Curated OER
Making an Argument: Effective use of Transition Words
Work on using transition words in context by prompting elementary and middle schoolers to write their own persuasive essays using transition words. They explore new forms of transition words and examine how they are used in an editorial...
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More Details and Transitions
Use details and transition words to enhance writing. Sixth graders examine their own writing and insert more details and transition words provided by their teacher. There is a list of 11 "Terrific Transitions," but brainstorm several...
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Can You Get the Signal?
What is a signal word? Recognizing these words is an important step in both reading and writing formal text. Review a list of signal words (provided and organized into specific categories), and then have your class play a game to...
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Shakespeare and Poe Teach Six-Trait Writing
A Six-Trait Writing instructional activity helps your middle schoolers liven up their word choice and shows them how to evaluate their own writing. Class members take a close look at the language used in poems by Shakespeare, Kipling,...
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The Beginning, The Middle, & The End
Cut magazine pictures into three sections, having your youngsters piece the pictures back together. With this fun activity, they discover the importance of sequencing a story. Then they use a fun template (shaped like a burger) to write...
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More Details and Transitions
Provide young learners with the terrific transitions handout attached here. As a group, discuss the importance of putting ideas in an order that is easy to understand. Although this activity is designed to follow a writing activity from...
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The Missing Link
What is the missing link? Provide your class with this incomplete essay (it's missing transition words), and have writers place words from the transition word bank into the essay. Also, since only three of the five paragraphs are...
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Intro to Pronouns
Sixth graders are able to identify personal pronouns and understand their function. They are able to use personal pronouns correctly as subjects and objects in sentences. Then they look at sentences given by the teacher, and they list...
Walden Woods Project
19th Century Lessons for 21st Century Lives
The words of Henry David Thoreau on Civil Disobedience seem particularly relevant today, as are his writings and those of other transcendental thinkers who ask what it mean to live deliberately and what are the responsibilities of...
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The Rest Cure: Gender in Medicine and Literature
Read and discuss "The Yellow Wall-Paper" and the gender issues that the story brings up. Use articles from the time period to analyze, complete with specific discussion questions. After two days, scholars write an essay based on topics...
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WORDS FRANKLY SPOKEN
Students visit appropriate websites to discover quotes from Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac. Working in pairs, they choose three quotes on which to elaborate and then write two original quotes.
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Just Write It!
Pupils use a planning sheet to complete a story focusing on details, good word choice, and transition words. They share their stories with the class.
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Search Warranted?
Young readers work on evaluating claims in a piece of informational text with the article "In New York, It's Open Bag or Find Exits" from the New York Times. They analyze current search procedures implemented to fight terrorism and...
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To Whom It May Concern
Fourth graders produce and peer edit typed rough drafts of the business letters following the guidelines illustrated in the Eight Essential Parts of a business letter and save to disks. They complete the Where's the Math? scavenger hunt...
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Homelessness
Young scholars study homelessness and the associated vocabulary. In this homelessness lesson, students work with a classmate to determine the definitions of words that are associated with homelessness. They attempt to define the words...
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Pinckney Benedict's "The Sutton Pie Safe" from Town Smokes
Students read Pinckney Benedict's "The Sutton Pie Safe" to learn about family symbols and social commentary. In this close reading activity, students read four journal prompts for the story and answer the listed questions for each section.
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The Write Stuff to Get the Job
Students conduct Internet research to determine how to properly create a cover letter, resume and follup-letter. Students then create their own letters and resumes using the Resume Wizard in Microsoft Word.
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Puberty/Adolescence: Am I Normal?
Students inspect psychology by answering a list of health study questions. In this puberty lesson, students identify the impact teenage years have on boys and girls. Students define a list of scientific terms and answer study questions...
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The Eyes, Nose, and Taste Write It
Third graders generate a list of adjectives about a Reese's Cup using their sense of sight, touch, and taste. Then they write a descriptive paragraph about the Reese's Cup.
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World without Trees Composition
Fourth graders write a composition on what they think the world would be like without trees. They brainstorm ideas of what they think the world would be like treeless, and creative a story. A rubric is distributed to the students which...
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Lexicheck
Students review the production or reception of word usage. They practice using vocabulary tips in both written and spoken usage. Students incorporate a variety of ways to comprehend unknown words.
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Silent Spring
High schoolers read background information about Rachel Carson found on the listed website links. They analyze and answer questions about her work and how it is linked to science then they research pesticide usage and alternative methods.
East Lyme Public Schools
To Declare or Not to Declare Independence?
Class members adopt the persona of real figures in American history, Patriots and Loyalists, research these individuals to determine their stance, and then debate the question of whether or not to declare independence from England.
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The Editing Process
Students read a sample essay and evaluate them in groups. They write their own essay on a topic of their choice and use peer editing. They share their essays with the class.