Curated OER
What Do Writers Do?
Pupils learn about honing their writing through editing. They write the beginning of a story, paying attention to vocabulary and detail. Then they split into groups of two to peer edit. After discussing ways they can improve their...
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Changes and the Individual
Young scholars evaluate the social effects of inventions and other developments on the lives of ordinary individuals. They create a profile of an individual who might have lived at that time and whose life would have been affected by...
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Tales with a Twist
Your authors create news stories that share a familiar fairy tale from a new perspective. They review a familiar fairy tale, select a character to "interview," and write original news stories from the perspective of that character.
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Audio Aesop: Listen to the Lesson!
Aesop's Fables are the focus of this language arts lesson. Young philosophers study and discuss the morals found in the most famous of Aesop's Fables. They write an original fable that teaches a common moral. A "Fable Listening Library"...
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Columbus Day (Native American Perspective)
Teach your class the perspective Native Americans had on Christopher Columbus. They will examine the effects of Christopher Columbus' exploration on the Native Americans using a reading theater and a carousel brainstorming activity. They...
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Out of the Dust: Background notes about the novel, The Great Depression, and The Dust Bowl
If your class is reading the historical fiction novel, Out of the Dust, then you are in luck. Here are a few slides that will help you provide historical context for the book, as well as define main characters, setting, symbolism, and...
Reed Novel Studies
Wolf Hollow: Novel Study
Annabelle, a young character in Wolf Hollow, discovers one bully can ruin everything when Betty walkes into her classroom. Betty bullies others and targets a war veteran. Individuals read how one person changed Annabelle's life. They...
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Contrasting Cinderellas
Learners compare and contrast the traditional Cinderella to the modern-day fairy tale, Cinder Edna. In this fairy tales instructional activity, students read both stories and construct a Venn diagram to compare the two fairy tales....
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A-Scripting We Will Go
Students write script for a puppet show. In this writing lesson, students write a puppet show script using facts from a previous lesson. They listen to DyAnne DiSalvo Ryan's, City Green before discussing the characters and which ones...
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Use of Literature in SDMPS
Students demonstrate their knowledge of the eight step problem solving process. They describe how the story would change according to the solution chosen, then rewrite an ending to the story based upon a solution other than the one in...
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Animals in Art
Students look at how animals are shown in literature and art as representing emotions, telling a story, or sending a message in this elementary school Language Arts and Visual Arts lesson.
Laura Candler
Bio Poems Made Easy
A creative way bring autobiographical writing to your poetry unit or back-to-school curriculum, this lesson plan guides you through a bio poem activity. Kids use the graphic organizer to describe themselves using adjectives, things...
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Scribbleboy
Fifth graders are introduced to the text, SCRIBBLEBOY, discussing the cover page for clues to the genre. They discuss the ordinary surroundings contrasted by the graffiti and the words and phrases used to provide information about the...
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Ending a Famous Fairy Tale
Altering the ending of a famous fairy tale is a really fun way for kids to experience creative writing. The lesson here has them do just that! Learners listen to the famous fairy tale, "The Twelve Brothers," and change the ending of the...
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Civil War Diaries
Fifth graders examine excerpts from a diary of a Confederate soldier and his experiences in a Union prison camp. After receiving character cards, they write diary entries from the perspectives of their Civil War identity. As an...
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Understanding Characters
Young scholars analyzing characters from a story by creating an article about one. In this story analysis lesson, students read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, and pick one character to write descriptively about....
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Mini-Unit: Natural Resources
Students explore how their choices affect others. In this character development and ecology lesson, students debate choice-making issues. Students listen to The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and identify choices the characters made...
Orange County Department of Education
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Fifth graders read Dear Mr. Henshaw and identify the character trait of self-respect as exhibited by Leigh throughout the story. They evaluate the author's use of letters to tell the story and discuss how the story would be different if...
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Dream Houses
Learners imagine and create their dream house. In this comprehension and interpretation lesson, students read The Big Orange Splot, answer comprehension questions about the story and complete a character traits web. ...
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Jeffrey and the Sloth
Young scholars listen to the story Jeffrey and the Sloth and relate the story to how it feels to have writer's block. In this Jeffrey and the Sloth instructional activity, students use this book to inspire their creative writing process....
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The Wind Blew
Students look at a picture book and observe what the facial expressions show. In this character's feelings lesson, students write what they think the character might be saying on each page and the punctuation they use. ...
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Young Learner's Writing Workshop 2
Students choose a short story and role play one of the characters in the story. They interview each other about the character they are playing to research them.
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Writing Conversation: Using Quotation Marks
In this language arts worksheet, learners learn to use quotation marks in written conversation. Students proofread 5 sentences and add the necessary punctuation. Then learners write a conversation, starting a new line and indenting with...
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Transforming Fairy Tales
Students use technology to write original fairy tales. In this fairy tale lesson, students write their version of famous fairy tales using Alphasmart or computers. Students illustrate their stories.