Curated OER
Lesson Nine: Size and Scale
Students investigate scale as it is related to maps. In this map instructional activity, students read Jack and the Beanstalk by Carol North. Students then compare the setting in the story to a landscape picture map to help them study...
Curated OER
What's Your State Symbol?
Students explore their state symbols. In this symbolism lesson, students use a variety of resources to research the symbols that represent their state. Students discover the state flower, state flag, and state bird.
Curated OER
Tantalizing Tangrams
Students construct a set of tangrams. In this geometry activity, students read the book, Grandfather Tang's Story and retell the story using tangrams. Students construct their own set of tangrams using the included worksheets.
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
Anti Racism Activity: The Sneetches
Students group together into fairness teams and reflect on how to be fair. In this fairness lesson plan, students read about The Sneetches and discuss how racism singles people out. Then they discuss their own experiences and group...
Curated OER
Learning to Summarize a Story
Young scholars with hearing loss read independently and understand what is being read to them. In this independent reading lesson plan, students sequence and discuss the book that is read.
Curated OER
Geo Jammin' By Design: Listening for Patterns
Learners listen to the teacher read a book and participate with guided questions. They discuss patterns and how they repeat, by looking at quilts. They design their own quilt block to create a class quilt.
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
Students 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
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
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
Dinosaurs: Creatures of the Past
Students 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
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
What Do We Need for Our Picnic?
First graders group objects according to physical characteristics.
Curated OER
Constrating Cinderellas/ Connecting LA Cenerentola
Students contrast the traditional Cinderella character with a modern, independent and socially conscious Cinderella. To activate prior knowledge by eliciting from the students some of the familiar story elements of the traditional...
Curated OER
How We Have Changed!
First graders practice using their writing skills. They create memory books through the use of daily journal writing questions of the day. Students respond to story prompts and write autobiographies of themselves and another classmate.
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 instructional activity, the teacher will read the story, Jack and the Beanstalk, multiple times before the students create their opinion. The...
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.
Other
Seattle University: Literature Circles Resource Center
How can you get started with literature circles in your classroom? This site provides information on every aspect of developing your own literature circle instruction.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Corduroy Lesson Plan
This ReadWriteThink lesson features an opportunity for young scholars to respond to literature through writing journals about "Corduroy," by Don Freeman. This idea could be used with other books as well.
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.
History is Fun
Jan Brett: Ordinal Numbers: Cats in Line Activity Page
Math and literature meet in this interactive game exploring ordinal numbers. Based on the cat tale, Comet's Nine Lives by Jan Brett, this activity is sure to engage students in developing number order skills. Learners receive immediate...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Blogging in the Primary Grades? Yes, Indeed!
In this lesson, learners 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...