Curated OER
Introducing Nouns and Verbs
Second graders accurately identify nouns and verbs in sentences. In this nouns and verbs lesson plan, 2nd graders sing a jingle to help them identify characteristics of nouns and verbs. Students classify pictures in the proper category...
Curated OER
The Outsiders
Tenth graders complete a variety of activities related to the first two chapters of the book The Outsiders. They define metaphor, simile, idiom, and hyperbole, and take a vocabulary pre-quiz. In small groups, they write a character...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Colonizing the Bay
Eleventh graders review the goals of John Winthrop. In this American History lesson, 11th graders read Winthrop's speech and summarize his key points. Students predict the possibilities for success and failure in the Massachusetts Bay...
Curated OER
The History and Culture of Ireland
Ireland has an interesting history that can lead to a variety of motivating lessons.
Curated OER
Fairy Tale Lessons Can Spice Up Language Arts Activities
Fairy tales can be a motivating way to introduce students to a variety of topics, including literary analysis.
Curated OER
A New Year’s Celebration
You can reflect on the past and celebrate the future with these motivating activities.
Yale University
"This is Not a Story to Pass On": Teaching Toni Morrison's Beloved
Tenth graders read "Beloved" by Toni Morrison. In groups, they research the life and works of Morrison and read a speech by Sojouner Truth. Using the novel, they discuss the experiences of slaves and the effect of slavery on their...
Curated OER
Poems Put to Use
Students listen to sample poetry recitations. They discuss times when poetry might be used in real-life situations to move/motivate other people or audiences. They identify particularly moving passages and then quote them effectively to...
Curated OER
Saving the Rainforests
Students search and study the various web sites on the rain forest. They determine parts of speech of each new word. Once this has been done, they read the composition first silently and then aloud. They demonstrate comprehension of the...
Curated OER
Lincoln's Legend and Legacy
Learners evaluate Lincoln's impact on American History. In this Civil War lesson, students view a film clip of writings about Lincoln. Learners take notes and compare how the writings define his legacy. Students write their own poem or...
Curated OER
Choices and Commitments: The Soldiers at Gettysburg
Learners investigate the Gettysburg Campaign and the major actions for each day of the battle. They read primary source documents, write a diary entry, analyze the Gettysburg Address, and write a persuasive speech regarding an issue in...
Curated OER
Thanks Be To You
Students research U.S. history by completing a worksheet activity in class. In this historical figure instructional activity, students identify the contributions and risks taken by the former African-American leader Martin Luther King...
Curated OER
Analyzing Word Use Through Guided Wordle
Even though this lesson is just a basic way to review verb usage, it takes a novel approach. First, pupils identify verbs that they use too often in their writing, and then they create a Wordle. Wordle is a website that provides graphic...
Curated OER
More Joy of Abstract Nouns 1
Students are provided with a list of 20 adjectives that they must generate abstract nouns to match. For example, the first term, luxurious, would prompt the answer luxury. Directions for this activity explain that abstract nouns don't...
Curated OER
Describing Words
First graders practice using describing words. In this descriptive word lesson, 1st graders read the story The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs and match the pig descriptions to their names. They play a game where they describe an object...
Mailbox Education Center
On the Hunt: Understanding Figurative Language
Young writers hunt for examples of figurative language in their reading. The hunt requires pupils to cite their sources, record a quoted example for each type of figurative language, and an explanation of what they think the examples...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Kinesthetic Grammar Approach
Though beautiful, William Shakespeare's prose can be inhibiting for learners who are new to his works. A instructional activity based on The Tempest guides high schoolers through the paraphrasing process, including noting the subjects...
Curated OER
Two's Company; Is Three a Crowd?
Students explore the history of third-party politics in America. They research the impact of one third-party or independent candidate for president and develop a poster and stump speech representing that candidate's motivation for running.
Curated OER
Fathers and Sons in Henry IV
Students explore the power struggles in England's history using Shakespeare's Henry IV. In this Shakespeare lesson, students write answer to journal questions about the play and discuss specific passages. Students work as groups to...
Curated OER
Social Life in the 1950's and Domestic Politics and Policy
Eleventh graders examine the cultural mood and politics of the 1950's in the United States. They read a section of their text and take notes, view a clip of the movie "Pleasantville" and discuss societal roles in the 1950's, and listen...
Curated OER
The Civil War Experience
Students write or design a creative project about the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students share memorable quotes from speeches and discuss documents historians could use to analyze the Civil War. Students read excerpts from...
Curated OER
Diamante Poems
Third graders discuss what diamante stands for in English. They discover the elements of a Diamante poem by observing the teacher writing a poem. Using their journals, 3rd graders create their poem using different parts of speech and...
Curated OER
FCE Use of English Part 5: Word Formation
Young scholars examine a paragraph on the topic of Spam to highlight and analyze some of the most common mistakes made by exam candidates. They fill in the blanks, identify parts of speech and discuss multiple forms of several words.
Curated OER
We Are the Government
Students read primary documents to find the motivations of the founding fathers of the United States. In this primary documents lesson, students discuss the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution, read parts of the Constitution...