Curated OER
Celebrating Saturn and Cassini
Students use their notes from previous lessons to write a paper on Saturn or Cassini. They share their writings with the class. They discover how everyone has a different learning style.
Poetry Foundation
Poetry Foundation: Dream in Color: Resource Guide for Elem School Teachers [Pdf]
Explore a wealth of poems, lesson plans, and classroom activities to help elementary school students discover the diversity in African-American poets and create their own voice in poetry. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Compiling Poetry Collections and a Working Definition of Poetry
Contains plans for eight lessons in a poetry unit that asks learners to write poetry in various forms after reading models. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as...
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Poetry for the Elementary Classroom
Site contains a narrative and three lesson plans. These plans are designed to assist students with various aspects of poetry. This site discusses strategies which enable students to effectively, memorize, recite, and correctly pronounce...
Utah State University
A Mini Unit of Gwendolyn Brooks
Nice lesson plan for grades 5-6 that explores poetry and personal expression through the work of Gwendolyn Brooks. Has lots of activities but could easily be modified for time. Has nearly everything you need to do the lesson!
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Garden Lesson Plans: Japanese Garden Vocabulary: Haiku [Pdf]
A mini-unit on haiku where students learn about and write haiku inspired by Japanese gardens. This activity is intended to be done in conjunction with a visit to a Japanese garden, but this is not essential.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Presidential Inaugurations
This resource provides step-by-step lesson plans that detail the Presidential Inauguration. It offers links to superb primary sources (photos, poems, audio, etc.) that catalog past inaugurations. This resource will certainly help...
Schools of California Online Resources for Education
Literature Unit: The House of Dies Drear
"The House of Dies Drear," is a powerful novel by Virginia Hamilton.
Read Works
Read Works: Grade 2: Two Lesson Unit: Voice
[Free Registration/Login Required] A set of two lesson plans designed to teach students to describe the author's voice in two poems and compare voice in four short works. Includes ideas for direct teaching, guided practice, and...
Read Works
Read Works: Voice 3rd Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of two lesson plans designed to teach students to recognize words and phrases that support the author's voice in poetry. Lessons are based on the books Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel...
PBS
Pbs: The Statue of Liberty
A detailed unit plan on liberty and the role the Statue of Liberty has played in America. Six lessons are completely described including making a classroom model of the statue, creating a timeline, and analyzing a poem.
Lin and Don Donn
Lin and Don Donn: Language Lessons: Native American Lit.
Relevant resource links and ideas for lessons to teach Native American Literature also come with information on specific units, suggested lists of books, and Native American Poetry.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Shel Silverstein Classroom Activity
As part of a unit on Shel Silverstein and his poetry (specifically "Where the Sidewalk Ends"), this classroom activity provides a brief classroom project and includes lesson plan ideas, web links, and additional texts.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Poet Emily Dickinson
As part of a unit on Emily Dickinson and her poetry, this classroom activity provides a brief classroom project and includes lesson plan ideas, web links, and additional texts.
Teachers.net
Teachers.net: Pumpkin Potpourri (Lesson Plan)
Some cute ideas on integrating a pumpkin theme into many subject areas, based on reading "Pumpkin, Pumpkin," by Jeannie Titherington. Activities include making a pumpkin story wheel, creating a mural, and making a paper pumpkin patch.