text as...
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Lesson Plan
3
3
Curated OER

Jim Murphy, The Great Fire - Grade 6

For Teachers 6th Standards
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy provides the text for a study of the Chicago fire of 1871. The plan is designed as a close reading activity so that all learners have the same background information require for writing. Richly detailed, the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare and Poe Teach Six-Trait Writing

For Teachers 5th - 8th
A Six-Trait Writing instructional activity helps your middle schoolers liven up their word choice and shows them how to evaluate their own writing. Class members take a close look at the language used in poems by Shakespeare, Kipling,...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

What Makes a Novel a Novel?

For Students 4th - 8th
As your authors prepare to write a hypothetical novel, they need all the inspiration they can find! Using a book they have already read (and enjoyed), learners complete a literary analysis by filling in eight short-answer questions....
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Interactive
Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Close Reading of Prose: Practice 2 (English II Reading)

For Students 10th Standards
The tone is easy to hear but more challenging to detect in written texts. Users of this interactive learn how to closely observe the diction and words writers use to convey their feelings about their subject. They examine passages that...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

What is Poetry? Contrasting Poetry and Prose

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Introduce middle schoolers to the different strategies used when reading prose versus poetry. Groups use a Venn diagram and a poetry analysis handout to compare the characteristics of an informational text and a  poem on the same subject...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maniac Magee: Found Poem

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Instruct your readers to scrounge through the pages of Maniac Magee in search for descriptive passages or words they may use to write poetry. As they look for meaningful, sensory descriptors in Jerry Spinelli's novel, readers connect to...
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Worksheet
1
1
K12 Reader

Literature About Chicago: Prose vs. Poetry

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
In this comprehension exercise, readers compare Carl Sandburg's "Chicago" to a description of the city from Upton's Sinclair's The Jungle.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Go Free or Die: Figurative Language

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Figures of speech, sensory details, and academic language are all targeted while reading Chapter Two of J. Ferris’ Go Free or Die. First, learners engage in an exercise to practice describing with detail. Then, partners use a chart to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When I Set My Hat at a Certain Angle: Trying on Zora Neale Hurston's Voice to Dress-up Prose

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After reading and evaluating examples of prose nonfiction by Zora Neale Hurston and other authors, high schoolers write a personal reflective essay rich in figurative language. By incorporating this strategy, they utilize voice within...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading Fluency

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Aid readers in achieving fluency! Hone in on appropriate pacing, accurate pronunciation, and varied intonation through modeling and ample practice. In one-minute bursts, individuals rehearse reading a passage aloud, recording where they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Literature: What is it?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Eleven slides answer the question "What is literature?" with simple definitions and categories. Each genre of literature is briefly explained and split into subcategories. These bright, colorful slides work well to introduce literature...
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Handout
Office of Migrant Education

Poetry: Form, Syllables, Mood, and Tone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Looking for a resource to introduce homeschoolers and other out-of-class learners to the elements of poetry? Check out this packet that defines and illustrates important poetry terms.
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Activity
Smarter Balanced

Poetry

For Teachers 7th - 9th
How does poetry differ from other forms of writing? Class members view two writing samples, decide which one is a poem, and then identify the criteria they used to distinguish between the two samples.  
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creepy Read Week

For Teachers 8th
Here's a clever technology twist to writing in the round. Participants rotate through a series of computers adding to stories and editing by keystroke and mouse click. "Locked" forms prevent the loss of stories filled with suspense and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Snappy Solutions, Sizzling Sentences

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
An examination of the figurative language in Gwendolyn Brooks’ To Young Readers challenges your writers to think about the richness of language. Ask your class why Brooks says, “Good books are bandages.” This discussion of alliteration,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading (Fluency)

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Emerging readers practice reading fluency. First, they listen to the teacher and classmates model fluent reading, and then they practice fluent oral reading with a partner. To close the day, they participate in a Reader's Theatre based...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Race into Fluency!

For Teachers 1st - 6th Standards
Elementary learners practice reading short passages to increase their fluency. They work in pairs to do repeated readings of Jane and Babe, recording their times. They switch roles and time one another in an effort to decrease the amount...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Imagine That! Analyzing Imagery

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Poems by O. Henry, Marion Dane Bauer, Monty Roberts, and Langston Hughes provide the text for a study of symbolism, hyperbole, and imagery. Employing the “think-pair-share” strategy learners generate definitions of these terms and locate...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Irony in Poetry and Prose (Fiction and Non-fiction Texts)

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Middle and high schoolers examine the impact of irony in poetry and prose. In this figurative language lesson, they read instructor-selected literature and identify uses of irony. Then they discuss how irony enhances literature.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's that Mammal?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learning by example is always effective if it's paired with independent practice opportunities! Model good reading practices for your class. Learners listen to the teacher model examples of reading with voice, expression, and tone...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Give Me Some Expression!

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Work to improve oral expression while reading aloud. Young scholars read sentence strips, changing their volume, speed, and tone to match what is written, making the sentence more meaningful. They read an entire story with a partner who...