Curated OER
Kid's Sports
Students read about kid's sports, why it is important and discuss the factors affecting young players. In this kid's sports lesson, students create a list explaining why kid's don't participate. Students create a test to measure...
K12 Reader
Acceptance Speech
"I'd like to thank the members of the academy . . ." Kids craft an acceptance speech in which they identify what the award is for, their qualifications, and how they feel about being the recipient.
Curated OER
Kids Collect LEGOs for New Orleans
Students read and discuss a news article about children that collected 1.5 million LEGO bricks for kids in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. They complete a fill-in-the blank activity, answer article comprehension questions, solve...
K5 Learning
May the Best Prankster Win
Everyone loves a good prank! With this reading passage, Perla and her grandmother play some fun innocent pranks on one another. Kids focus on new vocabulary words, questions about the information they have read, and responding with their...
Curated OER
Jet Delivers Books to Kids Overseas
Students identify the function of organizations, then read a news article about an organization called Room to Read that is sending books to poor countries. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a...
National Park Service
The Poet's Toolbox
If you need a lesson for your poetry unit, use two poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ("Rain in Summer" and "The Slave in the Dismal Swamp") and a resource on Elements of Poetry. The lesson plan guides you through activities on...
Classroom Jr.
Running for President Story Starter
Most American children have, at one point or another, imagined what it would be like to run for president. Offer this creative writing prompt to young writers and discover how the world would change if kids were charge.
Whitewater Valley Railroad
Teaching and Learning with The Polar Express
Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take their...
Curated OER
The Night Before Thanksgiving
Natasha Wing's story The Night Before Thanksgiving is a great way to incorporate rhyme and literature into the Thanksgiving season. Learners make text-to-self connections, recall main events, and choose post-reading activities from an...
Curated OER
Identify and Discuss the Author's Purpose
Examine author's purpose in a persuasive text using this scaffolded plan. You essentially have a verbatim script here, but it can definitely be used as an outline instead. Review questions that readers should ask themselves when...
Curated OER
Create Your Own Hero
Chinese legends are the focus of an interesting lesson plan that combines social studies with writing. Learners read the Chinese folk tale, "Li Chi Slays The Serpent." After the story is over, they make a list of the courageous things...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Comprehension: Text Analysis, Persuade, Inform, and Entertain Sort
Why do authors write? Practice determining the author's purpose with a categorizing activity. Learners sort twelve short passages into three categories: persuade, inform, and entertain.
Teacher Created Resources
Terrific Topic Sentences
Strengthen writing skills with a introductory exercise to learn how to write topic sentences. Using an informational reading passage, pupils delineate the types of sentences they read and discern what the topic sentence should be.
Poetry4kids
How to Host an Open Mic Poetry Party
Four steps to Open Mic Night! The location, invitations, supplies, and party favors are all part of the process in planning and hosting a fun-filled gathering where scholars read aloud an original poem or one by their favorite author.
Curated OER
Dealing with Tragedy in the Classroom
Students explore the concept of human tragedy. In this September 11 terrorist attacks lesson, students write condolence letters, discuss the qualities of heroes, and investigate volunteer opportunities.
Curated OER
A Community of Givers
Students explore charitable organizations. In this character development lesson, students read about children who have contributed to charitable organizations, research a variety of these organizations, plan a project, and prepare a...
Curated OER
Literacy: Each One Teach One
Learners read the book, Amber on the Mountain and discuss its philanthropic implications. They determine the literacy needs of their own communities. They ask family members to complete reading recollection forms about when and how they...
Scholastic
Holes Match 'Em Up Challenge
Upper graders read the book Holes as a class or by themselves. In groups, they identify symbols and discuss how they are connected among the many plots in the story. They create a timeline in which they sequence the main events to end...
Curated OER
Endangered Marine Turtles
Students work in groups and experience what it is like to be a hatchling marine turtle by playing a board game. For this endangered marine turtles lesson, students research the threats to marine turtle hatchlings. Students then create a...
Curated OER
Are You Money Smart?
Learners figure out and discuss the irony of this coin-centric poem. They also practice persuasive letter writing, and identify and count coin/money values.
Curated OER
Let's Make a Plan
Students investigate pollution reduction policies in place at their school. In this pollution reduction lesson, students interview people in their school to determine what pollution policies are in place. They create a plan to increase...
Curated OER
Reading With Fluency And Expression
Practice makes perfect, and this lesson provides a rubric to prove it! To improve their ability to read with fluency and expression, readers listen to a series of online stories in order to hear how a well-read story should sound. They...
Curated OER
Making a Quilt
Students use vocabulary to describe the quilt making process. For this quilting lesson, students collect needed materials, sequence the steps for quilting and create an original peace quilt. Students write about their quilts.
Curated OER
Heroes
Students explore reading comprehension strategies. In this character development and reading comprehension lesson, students brainstorm common traits of "heroes." Students read Heroes, then identify the personal conflicts the story...