Curated OER
Telephone Game
Students practice their listening comprehension by playing the "telephone" game. In this foreign language lesson, students listen to a story read by a teacher in their target language and try to remember the details by writing 5...
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Transportation Lesson
Students practice using transportation vocabulary in a foreign language. In this language arts instructional activity, students utilize the vocabulary terms for locations in order to give directions and find a specific place. Students...
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The Day the Water Ran Out
Middle schoolers explore ecosystems by researching desert characteristics. In this drought lesson, students identify the potential impacts of a drought on their home state and interview people who are familiar with water studies. Middle...
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Dragonwings: Explore Chapters 1-5
If you are beginning Laurence Yep's Dragonwings, this will provide activities for the first five chapters. The objectives include making connections to oneself and the world, organizing information and events, vocabulary acquisition,...
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Narrative Writing for Publication
Seventh graders create an original narrative story in a diary or journal format involving a fictional character with conflict, plot, resolution and falling action within the story line. They follow the steps of the writing process with...
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Cite Right
What do you need to cite, and how can you avoid plagiarizing? This presentation is aimed at beginning writers, and it details some of the ways people plagiarize (even accidentally) and what sort of information needs to be cited. The best...
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Global Warming: Writing and Editing a Research Report
Bring environmental issues into your classroom! Practice writing and peer editing research reports on global warming and the greenhouse effect. Middle schoolers can work on their research skills, their writing skills, and how to...
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Magazine Project
Groups of students create magazines that contain stories and images of one aspect of the ocean, and ocean life. The expectations for the final products are quite high, so this lesson will require some effort to properly implement. A...
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Organizing Writing/Composing a First Draft
Does your language arts class have a hard time with writing transitions? Use this organizational writing lesson to create three effective transition sentences that middle schoolers will use in their research of renewable resources.
Virginia Department of Education
Researching Information on the Internet
Practice Internet research skills. Each class member will need Internet access in order to follow along as you model how to search using key words and to do their own research on African and Asian elephants. Their notes will go into a...
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Getting Ready to Write
Young scholars watch an online slideshow that shows Cornelia Funke's transition from an illustrator to a writer. They discuss her writing process from the way she gathers ideas to how and where she writes. Next, they work in groups to...
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PowerPoint Poetry Project
Seventh graders create PowerPoint poetry "books." They write five to seven autobiographical poems, select appropriate photos and music, and combine everything into a PowerPoint poetry presentation. They use many technological resources...
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Prized Photos
Students study World Press Photo prize-winning photos in small groups and compare them with memorable personal photos.
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New War Against Whom?
Seventh graders write an essay on the Muslims involved with the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. They express how the attacks made them feel and what they can do to help.