Curated OER
Digital Storytelling
Scholars of all ages can use the various tools of technology to construct and illustrate a story. Utilizing this resource, learners work with a partner to brainstorm and draft a story based on personal experience. They use computer...
Curated OER
I Hate to Complain but your Cheese Stinks
Students read and discuss the "fractured" fairy tale "The Stinky Cheese Man". They imagine that they are in the fairy tale and write a letter of complaint concerning the Cheese Man and how he stinks up the town.
Curated OER
How to Achieve Your Financial Goals
Students explore economics by creating a budget. In this financial goal setting instructional activity, students investigate their use of time by completing a worksheet. Students identify financial goals they would like to achieve in the...
Curated OER
Desert Drama
Young scholars read both fiction and nonfiction books with desert themes. Then they write desert stories and reports, reviewing texts for information to include in writing. Students also design desert scenes with details and setting...
Curated OER
Using Story Elements to Write a Rep
Students write a rap song to tell the who, what, and where of a story. In this literature instructional activity, students learn to identify the setting, characters, and plot of a story. Students watch a video and discuss story elements....
Curated OER
Beanie Friend Vacation Stories
Students write an adventure story about their vacation with a Beanie friend. They select a city, research its vacation possibilities and write about the places that they would like to visit.
Curated OER
21st Century Book Club
After reading a self-selected book, young reviewers plan, draft, revise, edit and polish a book review as their report on the book. Reviewers record and edit their report which is then placed in the digital library for others to enjoy.
Curated OER
Giving with Imagination
Demonstrate gift giving as an act of caring about someone versus gifts for show (or gifts from the purse). Elementary learners practice giving gifts from the heart by creating a poem for someone special to them.
Curated OER
Robinson Crusoe Island Adventure
After reading and describing the characters, setting, and plot in The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, class members write original Island Adventure narrative pieces including detailed descriptions of people, places, and things. Afterward,...
Curated OER
Wilma Unlimited: Ambition and Goal Setting
Students listen as the teacher reads a book about an Olympic Gold Medal runner who made her big dream come true despite her hardships with polio. For this Wilma Rudolph lesson, students think about and discuss what big dreams are and...
Curated OER
Homonyms
Students work in groups to write stories that have homonyms in them. In this homonyms lesson plan, students use their own experiences to write these stories.
Curated OER
Dramatizing Your Story
Students write a script, planning and recording improvisations based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature and history.
Curated OER
Creature From The Deep
Students become familiar with oceanography terms by writing an oceanography horror story.
Curated OER
Diamonte Writing
Students discover poetry while practicing their storytelling skills. In this language arts lesson, students read diamonte and acrostic poems written by other students on the Internet. Students create their own narrative stories about a...
Curated OER
Rebus Writing Using Nursery Rhymes and a Book
Learners write nursery rhyme rebus songs. In this music lesson, students practice writing rebuses as a class. Learners then create their own rebus based upon "The Bag I'm Taking to Grandma's".
Curated OER
Picture This!
Students explore and generate story elements for wordless picture books. For this collaborative writing lesson, students review wordless picture books and write a story based on the illustrations. Students use post-it notes to organize...
Curated OER
Chinese Puzzle Story
Students study the Chinese form of tangrams. They read the story, "Grandfather Tang's Story," by Ann Tompert and discuss how tangrams are used to tell the story. Using paper and scissors, they create animal tangrams and write stories...
Curated OER
The Princess's Point of View
Everyone wants to be part of a royal family. Let your pupils experience the privilege of royalty by rewriting the story The Frog Prince from the point of view of the princess. While the story line remains the same, perspective is bound...
Curated OER
Fractured Fairy Tales
Through reading and writing, learners explore common elements found in fairy tales. After discussing traditional fairy tales, class members listen to The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by John Scieszka, a hilarious retelling of the...
Curated OER
Listen To Me!
Young learners need practice speaking comfortably in front of others. Post a list of oral speaking tips on the board during this unit. Over a week-long period, they create a story from their interview sheet and present it to the class....
Curated OER
Holes Comprehension Companion
Here is a one-stop planning resource for Louis Sachar's Newbery Award-winning book Holes. You'll find 21 links to worksheets and various activities designed to span the entire book. Learners draw to help analyze settings and make...
Curated OER
Quilt Squares-Literature Reporting
Differentiate instruction with this crafty approach to demonstrating comprehension. Learners choose a fictional book at their reading level, and afterward create a quilt square. The square is "decorated" with words, illustrations, and...
Curated OER
Pizzazz!...Chain Stories
Students compose a short story working with partners. They create a beginning, middle, and an ending. Students brainstorm with their partners and create a creative short story.
Curated OER
Life Story of an Artifact
Learners write about an artifact that they are studying. In this artifacts lesson plan, students analyze details of the artifact and answer short answer questions about it.