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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Writing - Research and Letters

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Here's a fresh approach that combines research, business and personal letter writing, and creative story telling. Student groups research different decades in the life of a famous Japanese astronomer. They then craft a decade fact sheet,...
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Lesson Plan
The New York Times

Writing Fiction Based on Real Science - NYTimes.com

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Refuse to alienate your scientific-minded young scholars during your creative writing unit. Learners explore how literary writing can reflect observable fact, and be based in actual science. The links include examples of fiction and...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
EngageNY

Paragraph Writing, Part 1: How Esperanza Responds on the Train (Revisiting Chapter 5: "Las Guayabas/Guavas")

For Teachers 5th Standards
When your class members have completed the novel Esperanza Rising, they will be ready to write an expository essay on how Esperanza responds to events and what this says about her character. Set your pupils up for success by starting out...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
EngageNY

Paragraph Writing, Part II

For Teachers 5th Standards
Come up with a list of requirements for this expository essay on Esperanza's character in Esperanza Rising as a class and use the list to guide class writing. Here, learners will complete the first paragraph, discuss their notes for the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing in First and Third Person

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Explore narrative writing by participating in a role-playing activity. For this perspective lesson, learners define first and third person in writing and discuss how it changes the mood of the reader. The first activity has pupils write...
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Lesson Plan
Ford's Theatre

How Perspective Shapes Understanding of History

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Boston Massacre may be an iconic event in American history, but perhaps the British soldiers had another point of view. Using primary sources, including reports from Boston newspapers and secondary sources from the British...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dear Diary

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students analyze a piece of writing by creating diary entries based on a character.  In this reading comprehension lesson, students read an assigned book with their classmates and create a sketch of what they believe the main character...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comic Book Characters

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Explore gender stereotypes by analyzing how male and female characters are depicted in comic books. Using the provided Comic Book Analysis sheet, students record the attributes of male and female comic book characters. Then the whole...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Inferring About Characters Based on How They Respond to Challenges (Chapter 4: "Los Higos/Figs")

For Teachers 5th Standards
How do you know what a character's personality is like if an author doesn't tell you? With a focus on character development in Esperanza Rising, pupils complete a jigsaw activity to analyze the actions of Mama, Abuelita, and Miguel. Once...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
EngageNY

End-Of-Unit 2 Assessment: On-Demand Analytical Essay About How Esperanza Changes Over Time

For Teachers 5th Standards
Close the unit on Esperanza Rising with an in-class analytic essay on how Esperanza changes over the course of the novel. Writers can use any of their notes and work from the unit as well as their drafts of the first two paragraphs of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Original Children's Books

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Bring the fun and creativity of children's stories to your language arts class. Middle schoolers write, revise, and publish an original student book which incorporates the elements of a short story. They put their story in the form of a...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
EngageNY

Contrasting Perspectives: Should the Farmworkers in Esperanza Rising Go On Strike? (Chapter 12: "Los Esparragos/Asparagus")

For Teachers 5th Standards
Explore multiple perspectives through a jigsaw activity that will improve your pupils' understanding of the characters in Esperanza Rising as well as their understanding of strikes and human rights. Tapping into prior knowledge, and...
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Activity
Weebly

Holocaust Diary Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here is a good interdisciplinary project that combines creative and narrative writing with studies of the Holocaust. Your young historians will compose a diary of experiences from the perspective of an individual living during the time...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Propaganda, Spin and Soundbite Politics

For Students 8th - 12th
It's all about the spin! In an introduction to propaganda techniques and soundbite politics, scholars first learn about common propaganda techniques before seeing them in action in the context of the 2016 election cycle. Activities...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

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
Curated OER

Map It Out

For Teachers K - 4th
Explore how illustrations add to a story. Young learners will look at picture books to see how the pictures tell the story. They create illustrations to go with a chosen story, and then flip the activity so they have to write a story to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

So Foul and Fair a Play

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students watch various interpretations of Shakespeare's Macbeth in film. In groups, they examine the setting, characters, music and sequence. They compare and contrast the various films and discuss the differences. They write an essay on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Further Activities with Language

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers chose a favorite passage from a Shakespeare play. They write a letter from one character to another in a novel they have just read. They take a scene from a movie and write it in Shakespearean language.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inter / Intra Personal Lesson Plan

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers identify the causes of the American Civil War. Using the internet and print sources, they read about the causes and personal backgrounds of those who participated in the war. They choose a character from the time...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Respecting Diversity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson plan, students read and respond to The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss. Students discuss self-respect and respect.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dusty Locks and the Three Bears

For Teachers K
Read this twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Dusty Locks and the Three Bears by Susan Lowell. Kindergartners listen, predict, and discuss the story. They then participate in a dramatization of the story and draw a picture to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gingerbread Baby v. Gingerbread Boy #7

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars compare and contrast the gingerbread baby in their story to the original gingerbread boy. They use a Venn diagram to easily see the similarities and differences.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fictional Hereos

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students are introduced to the definition of a hero. As a class, they compare and contrast the difference between non-fictional and fictional hereos they have read about. They read a story, create a story map of one of the heroes and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read examples of mysteries and detective fiction. With a focus on Sherlock Holmes, they are introduced to the techniques for reading properly. In groups, they define new vocabulary, make predictions and summarize the stories. ...