Friends of Fort McHenry
Sensory “Star Spangled Banner”
Music can help us to access memories and events in a meaningful way, and Francis Scott Key used specific words to convey what he had seen and felt when writing what would become America's national anthem. Help your class connect to...
Curated OER
10 Tips for Keeping All Readers Accountable
Keep middle and high school readers accountable and push all students toward success by showing interest in their reading and testing the strategies below.
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
The Backpack Travel Journals
Strap on those backpacks, it's time to travel through history with this literature unit based on the first four books of The Magic Tree House series. While reading through these fun stories, children create story maps, record...
Illinois Music Education Conference
Taking the “General” Out of Middle School General Music!
Middle schoolers will sing the praises of this music program. The resource, designed as an overview for music instructors, is loaded with ideas, activities, and links. Not a sour note in the packet.
Curated OER
Celebrate Endangered Species Day at Your School
Learn how your school can join numerous conservation organizations in celebrating Endangered Species Day on May 17th.
Curated OER
Reel in Learning with Reptiles
Whether it’s all about a Jackson Chameleon or a North American Bearded Lizard, learners will be eager to embark on informational text with reptiles.
Curated OER
How To Use the Six Traits of Writing
Use these reference tools to plan and organize the Six Traits of Writing Program.
Curated OER
Ecology Integration Using IMovie
Amazing! Any 5th grader would be more than willing to participate in this project. Students are broken into groups, each group reads one book from a list of five. They use their book as the basis for choosing an animal and environment to...
Curated OER
Quadrant D: Bringing Learning to a New Level
As young learners prepare to be successful in the 21st century, teachers can promote critical thinking by implementing Quadrant D learning activities.
Curated OER
Creating Historians: Giving Scholars the Answers
How allowing index cards on tests can empower critical thinking; part one of a series on approaching social studies as a group of historians.
Curated OER
Get Educated During Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
Twenty-three million American kids are overweight and at risk for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke during childhood.
Curated OER
A Straightfoward Literacy Strategy
Require class members to use complete sentences to improve literacy within your classroom, or perhaps, in the entire school.
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Charlie Brown and Friends
Charles Schulz' Charlie Brown and Friends, a collection of Peanuts comic strips, provides young readers with an opportunity to engage in full-class discussions, work in groups to examine how Schulz develops his characters, and...
Curated OER
How The Brahman Bull Got Its Hump
Pupils examine ancestors of Brahaman cattle. After reading a story, "How The Camel Got His Hump," students discuss the differences between a camel and a Brahman bull. Upon completing a discussion of how the Brahman got its hump, pupils...
Curated OER
A Story of Philanthropy
Help your class define philanthropy and recognize philanthropic activities. Ask them to identify examples of philanthropy in literature and explore the philanthropic deeds of themselves and others. To wrap up, create a class display with...
Curated OER
Comparing Fractions
Pupils discuss the nature of fractions and compare fractions based on a similar whole to determine relative size.
Curated OER
Figurative Language
Students create a PowerPoint show illustrating two types of figurative language. They demonstrate understanding of personification by creating and interpreting simple examples. They also demonstrate understanding of alliteration.
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to the Works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Middle school years can be tough. An educator's guide for the works of Lynda Mullaly Hunt introduces readers to two texts that discuss the struggles pre-teens face during middle school. Chapter-by-chapter questions and activities for two...
EngageNY
Structuring The Search: Categorizing Our Research
What can you contribute? Scholars read text to determine how ants contribute to the rainforest. First, they categorize and sort facts gathered from reading. Next, readers focus on specific terms in each paragraphs of the text Ants by...
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment, Part 2: Research and Response
Talk it out. Scholars complete part two of the assessment by participating in a World Café discussion activity. Learners circulate the room, sharing their ideas and thoughts about Canada's natural resources using quotes and paraphrasing...
EngageNY
Synthesizing Information from Texts about Natural Disasters: What Makes an Earthquake a Natural Disaster?
Are all disasters natural? Scholars reread Earthquakes! to determine what classifies these events as a natural disaster. They label earthquake facts as N for natural or D disaster to support their ideas. They then discuss academic...
EngageNY
Contrasting Perspectives: Should the Farmworkers in Esperanza Rising Go On Strike? (Chapter 12: "Los Esparragos/Asparagus")
Explore multiple perspectives through a jigsaw activity that will improve your pupils' understanding of the characters in Esperanza Rising as well as their understanding of strikes and human rights. Tapping into prior knowledge, and...
EngageNY
Revisiting Big Metaphors and Themes: Revising and Beginning to Perform Two-Voice Poems
Now that your class has read all of Esperanza Rising, take the time to tackle big metaphors and themes. Pupils will participate in an activity called Chalk Talk, in which they circulate around the room in small groups and add...
EngageNY
Paragraph Writing, Part II
Come up with a list of requirements for this expository essay on Esperanza's character in Esperanza Rising as a class and use the list to guide class writing. Here, learners will complete the first paragraph, discuss their notes for the...