Curated OER
Layers of the Earth
Learners identify the layers of the Earth and complete activities for the topic. In this Earth layers lesson, students chart their ideas about the Earth's layers and view a PowerPoint for the topic. Learners view an apple to learn about...
Curriculum Corner
ELA Common Core Checklists for K-6
In the hustle and bustle of life in the classroom, it's easy for teachers to lose track of the standards they have taught, and those that still need to be addressed. This Common Core checklist provides educators with an easy-to-use...
San Francisco Symphony
By the Great Horn Spoon!
By The Great Horn Spoon is a fantastic novel for introducing learners to life during the California Gold Rush. First, kids research and analyze American folk songs, then they connect to the text as they listen to symphonic pieces written...
EngageNY
Inferring About Characters Based on How They Respond to Challenges (Chapter 4: "Los Higos/Figs")
How do you know what a character's personality is like if an author doesn't tell you? With a focus on character development in Esperanza Rising, pupils complete a jigsaw activity to analyze the actions of Mama, Abuelita, and Miguel. Once...
EngageNY
Contrasting Two Settings (Chapter 6: "Lost Melones/Cantalouples")
Continue working through Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan, by looking into language choices and discussing text-dependent questions. Pupils converse in small groups and as a class about plot, setting, and figurative language. Using...
EngageNY
Characters Changing Over Time (Chapter 10: "Las Papas/Potatos")
Engage further in Esperanza Rising with a focus on close reading and metaphor. Class members zero in on the tenth chapter, examining characters and big ideas. Pupils discuss the text in small groups and as a whole class, and participate...
All for KIDZ
Building Relationships: The Orphan of Ellis Island
Family and friendship are two very important themes of the historical fiction novel The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff. From video clips and writing prompts to reader's theater and family interviews, this resource provides...
Curated OER
Author's Day
Have your learners choose an author to study. One resource link gives a list of approved authors. Scholars read at least three works produced by that author and produce three separate book reports as well as a two-page author report....
Curated OER
Main Events in Fiction
Students complete a literature analysis of fiction texts to study elements of fiction. For this fiction analysis lesson, students read various fiction texts and examine them to learn about fiction elements. Students learn to draw...
Curated OER
Cinderella Stories
Students watch the original 1957 television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's CINDERELLA starring Julie Andrews. They write their "own" version of the beloved fairy tale. However, theirs have a twist.
Curated OER
Convincing Characters
Students create vivid, active characters for a story. In this character lesson, students discuss the characters in books they are familiar with. Students create a list of novels they have read and discuss the character types. Students...
Curated OER
What About Us? Women in the Civil War
Learners research the role of women in the Civil War. In this Civil War unit, students research the role women played during the war. This unit includes eight different activities including vocabulary, writing prompts and a literature...
Curated OER
Journal of a Virtual Expedition
Learners journey with Lewis and Clark. In this literature lesson, students read The Journal of Augustus Pellitier-The Lewis and Clark Expedition 1804. Learners keep a journal in the persona of a member of the expedition crew.
Curated OER
Exploring the History of Canyon De Chelly: The Navajos
Students are introduced to the novel Sing Down The Moon written by Scott O'Dell. Throughout the book, after each chapter is read, class discussions and journal writing is incorporated into the unit.
Curated OER
Simulation: Norse Scratchings
Students discover the meaning of a Norse runic message as they study a Vikings unit. In this Norse alphabet instructional activity, students decode a runic message as a part of a study about Vikings. Students earn the letters to decode...