Curated OER
Paragraph Development Exercise: Familiar to Unfamiliar
Demonstrate how to draw in readers by starting a paragraph with a familiar topic, and then moving into the more complex ideas after they are already engaged. Writers can read over the example, which is a bit abstract and might need...
Curated OER
Shapes on the Geoboard
Create fun shapes on the Geoboard! Your young scholars will have a blast discovering new ways to form familiar and unfamiliar shapes using rubber bands. They choose a favorite shape and record it, then write about their shape. Use these...
North Clackamas School District
Context Clues: Synonyms
What do you do when you find a word that's not familiar to you? Help readers use context clues when encountering unfamiliar words with a grammar activity. They note the parts of the sentences that show the meaning of the word, write how...
Curated OER
Word Up!
Study the importance of word choice in informational text. Middle and high schoolers locate unfamiliar words and phrases in newspaper articles of their choosing, and use online word sites to explore the definitions and histories of each....
Curated OER
Education in Colonial New England
Fifth graders examine schooling now and in New England Colonies. In this compare and contrast instructional activity, 5th graders describe schools of the present to schools of the past. Students also investigate the goals of schooling...
Curated OER
Artlex Online Vocabulary
Students complete an artwork analysis and vocabulary activity. For this artwork and vocabulary lesson, students write definitions for the familiar terms from the worksheet. Students select a piece of artwork from the web site to include...
Curated OER
Requesting Directions
Young scholars work with their partners to role play giving and receiving directions to familiar and unfamiliar places. Students practice verifying directions through verbal repetition. This lesson is intended for young scholars...
Novelinks
The House on Mango Street: Vocabulary Word Squares
Chanclas, muerto, cuando. Spanish words are plentiful in The House on Mango Street and may be unfamiliar to many readers. A vocabulary words squares activity will help kids remember the meaning of these words and add to their...
California Academy of Science
What Kind of Geologist Am I?
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...
Curated OER
Mythological Word Origins
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...
Curated OER
Identify Base Words and Suffixes to Read Multisyllabic Words #1
Show your scholars how adding an affix changes the entire meaning of a word; they focus on the suffix -able. You'll find a complete script here, but if you don't want to read this verbatim, use it simply as an outline. Learners watch you...
Smarter Balanced
How the Brain Works
Cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, pituitary gland, and spinal cord. Prepare your class for a performance task assessment on the brain and how it works with a scripted plan that defines these terms and identifies the functions the parts...
Curated OER
Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Tutorial: PowerPoint Basics
Here's a tutorial designed to introduce Mac users to the basics of Microsoft's PowerPoint software and to help them develop their skills using the program.
Curated OER
Pond 1: Pond Life
Students investigate familiar and unfamiliar ecosystems using Internet resources. They explore how various organisms satisfy their needs within their environments and study the kinds of relationships that exist between organisms within...
Curated OER
Defining Moments
Seventh graders use context clues to define words. In this language arts activity, 7th graders engage in a class discussion regarding how we determine the meaning of words that we aren't familiar with. Then, students complete a very good...
Curated OER
My Family
Students read a story entitled, "My Family." They predict what they expect to they family will be doing in the book. Students explore strategies for decoding unfamiliar words. They brainstorm things family members might teach each other....
Curated OER
Holi-Days
Students research an event, celebration, or observance from a culture with which they are not familiar and present their information to the class in this cross-curricular look at festivals and celebrations. The instructional activity...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan for Scaffolding Complex Texts
Enhance a class read-aloud of the children's story Hi! Fly Guy with this reading comprehension lesson. Children first listen as the teacher reads the story, stopping along the way to discuss any unfamiliar vocabulary. The book is then...
Smarter Balanced
Archaeological Discoveries
Artifacts, inscriptions, and monuments. Here's an activity designed to ensure that all learners are familiar with the key terms and concepts they will need to begin a study of archaeological discoveries.
Curated OER
"Jabberwocky" Jive
Pupils review the fantasy of Alice in Wonderland and discuss the author. After reading the poem, "Jabberwocky," they look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary. Working as partners, they create a list of "protmanteau" or invented words...
Curated OER
Romeo and Juliet & Shakespearean Theater
The Bard? Folly? Tragedy? How familiar are your pupils with terms associated with Romeo and Juliet? Class members rate their knowledge of a list of words and then share what they know with the class. The worksheet, discussion questions,...
Curated OER
National Customs: The Birth of the Ancient Games
Young scholars discover that different countries have different customs. Using the internet, they research the familiar and unfamiliar customs of a country they are interested in. They work together to create a travel brochure to help...
Curated OER
Pond 1: Pond Life
Students work together to investigate familiar and unfamiliar ecosystems. Using the internet, they discover how different organisms use their environment to satisfy their needs. They also examine the relationshiops between organisms...
Curated OER
NonFiction Reading
Students explore reading nonfiction. In this nonfiction lesson, students practice using KWL charts to organize nonfiction information gained from reading. Students explore unfamiliar words from reading and recognize synonyms and antonyms.