Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...
Ball State University
Dear Pen Pal
Keep your class in conversation with others across the country or across the sea by writing letters to pen pals. The activity calls for students to be pan pals with pupils in Africa; however, the listed steps could be used for any...
Curated OER
You've Got Mail: Letter Writing Lessons and More
Learning about mail and letter writing can lead students on an educational journey that can be rewarding.
Scholastic
Narrative Writing
If you're looking to start a unit based around narrative writing, make sure to consider this resource while you're planning. This book covers five topics: writing personal narratives, writing narratives about others, writing narratives...
Curated OER
Advanced Practical Writing
Using a motivating topic as the focus, this activity has learners write an email as though they are describing their new house. English language learners read an example letter, and then practice their own writing skills by writing a...
Bulgarian Creative Writing Competition
Creative Writing Prompts For Every Season and Month
Winter, spring, summer, and fall! Every season is covered in a 14-page list of writing prompts. Included are story starters, reflection questions, poetry topics, and more.
University of Kansas
Newspaper in the Classroom
Newspapers aren't only for reading—they're for learning skills, too! A journalism unit provides three lessons each for primary, intermediate, and secondary grades. Lessons include objectives, materials, vocabulary, and procedure, and...
Curated OER
Lesson 3: Writing a News Story
Start a writing lesson by examining a news video that explains writing clearly, concisely, and correctly. Learners consider the importance of writing news properly to avoid breaking the law, then write their own weekend news stories.
Curated OER
Virtual Field Trip: Lesson Ten - Publishing
Class members publish a letter describing their Virtual Field Trip incorporating data from previously developed charts, graphs, and data tables. The final activity in a series devoted to collecting information and publishing data.
Curated OER
Using Writing to Make a Difference
Students change the lesson plan in order to make meaningful writing.
Curated OER
Pizza Biography
A biography writing lesson with a tasty twist! Kids create a "visual biography" in which each pizza slice represents a paragraph, and toppings represent supporting details. They learn research techniques, note-taking skills, and how to...
Curated OER
Mystery Pen Pal
Students investigate different cities and states in the USA, and practice their letter writing skills while corresponding with a pen pal.
Curated OER
You Be the Judge
Students explore nonfiction writing by completing a worksheet in class. In this research questions lesson, students read several stories about the Wild West icons Wyatt Earp and Wild Bill Hickok. Students answer study questions about the...
Curated OER
Working on the Slant
Compare and contrast a major news story from various newspapers. How does the perspective change? Are certain things included in some of the stories and left out of others? Have pupils complete a graphic organizer to compare how...
Curated OER
Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature
Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...
Curated OER
Formal and Informal Language Resources
Yo! Check it out. Here's a lesson on formal and informal language. And the packet includes a game. What fun!
Curated OER
Why Are Thinning Trees Important?
Students investigate thinning trees and why they are important to the forest. In this sustainable environment lesson plan, students role-play as if they are trees in the forest and simulate the overcrowding and inability to move spaces,...
Curated OER
A Way with Words
How do facts and opinions impact the news? After reading "How to Cover a War" from the New York Times, middle schoolers evaluate the claims in the article. They also consider the media's responsibilities in reporting during wartime....
Curated OER
Comparing Poems
Young literary analysts compare two poems by the same author. Readers look for slant rhyme, observe the beat and rhythm of each, and search for repeated vowel sounds. After re-reading, they observe the lack of punctuation and the stanza...
Curated OER
What Am I?
In this different types of text worksheet, students in pairs write a description of a picture and read it to the group to see if they can guess what's on the card.
Curated OER
Irregular Spellings
Learners know and apply a way of learning and remembering irregular spellings. Students show where irregular spellings can be found everywhere in our society today. Learners tie in irregular spellings to silent letters as well.
Curated OER
TE Lesson: Pollution Solutions
Students study how industrial technology helps clean up and prevent air pollution. They role play as engineers to examine methods of engineering pollutant recovery methods such as scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators, cyclones, and...
Curated OER
The Earth's Rain Forests
Students study the importance of the world's rain forests. In this rain forest lesson, students read about the role of the rain forests in the world's environment. Students then write a formal letter to a member of Congress or Senate...
Perkins School for the Blind
Tactile Journals
I absolutely love this idea. Children with visual impairments create tactile journals which describe an event from the previous week in an artistic way. They verbally describe one event from the previous week and then use a wide array of...