Curated OER
Setting the Story: Techniques for Creating a Realistic Setting
“It was a dark and stormy night.” Thus begins the 1830's novel Paul Clifford and, of course, all of Snoopy’s novels! Encourage young writers to craft settings for their stories that go beyond Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s often-mocked phrase...
Curated OER
Lessons in Looking: Contraband in Paintings
Using the paintings On to Liberty and A Ride for Liberty, 10th graders analyze historical perspectives on life after the Civil War. They attempt to determine what the Civil War meant for free slaves, then read a paragraph highlighting...
K12 Reader
What Can You Infer?
Perhaps one of the most famous and illustrative stories featuring irony, "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry provides many opportunities for learners to make inferences about its characters. After reading a short introductory passage from...
Curated OER
Conejito
Third graders read the story "Conejito" and write a descriptive story about the rainforest in Panama. They answer story comprehension questions, complete worksheet questions about a map of Panama, and rewrite a paragraph changing the...
Curated OER
Vivid Verbs
Spice up your writing! Your amateur writers will benefit from concentrating on understanding and improving verb use in writing. An introductory activity addresses weak verbs. A second exercise helps them see the importance of strong...
Curated OER
The Human Body
A 'People Scavenge' activity gets students out of their seat and in search for their peers, in order to discover differences among themselves. Prior to the hunt, students will complete a skit based on a portion of the Bible. The students...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 4, Unit 1, Lesson 24
Who bears the most responsibility for ensuring that goods are ethically produced? Using evidence drawn from Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science, the unit's central text, and from the...
National Constitution Center
American Treasures
Just how long did it take the framers to write the Constitution? What role did the drafting process play? Scholars examine various drafts from the Constitutional Convention to gain a better understanding of its formation. Interactive...
Curated OER
Character Sketch
Students view a PowerPoint presentation about Character sketches, and write a four paragraph character sketch. Emphasis is placed on topic sentences having one main idea per paragraph and elaborating. They study and discuss ways to write...
Curated OER
Multimedia Valentine's Card
Third graders create a Valentine's card stack for a special person of their choice. They write a clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that create a central idea. Students use the computer to create a HyperStudio two card stack....
Curated OER
Interjections
In these interjections worksheets, learners review examples of interjections and introductory words and phrases. Students then complete three pages of activities that help them understand and use interjections.
Curated OER
Peer Editing Worksheet, #2
In this peer editing worksheet, students read and review a teacher-supplied article and respond to 6 short answer questions in order to edit the article's introductory paragraph and body.
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird - Introductory Role Play and Historical Background
Students participate in role-play activities to explain that emotional and social effects of prejudice discussed in the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Curated OER
Introductory Lesson Plan
Students explore the reasons for the Vietnam War. For this World History lesson, students complete three activities that expand and reinforce their knowledge on why the Vietnam war was fought.
TV411
Learn the Steps to Clear Essay Writing!
Introduce your young writers to the five-paragraph expository essay format with a four-page worksheet that uses color codes to model for writers how to craft the essay. Although designed to prepare writers for the GED, the approach can...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Completing My Draft Position Paper
What's the difference? Scholars analyze the similarities and differences between introductory and concluding paragraphs. Then, using a model essay as a guide, they write their draft position papers.
Curated OER
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day
Second graders interact with the story of Alexander's horrible day by connecting it to their lives. They practice predicting, writing paragraphs, reading aloud, discussing his problems, making a card to cheer him up, and designing a pair...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Laws of Life
Students participate in the iEARN Project by completing a questionnaire about values and lessons they have learned. They read sample essays by other students in the project about their views on the laws of life. They then write and post...
Curated OER
The Wild Life: Writing Exercise
In this description activity, students describe a typical summer morning in a teepee village. Essays should include introductory paragraph, body paragraph, and concluding paragraph.
Curated OER
Technology Integration Lesson Plan: Texas Congressional Delegates
Eighth graders research congressional delegates from state of Texas, create database including delegate profiles, write introductory paragraphs on how census affects Congressional representation, and import information into word...
Curriculum
Expository Writing
The beauty of the way this expository writing resource is structured is that the units can be presented as a complete writing workshop or sequenced throughout a course of study
Curated OER
The Writing Process
Introducing your emergent writers to the writing process? Consider using this presentation that gives a clear overview of the steps involved in producing a piece of writing. The elements of an essay are then introduced; however, the only...
Curated OER
Printable Story Starter: Collision
This writing prompt provides students with the introductory paragraph to a creative story about a sledding accident. Students can use the provided prompt, or they can choose to begin a similar story with their own ideas. They are also...
Curated OER
Printable Story Starter: Grandmother's Cottage
This writing prompt provides students with an introduction paragraph about a trip to Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. Students can finish the story in a creative writing exercise. The prompt could be a good addition to a...