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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Character Attributes in Writing

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders analyze the importance of characters in fiction writing and performances.  In this theatre lesson, 3rd graders identify the important characteristics of a fictional character and how to portray a character through many...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Episodic Writing Using Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Help your middle-schoolers expand their writing skills with this lesson on episodic writing, which focuses on story details, idea development, and organization. After reading "The Eighth Picture: End of Summer" from Patricia Reilly...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Friendly Letter Writing and Sentence Structure

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Explore communication through writing by analyzing individual sentences with young writers. They practice writing compound sentences and identifying sentence fragments. The next step has them learn the five parts of a friendly letter....
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Curated OER

Same Setting, Different Moods: Voice and Word Choice Using Lord of the Flies

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Whether it's dark, delightful, or somber, set the mood with William Golding's Lord of the Flies. High-schoolers practice descriptive writing by creating the appropriate mood for an original scene, starring one of the book's main characters.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

So Much Depends Upon...Sixteen-Word Imagery Poems Inspired by Love that Dog by Sharon Creech

For Teachers 6th - 7th
After reading Love That Dog by Sharon Creech (and possibly shedding a few tears), middle schoolers work on their own sixteen-word poems with a Six Trait writing activity. They focus on word choice in this activity to capture an...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing Pourquoi Tales

For Teachers 5th
Complete research on Pourquoi tales and then lead your students in creating their own. This lesson accompanies another on Pourquoi Tales on our site and deals more with the writing process. Your class will put the tales together in a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fear Factor Fun

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students develop "Fear Factor" stunts using descriptive language. For this writing lesson, students watch clips from the show "Fear Factor" and develop their own stunts. Students write and explain the stunts in vivid language.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare 2000

For Teachers 12th
Comparing the more modern film Ten Things I Hate About You to The Taming of the Shrew leads to an understanding of how Shakespearean plots can be applied to modern-day situations and characters. As a culminating activity, groups select a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting Hooked, Introduction for a Narrative

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
How can you interest your reader? Here is a great lesson on reading and discussing the characteristics of a narrative. Elementary schoolers explore writing techniques to hook the reader. They identify their hook and share their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Background Leading to the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine why, when our Fathers, signed the Declaration of Independence they were placing in jeopardy their freedom, property and lives.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paws on Jobland

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars explore various careers in science. For this science and society lesson, the teacher leads a discussion on science careers and duties and responsibilities related to the careers, then students work together to create a...
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Curated OER

The Great Gatsby Historical Background Using Multi-Genre Research Project

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Before beginning F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, create a historical context of the Roaring 20s with this lesson. Set up a gallery walk with the provided PowerPoint, which features 10 topics related to the 1920s. Then begin a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revising Ordinary Sentences into Strong Leads Using "Crispin: The Cross of Lead"

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students create stories using powerful introductory sentences by creating something other than "Once upon a time...". In this sentences lesson plan, students read The Cross of Lead to base their introductory sentences on.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is That a Bird in Your Hat?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders imagine they find an injured bird. They create a clay bird and nest to stimulate creative writing. The lesson plan includes an integrated week-long art, science, and writing activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Everybody Is Unique: A Lesson in Respect for Others' Differences

For Teachers K - 8th
Learners of all ages talk about the meaning of the word "unique," and draw a truly unique person, one part at a time. They create a totally unique person, with a head drawn by one student, a torso drawn by another student, and lower body...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picture Me with Words

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students search in newspapers for words that describe them or what they like. They gather the words and use them to create a self-portrait. They read "boring" sentences and rewrite them using more descriptive words. They write 10 word...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digital Storytelling

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Scholars of all ages can use the various tools of technology to construct and illustrate a story. Utilizing this resource, learners work with a partner to brainstorm and draft a story based on personal experience. They use computer...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design a New Dollar Coin

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students create a design for a new coin after researching people who have impacted history. Students must write a persuasive essay about why this person should be memorialized on the dollar coin and present their person to the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

China: Dim Sum: Writer's Workshop Mini Lesson: Dominant Impression: Writing a Descriptive Paragraph Lesson

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students write and illustrate a descriptive paragraph entitled "My Favorite Place" highlighting a dominate impression or dominant feeling in their paragraph.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A World of Information

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students analyze data and statistics about countries around the world. They read graphs and charts, color a world map to illustrate the top ten statistics about the world, and write a paragraph to summarize their information.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals on the Farm

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students work in groups to create a description of a farm animal. Other classmates try to guess the animal. The class discusses what farmers need to provide for each animal on their farm (food, shelter, veterinary care). Students...
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Curated OER

My Name Is Me!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students write about themselves. In this personal writing lesson, students write their name vertically down a sheet of paper and think of a self descriptive word that matches each letter of their name. Students write a descriptive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Nominate My Friend

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students review letter writing skills and the use of descriptive language, and practice writing persuasive letters, with help from teacher and peers. Letters are then written to nominate friend for Friend of the Year.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Five Paragraph Essay

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders are introduced to the mechanics of writing a standard-form essay. They draft, edit and polish a five-paragraph essay about spending the day as an animal of their choice.