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Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Giver: Reading Road Map

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Sometimes it's helpful to read certain passages in a novel slowly and carefully, and to read other parts more quickly to move the plot along. Learners tread carefully through Chapter 20 of Lois Lowry's The Giver, noting which parts need...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading a Comparison-Contrast Essay

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
Turn your passive readers into active readers with an engaging instructional activity on reading informational text. Focused on compare and contrast structured essays, the activity prompts elementary learners to jot down questions and...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

The Immigrant Experience

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
The Buttonhook by Mary Jo Salter is the focus of a unit that explores the immigration experience to Ellis Island. First, scholars bring in an artifact that represents their heritage. A group-exercise allows them to share and discuss...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

The African American Experience

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Disrespect can be as subtle as a frown or a turn of a head. To prepare for a study of Toi Derricote's poem "The Weakness" class members create wordless skits that demonstrate subtle or not so subtle signs of disrespect. After a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lightning Thief: During Reading Strategy

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
After reading up to page 371 of Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, get insight into how Percy felt making a major decision through active discussion strategies that enable both academic and thoughtful...
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Lesson Plan
Novelinks

Zach’s Lie: The K-W-H-L Strategy

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The attached resource is no lie! The K-W-H-L activity, which is fourth in a series of seven, serves as a pre- and post-assessment. First, pupils brainstorm what they know about a specific topic, then they list what they want to know, how...
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Lesson Plan
Harper Collins

The World of Ramona

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
Bring the fun and whimsy of Beverly Cleary into your classroom with a teaching guide created to accompany the Ramona series. The guide offers several ideas for classroom use, including independent reading, reading aloud, and literature...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Are What You Read

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders select a prose, poetry, or nonfiction excerpt from a book of their choice and share it by reading aloud to their classmates, who identify the genre and respond to related questions in their journals.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Guided Imagery: Canyons, Chapter 8

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Individuals use words or illustrate what they experience during a reading of a passage from chapter eight of Gary Paulsen's Canyons. Complete directions for the guided imagery exercise, and a suggested passage, are included with the...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: “Home” by Bruce Weigl

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
A poetry lesson takes a close look at home. Scholars discuss with partners what they are most grateful for at their homes. A timelapse video showcases potato tubers growing. While watching, pupils write down what they notice. Learners...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Incredible Bridges: “Cotton Candy” by Edward Hirsch

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Read it, hear it, see it, do it! Young poets experience Edward Hirsch's memory poem, "Cotton Candy," by first closely reading the poem silently, then aloud, watching a video of the poet reading it, and crafting their memory poem of an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picture a Tarantula

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students create an illustration based upon a read-aloud. In this visual arts activity, students listen to the book The Tarantula Scientist and listen for details. Students create a picture based upon what they imagined during the...
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Lesson Plan
Novelinks

Where the Red Fern Grows: Question Answer Response Strategy

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
What makes a good question? Middle schoolers explore the use of questioning through QAR, the question answer response strategy, while reading Where the Red Fern Grows. They learn about the four types of questions: right there, think and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parrot in the Oven: Problematic Situation

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Prior to reading Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida, class members are presented with a problematic situation and to rate their responses as well as predict the responses of a character from the novel.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

The World of Haiku

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Middle schoolers complete a study of Japanese culture through haiku. They read and interpret haiku poetry and write haiku of their own.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narratives

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Add to the narrative writing experience. Elementary or middle school writers listen to the teacher read a descriptive passage, then reread the same passage silently. They highlight sensory details and figurative language, then orally...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peter and the Starcatchers: K-W-H-L Strategy

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Bookend your study of Peter and the Starcatchers with a KWHL centered around treasure and power. Pupils work in small groups to compile knowledge and questions and then revisit this chart after reading and research.
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: “The Everglades” by Campbell McGrath

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Florida's Everglades come alive for young environmental scientists as they watch a video taken in the park and read a poem about the watery paradise. After a careful study of the two resources, class members consider the function of the...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Twisted Tales

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Experience how a story can drastically change when the point of view is altered. Young scholars first read a review of Disney's film Tarzan, focusing on how the point of view in the classic story is important. They then select another...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Mystery: The Game is Afoot

For Teachers K - 8th
Students enter and experience the world of Sherlock Holmes and hard-boiled detectives in this unit on mysteries. They review and analyze the ""Whodunit Requirements" and the "Mystery Contract" that accompany this lesson. Each student...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Final Analysis: Cause and Effect, Fact and Opinion

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Middle schoolers read and review informational texts, analyze cause and effect, and distinguish fact from opinion. They assess a "one-minute mystery" you read aloud for cause and effect relationships. Resource includes complete set of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peter and the Starcatchers: Anticipation Guide

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pique your pupils' interest before reading Peter and the Starcatchers with an anticipation guide. Given a list of 10 statements, learners choose true or false based on what they think the book is about. They then discuss in small groups...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytelling: Writers' Workshop Learning Center

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Evaluating a variety of narrative texts can help build strong writers. Pupils identify plot elements and their relation to personal experience, then apply what they gleaned from the class discussion to create their own narratives.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Say What You Mean! ( Interpretation of Maxims)

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students apply maxims to their reading selections. In this maxims lesson, students develop a list of proverbs. Students explain the meaning of the proverb and relate to a book they are reading. Students share additional proverbs from...