Curated OER
Briar Rose: Anticipation Guide
Prepare your readers for Briar Rose with an Anticipation Guide that asks them to agree or disagree with a series of statements that reflect issues raised by Jane Yolen’s narrative about a young girl’s research into her grandmother’s...
Curated OER
Shoe Box Turtles
Turtles are the stars of the show in a creative lesson designed for very young learners. In it, learners are shown pictures of real turtles. They discuss the shell and the head, then they compare them to other animals. Pupils are given a...
Curated OER
Adapting "List/Group/Label" to Literature
Need a prereading activity in line with the Common Core Standards for Language? Although designed for grades 11 and 12, the procedure detailed in this resource could be used with most grade levels. Prior to reading, select 20 – 25 words...
Curated OER
Teach Me
Here is a lesson that expands on a classic teaching idea. Learners are encouraged to think of a skill they possess, or something cool they can do that can be taught to their classmates. Once the skills are identified, each student...
Curated OER
KWHL Questioning Strategy for Briar Rose
Whether new to the KWHL strategy or not readers of Briar Rose will benefit from the detailed procedures and templates designed for Jane Yolen’s novel. Links are provided for research into the Holocaust and activities reveal the many...
Curated OER
Taking A Ride
Designed for Pre-K to kindergartners, this resource has you take your class on an imaginary bus or subway ride. There are some inventive ideas of ways you can make this imaginary trip come to life in the classroom, as well as a great way...
Curated OER
Identifying Irony
What are the three types of irony? After reviewing dramatic, situational, and verbal irony with your readers, present them with this two-page document. They read six excerpts to determine which type of irony is used in each. After...
Curated OER
Chapter Tableaux: Visualizing The Call of the Wild
Do your young readers have difficulty visualizing what they read? Although the activity described here is for The Call of the Wild, the strategy could be used with any narrative. At the conclusion of each chapter of Jack London’s novel,...
Curated OER
Unsent Letter: Characterization in Briar Rose
After completing Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose, class members assume the voice of Gemma and craft a personal letter to her granddaughter telling Becca how she feels about Becca’s actions and the discoveries at Chelmno. Complete directions for...
Curated OER
Mondrian - Primary/Secondary Color Study
Utilizing computer software, learners demonstrate the color spectrum. They investigate the life of the artist Piet Mondrian and define his style of artwork. Then they use Photoshop to recreate some of his designs while discovering the...
Curated OER
"Your Son, Your Only One" - The Sacrifice of Isaac as a Motif in Holocaust Poetry
Class groups examine a series of poems that use Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac as a motif in Holocaust poetry. Included are questions, notes to the teacher, and bibliographical information on each poem. The activities could be...
Curated OER
Blue Ribbon Readers: Making Connections
Model for young readers how to make the shift from passive to active reading by making text-to-self and text-to-text connections. After a series of activities that provide guided practice, the focus shifts to making text-to-words...
Curated OER
My Fall Leaves
Here is a cute book on fall leaves designed for very young learners. In this four-page packet, pupils draw and color a variety of leaves in different fall colors. Each page is meant to be cut in half vertically, then the pages are...
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"Whose (Is)land is This?": topics in Immigration and The Tempest
Class members compare the ways the subject of immigration is treated in The Tempest, Act I, scene ii, Act II, scene i and Act III, scene ii with patterns in American history. After tracing their own family’s journey, a series of...
Curated OER
Romanticism 1800-1860
What do Roger Chillingworth, Dr. Heidegger, and Ethan Brand have in common? They are all American literature poster boys for Romanticism, advertising the dangers of valuing reason over feeling and intuition. Introduce your class to...
Curated OER
Sentence Construction
Switch it up! Present young writers with suggestions for how to add variety and interest to their writings. Using a draft of one of their papers, viewers bracket the first words of their sentences and use the provided questions to...
Curated OER
Parts of Speech: Articles
Definite (the) and indefinite articles (some/a/an) are the subject of a presentation that details the rules for how these parts of speech are used. It offers clear models and notes the exceptions to the rules as well. Viewers are sure to...
Curated OER
MLA Documentation Tutorial: How to Cite Using MLA Style
Required to use the Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Guide for research writing? Here’s a presentation that models how to and when to cite a variety of sources, and how to create a Works Cited page. Color-coded examples highlight...
Curated OER
Macbeth: Act IV Study Questions
The value in this Macbeth study guide is that it asks readers to not only chart events, but to also consider the significance of those events. The worksheets could be used as preparation for a full class discussion or the basis or a...
Curated OER
The Hunger Games: Anticipatory Set
Designed to accompany a reading of The Hunger Games, readers are asked to agree or disagree with a series of statements and use examples and reflections to explain their stance. After reading Chapter One of Suzanne Collins’ popular...
Curated OER
Character Map #1
Here’s a great graphic organizer that can be used with any narrative. Readers select a character and record feelings, descriptions, behaviors, and personality traits. The template could be used for group work or as a prewriting activity...
Prairie View A&M University
Passive Voice
Often deemed the weak voice, the passive voice is often a stylistic choice in many narratives. This presentation, created by Prairie View A&M University, details the pros and cons of using the passive voice.
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Claims in "The Crisis, No. 1"
"The Crisis, No. 1" is the focus of a series of exercises that ask learners to read closely and annotate Thomas Paine's text. Groups identify claims and evidence in the essay and present their arguments to the class. Teacher background...
Curated OER
Holocaust Studies: Five Poems by Dan Pagis
Teaching a unit on the Holocaust? Consider using the personal statements of Dan Pagis’s poetry to contrast with the more “distanced” historical accounts found in textbooks. Five poems, discussion questions, and background notes are...