University of Texas
Essential Reading Strategies for the Struggling Reader
Beneficial for beginning readers, struggling readers, and those in need of review, a set of language arts activities is a great addition to any foundational reading unit. Focusing on phonological awareness, fluency, instructional...
Reading Resource
Going to the Movies (Basic Code Sentences)
Take a pretend trip to the movies with a series of basic code sentences. Images of movie tickets, popcorn buckets, and movie cameras award learners varying amounts of points for each sentence that they can successfully read.
Curated OER
Map Skills
Do you need to practice map skills? Children with a range of abilities will complete a KWL chart about maps, practice important map vocabulary and then read a few pages from their textbook. They will use their vocabulary words and...
Curated OER
A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
Curated OER
Wales: An Interdisciplinary Unit
Students practice basic map and geographic skills as they compare Oregon to Wales. Students color map of Wales and Oregon using color codes to distinguish between land, water, and bordering nations or states, listen to stories and...
Teacherfiles
Basic Story Map
Here’s an all-purpose story map template that readers can use to keep track of books read for class, of independent reading, and even for stories planned. Users identify the title, author, major characters, setting, and events from the...
Curated OER
Mexico: One Land, Many Cultures
Students, through a variety of activities, discover the geography and culture of Mexico. They make maps, read folktales, write a journal, create pinatas and other artistic pieces, and review the history of Mexico.
Curated OER
Making a Map
Students are introduced to maps by examining the various types and practice using a key to find information. They each create their own map with a key and graph information. As a class, they read the story "Henny Penny" and share their...
Curated OER
Learning to Read a Regional Map
Pupils locate the local community, surrounding communities and major geographic features of the SE Utah and the Four-Corners region on a map, after receiving direct instruction.
Curated OER
Fairy Tales
Once upon a time are four words most children are familiar with when reading a fairy tale. But do they know that fairy tales are a great way to learn the literary elements of reading and writing? Use a thorough fairy tale unit to teach...
Curated OER
A Map Mystery
First graders solve a mystery by following map clues. In this map clues lesson plan, 1st graders follow a computer program called Neighborhood Map Machine. In this program, it gives students directional and spatial clues in order to...
Curated OER
Me on the Map: Homes, Neighborhoods, and Communities
Young scholars read a book about maps and identify the differences between a picture and a map. In this maps lesson plan, students also label maps of their home, neighborhood, and community.
Curated OER
Mapping Comprehension
Learners explore story structure. They discuss questions they can ask themselves while silently reading. Students implement their story knowledge by making story maps. They read The Little Pink Rose and the Cloud and create a story map...
Curated OER
Christopher Columbus
Help first graders gain an understanding of the beginnings of our nation by learning more about Christopher Columbus. They begin by listening to a read aloud of Christopher Columbus and His Voyage to the New World (another title could be...
Goodwill Community Foundation, Inc.
Directions and Distances
Describe where you are—and find out where you are going—with a beginning Spanish resource on directions and maps. Spanish learners repeat and practice direction words such as norte, este, and oeste, as well as measurement terms such as...
Curated OER
Story Mapping A Favorite Book
First graders create a diagram of a story by using the computer program Kidspiration. In this diagramming lesson plan, 1st graders will pick a book to write about. They then will plug in story elements of the book into the computer...
Curated OER
Locomotor Treasure Hunt
Students practice in refining their locomotor skills and developing their understanding of pathways and basic map reading skills.
Curated OER
Welcome to My World!
Young scholars use maps to locate information. They read the story, "It Looked Like Spilt Milk", view images of the continents and discuss the various continents. Afterward, they make their own Atlas to record information that they can...
Curated OER
Arthur's Nose
Young scholars read a story and complete a story map. In this diversity and acceptance lesson, students read Arthur's Nose, make a story map, research Aardvarks, complete a Venn Diagram comparing Arthur's nose to other animals in the...
Curated OER
Learning about Maps and Colors
First graders discuss "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and his drawings. In this neighborhood geography lesson, 1st graders learn to detect and classify places on a map including their home. Students recognize their address as a specific...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
More Tribal Homelands
Here is a very fun idea that introduces young learners to how geographical location affects cultural development. They are introduced to four areas where Native Americans have lived in the past by reading stories and examining images....
Curated OER
Changing Images of Childhood in America: Colonial, Federal and Modern England
Learners compare and contrast maps of New Haven, Connecticut from today and the past. After taking a field trip, they draw sketches of the types of architecture and discuss how the buildings have changed over time. They read journal...
Curated OER
Where is Shirley the Elephant?
Young animal lovers engage in a lesson that's all about elephants. They access an elephant sanctuary website and read a story about Shirley the elephant. They perform a series of activities based upon that story, and also study about the...
Curated OER
Different Strokes For Different Folktales
Young readers use graphic organizers, such as Venn diagrams and story maps, to analyze a variety of folktales and the elements of a story. They use writing, sequencing activities, and creative art to identify the morals learned from a...