Curated OER
Using Alliteration in The Z was Zapped
Students discuss alliteration and how it is used in the book The Z Was Zapped. Students choose a letter and create alliterative sentences and illustrate the letter.
Curated OER
Property: Ownership, Respect, and Responsibilty
Learners brainstorm objects that belong to themselves, classmates, the teacher, and the school. They discuss and rank what happens when personal property is damaged.
Curated OER
Nursery Rhymes
Students copy a memorized nursery rhyme on to writing paper. They illustrate their writing and the finished piece is posted for conferences or Back-to-School night.
Curated OER
Whodunit?
First graders choose a community member, show how to resolve a conflict, and trade writing with a classmate. They match symbols that might represent the community members they have chosen.
Curated OER
Seussville Meets the 4 Blocks
First graders read and examine Dr. Seuss books, and create and write their own stories.
Curated OER
What Genre Am I?
First graders differentiate between different pieces of literary genres by participating in a hands-on activity. This includes a student assessment sheet.
Curated OER
Observing Plants
Students identify how plants affect the survival of a caterpillar and what plants need to survive. They plant three bean seeds in the three containers, placing two containers at a sunny window and the third one in a dark closet and label...
Curated OER
Dinosaurs: Creatures of the Past
Learners search for information and pictures of dinosaurs to distinguish between meat-eating and plant-eating dinosaurs. They explore theories about their extinction, and create illustrations of dinosaurs using Kid Pix or other drawing...
Curated OER
What Do We Need for Our Picnic?
First graders group objects according to physical characteristics.
Curated OER
Discover Picture-Perfect Projects
Use classic, well-loved picture books as means of infusing visual and language arts in the elementary classroom.
Curated OER
Memory in Your World
Students rotate through three classroom stations and identify similarities and differences between machines with and without memory, such as typewriters and computers, and illustrate how machines with memory fit into their world.
Curated OER
Lesson Six Where People Live
Students investigate where people live. For this early geography lesson, students read Make Way for Ducklings! by Robert McCloskey and then discuss what neighborhoods are as they identify them on landscape picture maps.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Writing an Opinion in Response to the Story
Students need to have lots of opportunities to share their opinions based on text. In this lesson, the teacher will read the story, Jack and the Beanstalk, multiple times before the students create their opinion. The detailed process of...
Books in the Classroom
Carol Hurst's Children's Literature Site: The Keeping Quilt
A review of "The Keeping Quilt" by Patricia Polacco, a story about a Russian immigrant mother and family as well as other resources for teaching young readers.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Introduction to Opinion Writing
Students' opinions are a crucial step in the foundation of good writing. After reading 'I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato', students will state their own opinion about a topic through writing.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: 103 Things to Do Before/during/after Reading
The highly-respected Reading Rockets program offers both teachers and students a toolkit of ways to connect more actively with the materials they read. Some of these techniques are specifically for fiction-reading, others are designed...
Scholastic
Scholastic Lesson Plan: A Chair for My Mother
This extensive lesson plan uses the Children's Literature book "A Chair for My Mother," by Vera B. Williams to teach the concepts of saving and reaching a goal. Primary students are the target for this lesson.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Blogging in the Primary Grades? Yes, Indeed!
In this lesson, students read blogs written by students their own age and learn to shape a well-thought-out response that addresses and answers the questions posed in the blog. Then, after reading, discussing, and deciding what makes a...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Oh My! It's Apple Pie!
In this lesson, students will give an opinion on the best part of the story "Oh My! It's Apple Pie!" and validate why it is their favorite. Included are student samples, an assessment sample, templates, and videos of the lesson in action.
History is Fun
Jan Brett: Seashell Rounding Activity
Sharpen your rounding skills with this interactive game based on Jan Brett's, Comet's Nine Lives. Round correctly to the nearest ten and earn a sand dollar for each correct response. Immediate feedback provided.