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Activity
Spreading Gratitude Rocks

A Gift of Gratitude

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Words of appreciation make great gifts for special occasions, but people can't tie them up with a bow ... until now! Using the lesson plan, learners write gratitude messages to a chosen recipient. Next, they fill a box or paper bag with...
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Lesson Plan
Spreading Gratitude Rocks

Token of Gratitude

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
What would the world be like if everyone expressed gratitude? Pupils explore the concept by watching a motivating time-lapse video. Scholars express appreciation by handing out tokens of gratitude, and then write about their experiences. 
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Lesson Plan
Spreading Gratitude Rocks

Gratitude Bank

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Money isn't the only type of currency that fills a piggy bank. Learners practice filling their banks with the the things that make them grateful. Pupils write about their talents, relationships, challenges, and life skills, making...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
California Department of Education

Who Am I?

For Teachers 5th Standards
Get in touch with your sense of self! The fifth and final lesson in a series of college and career lessons for fifth graders reinforces the relationship between interests and career choices. Pupils play a scenario-driven game, then dig...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing Informative Text: School Days

For Students 5th Standards
A three-part writing assessment challenges scholars to think critically about schools of the past and present. Learners read informative texts, answer questions to prepare for a discussion, research in small groups, complete a Venn...
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Activity
Candlewick Press

A Classroom Guide to Peter H. Reynolds's Creatrilogy

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Help young readers find, identify, and use their voices with a set of empowering activities based on Peter H. Reynolds' trilogy of books. Sky Color, Ish, and The Dot focus on recognizing moods and treating each other kindly, and their...
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Writing
Curated OER

Scent-Inspired Composition

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
Our sense of smell has a wonderful way of bringing back memories. Unlock those memories with an olfactory-inspired writing prompt that challenges writers to tell a story about a specific smell and the memories it conjures.
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Thomas Jefferson and Monticello: An Introduction to Writing Historical Fiction

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Thomas Jefferson is one of the most recognized names and faces in America—but is there more to the third president of the United States? Upper elementary and middle schoolers conduct research on Jefferson, his famous home at Monticello,...
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Activity
New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Council for the Humanities

Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park

For Teachers 1st - 6th Standards
What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...
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Printables
Curriculum Corner

February Bell Ringers

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
Use a set of 30 writing bell ringers to get through the month of February. Writers tap into and write about how February makes them feel, what it smells like, and all types of celebrations that occur during the month.
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Printables
Curriculum Corner

November Bell Ringers

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
All things November in a set of 32 bell ringer ideas to get you through the month. From writing about November to writing about colors and feelings in fall, these bell ringers are fun and allow creative writing practice.
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Handout
Nosapo

Family Titles, Pronouns, Writing about a Person

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
How is your grandmother related to you? How is your cousin related to your grandmother? Learn about family relationships and pronouns with an activity that guides pupils to write two short narratives about members of their families.
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Lesson Plan
1
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Roald Dahl

Matilda - The Third Miracle

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Magnus takes a visit to the classroom in the 20th chapter of Matilda. Or does he? After reading, learners interview the person in the hot seat to get a detailed account of what happened during this chapter. Then, they write individual...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Roald Dahl

Matilda - Throwing the Hammer

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Full truth, or an exaggeration? How can you tell when a storyteller is exaggerating a story? Readers analyze a story told by Hortensia, and identify the exaggerative language she uses. Then, learners write their own narrative story using...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Roald Dahl

Matilda - The Ghost

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
How do you think the parrot in "The Ghost" chapter of Matilda feels in the chimney? Put a class member in the hot seat and have the class ask questions relating to how they might have felt if they were the parrot in the chimney. Then,...
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Lesson Plan
Channel Islands Film

Magic Isle: Lesson Plan 3

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Middle schoolers complete a writing assessment task to demonstrate their ability to craft a narrative based on a variety of informational texts. They view West of the West's documentary Magic Isle, read three print resources about the...
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Printables
3
3
Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition

Creative Writing Prompts For Every Season and Month

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Winter, spring, summer, and fall! Every season is covered in a 14-page list of writing prompts. Included are story starters, reflection questions, poetry topics, and more.
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Learning to Give

Why Volunteer?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Inspire scholars to volunteer their time to make a positive change in their community. With help from research, a public speaker, and reflection, learners define and asses what it takes to be a volunteer in a business, non-profit,...
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Unit Plan
Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo History Museum: Curriculum Guide

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Learn about the California Gold Rush from an institution that has been in place since the early days of the American West: Wells Fargo History Museum. From domain-specific vocabulary review to group research projects, an expansive packet...
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Writing
Curriculum Corner

May Writing Ideas

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
From Cinco de Mayo to Endangered Species day to National Hamburger Month, May is full of ideas to write about. Give young writers prompts that have everything to do with the month of May. Topics include writing a story, conducting...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Tech Museum of Innovation

Ant-Man Saves the Day

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Provide Ant-Man with a flying device to aid in fighting crime. The first installment of a five-part unit has learners designing and building a flying device for Ant-Man. They write a narrative essay describing the engineering process...
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Writing
Curriculum Corner

April Writing Ideas

For Students 3rd - 6th Standards
There are so many things to celebrate in the month of April, like April Fool's Day, Earth Day, and spring! Use these fun prompts to get young writers writing during the month of April.
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Organizer
Have Fun Teaching

March Writing

For Students 2nd - 5th Standards
How do you catch a leprechaun? Let your writers decide with a resource that has them thinking about story elements and writing creatively. Learners plan their writing in two graphic organizers—one with setting, characters, problem, and...
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Organizer
Curriculum Corner

Spring Fun Literacy Centers

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Looking for spring-themed literacy centers? Look no further because here is a resource packed full of literacy skills practice, including spring verbs, ABC order, spring synonym match, spring phrases, abbreviation match, and a sentence...