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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creature Feature

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students work in pairs to create a creature and its habitat out of construction paper. Then students write a narrative to describe the animal and its habitat.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroes, Legends and Folktales

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read classic stories including "The Magic Brocade" and "St. George and the Dragon". They complete a series of lessons in which they compare stories and produce original narrative legends.
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Lesson Plan
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Swinging on a Star

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explore the issues that might arise if humans were to go on an interstellar space mission. They synthesize their understanding of interstellar travel by writing scenes from a science fiction novel that would depict such a mission.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persona in Autobiography

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
A talkative old man? A naïve believer in Human Perfectibility? A Sage? Who is this guy, anyway? The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin launches a study of the way Franklin uses structure, style, and purpose, as well as different...
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Lesson Plan
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The Root Show

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students investigate plant roots. In this plant lesson, students discover the function and structure of plant roots. Students plant a plant in a milk carton with a clear section cut out in order to observe the roots of the plant. 
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Lesson Plan
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Ornithology and Real World Science

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Double click that mouse because you just found an amazing lesson! This cross-curricular Ornithology lesson incorporates literature, writing, reading informational text, data collection, scientific inquiry, Internet research, art, and...
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Lesson Plan
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Nibble, Nibble, Little Mouse

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners complete activities to analyze points of view in different texts. In this point of view lesson, students read Hansel and Gretel and The Magic Circle and discuss the points of view. Learners choose a character from the story and...
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Lesson Plan
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Poetry Writing

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.
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Lesson Plan
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Prairie Poetry

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders take note of the ways in which word choice, rhythm, language and narrative voice, as well as point of view in a poem can be used to evoke a time and place. They use their insights to create a poem of their own.
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Lesson Plan
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Exploring Contrasting Story Elements Through Tapestry and Poetry

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Young thinkers view two narrative art tapestries and study the images included that tell a story about the Roman Emperor Constantine. As they examine the details of the tapestries, pupils use a Venn Diagram to record the similarities and...
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Lesson Plan
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Retelling Nursery Rhymes

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore language arts by reciting a famous nursery rhyme to their classroom. In this oral storytelling lesson, 4th graders read the story "The Three Little Pigs" and identify the characters, setting and story. Students...
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Lesson Plan
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Persuasive Advertisement For A Novel

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders engage in a project to persuade classmates to read a certain novel. They create a poster using persuasive advertising language. Media can be included in the form of pictures and other graphics to make the visual...
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Lesson Plan
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Forms Of Knowledge

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students put writing pieces into categories to show different organizational features in writing. In this writing lesson plan, students are shown examples of speeches, poems, editorials, cartoons, parodies, historical fiction, and more.
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Lesson Plan
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Functional Public Sculpture? Let's build a"Reading Wall"!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students interview a brick sculptor and aid in building a brick wall. They write expository paragraphs explaining the sequential process of building a reading wall. They create reading wall sketch designs. Students carve their names and...
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Lesson Plan
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Tapping into the Experiences of Senior Citizens

For Teachers 6th
Through casual talk and structured interviews, 6th graders tap into the wealth of their senior pals' experiences. They write descriptive essays and narratives based on conversations with relatives or neighbors. They read selected...
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Lesson Plan
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Cooperative Classroom Text Features Activities

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine text features and create a PowerPoint presentation. In this text features lesson, 5th graders go over Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures and text features before they choose one to include in a book and...
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Lesson Plan
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CREATE A NEW RHYME

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders develop basic narratives. They retell a focused story and create a basic publication using available resources (e.g., pictures, colors, computer, copier). They experiment with different forms of creative writing (e.g.,...
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Lesson Plan
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Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
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Lesson Plan
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Imagine a Kelp Forest

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students write a story based on their research of the kelp forest. In this ecosystem lesson, students view a video and research the kelp forest ecosystem. They write a short story imagining the discovery of a new species in the kelp forest.
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Lesson Plan
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Frogs

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore the external and internal structures of an amphibian and how frog anatomy compares to human anatomy. They collect pictures of a frog using a digital camera, create a web page, develop a PowerPoint presentation, and...
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Lesson Plan
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Frog and Toad Are Friends

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Frog and Toad are Friends. In this reading lesson plan, 2nd graders complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short...
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Lesson Plan
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The Rise and Fall of the Jim Crow Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore African American history by researching the Jim Crow laws. In this Civil Rights lesson, students define the Jim Crow laws, the reasons they were put into place, and how they were ultimately defeated. Students write a...
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Lesson Plan
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Fishing Fun

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Learners complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Fishing Fun. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer questions, have...
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Lesson Plan
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Assignment #5 Sci-Fi Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Class members select a science fiction novel for independent study. To verify they have completed the reading, they write a summary, a critique, and an outline of the plot for a sequel or prequel. They then deliver a five-minute speech,...