Apple State University
Friendly Letter Mini-Lesson
This mini-lesson about informal letter writing is packed with a lot of information about writing a friendly letter. Class members begin by working in pairs to answer questions after reviewing letter models. Then, take part in a grand...
National WWII Museum
“My Dear Little Boys…” Interpreting a letter home from the war
Letters have long been prized by historians as primary sources for what they reveal not only about events but also about the emotional responses of the writers to these events. "My Dear Little Boys," a letter written by Leonard Isacks on...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Phonological Awareness: Phoneme Matching, Initial Phoneme Picture Sort
An activity focuses on phonemic awareness and initial letter sounds. Scholars sort picture cards by saying and matching the initial sounds each word makes.
Louisiana Department of Education
The Scarlet Letter
Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...
Stanford University
Letter from Birmingham Jail: The Power of Nonviolent Direct Action
What strategies are most effective in changing an unjust law? Class members examine the tactics used in the Birmingham Campaign of 1963 (Project C) to achieve social justice and social transformation. After examining documents that...
Curated OER
Differing Federal Responses to the Great Depression: Letter Analysis
Young analysts examine two letters, one written by President Hoover and one written by FDR. Each letter contains that president's response to the role of the Federal Government during times of crisis (The Great Depression). They analyze...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Letter Recognition: Tap Stack
Practice letter recognition using this fun alphabet game! Focusing on a suggested six target letters, this partner activity has learners saying and recognizing letter names as quickly as possible. Using a randomly chosen letter as the...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Phonics: Letter Recognition, Alphabet Borders
Reinforce early reading skills with an activity focusing on letter recognition. Class members work in pairs to match uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.
California Department of Education
Writing Right
Does your class have the write stuff? Young career seekers try their hand at composing business letters in the second of six career and college readiness lesson plans for seniors. Pupils practice writing cover letters, thank you notes,...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Alphabet Borders
Help young scholars name the letters of the alphabet. They use the provided alphabet border and letter cards to take turns saying and finding various alphabet letters. This simple game can be extended by having learners focus on the...
Curated OER
Our “Civilized” Society
The Scarlet Letter is the anchor text in a four-week unit that examines Hawthorne's novel through the lens of the intolerances found in a supposed civilized society. In addition to their reading, class members watch clips from TV shows,...
Smithsonian Institution
POWs
Why did Vietnam POWs and their families receive more media attention than POWs in previous wars? To answer this question, class members view artifacts, read articles, and engage in class discussion. Individuals then assume the voice of...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Kindergarten Skills Unit 5
A unit designed for kindergarteners builds letter-sound correspondence in preparation for reading. Over four weeks, young scholars build proficiency in recognizing and matching the sound of 9 letters. They take that knowledge to read a...
Core Knowledge Foundation
First Grade Skills Unit 5
Twenty-two lessons make up a unit that focuses on first-grade skills. Scholars examine spelling alternatives—their rules and patterns, practice tricky spelling and high-frequency words, explore plural nouns and sentences, read a...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Second Grade Skills Unit 4: The Job Hunt
Second graders practice skills, including spelling, grammar, and reading. Pupils examine vowel sounds and tricky words, nouns, and verbs. They begin the writing process by drafting a persuasive letter and decoding texts.
Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 6: The Reformation
Over three weeks, fifth graders read about and discuss the Reformation which saw religion and politics shift across Europe. Following daily readings, young scholars practice spelling, grammar, and morphology skills such as prefixes,...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Second Grade Skills Unit 2: Bedtime Tales
A unit covering second-grade skills reviews 16 letter-sound correspondences, tricky words, and punctuation. Readers provide context for examining story elements, and pupils participate in close reading and write narratives retelling a...
EngageNY
Revising Draft Letters to a Publisher about an Athlete’s Legacy: Critique and Feedback, Part I
Pick a corner, any corner! Pupils use the Four Corners strategy and Peer Critique protocol to assess one another's draft letters to a publisher about an athlete's legacy. Scholars then use peer feedback to revise their letters.
EngageNY
Getting the Gist: Steve Jobs Commencement Address (Focus on Paragraphs 6-8, and connecting to Chapter 6)
As part of a unit study of Bud, Not Buddy, readers compare Buddy's list of rules to live by with those that Steve Jobs enumerates in his commencement address to Stanford's 2005 graduating class.
Core Knowledge Foundation
The Ancient Roman Civilization Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology
A read-aloud anthology presents texts about the ancient Roman civilization. Lessons introduce readings, followed by a discussion and extension activities—word work, comprehension practice, and more. Writing focuses on opinion pieces, and...
Bermingham City Schools
Opinion Writing
It's no secret that children can be very opinionated, but rather than fight against this natural tendency, embrace it with this primary grade writing project. After a shared reading of a children's book about persuasion, young learners...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: On-Demand Informational Writing
Lesson 7 focuses on building academic vocabulary and writing an explanatory letter with supported textual evidence. For the first five minutes of the instructional activity, the educator reminds the class of how to read and refer to the...
A to Z Teacher Stuff
My Sound Book
Work with learners on a handful of letter sounds with a helpful language arts packet. The packet focuses on letters s, a, t, i, p, and n with tracing lessons and flash cards.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
The Great Depression - Hard Times Hit America
To gain an understanding of how the Great Depression affected everyday citizens, class members examine letters written either to the president or to the governor of Alabama asking for assistance.