+
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Rituals, Scapegoats, and Mobs...Oh My!

For Teachers 7th - 9th
One way to teach "The Lottery," a suspenseful and rich short story by Shirley Jackson.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Foster reader confidence when encountering complex text and reinforce the skills readers have acquired to build and extend their understanding of text. The plan uses a section of Douglass’ narrative as an exemplar text. Directions for...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
Student Achievement Partners

"The Glorious Whitewasher" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain with Mini-Assessment

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text as...
+
Lesson Plan
3
3
Curated OER

Jim Murphy, The Great Fire - Grade 6

For Teachers 6th Standards
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy provides the text for a study of the Chicago fire of 1871. The plan is designed as a close reading activity so that all learners have the same background information require for writing. Richly detailed, the...
+
Activity
1
1
Curated OER

Express Yourself Lesson Seed 1

For Teachers 6th Standards
Make a study of the First Amendment and its relationship to freedom. Pupils rewrite the amendment and discuss the central idea before focusing on a specific phrase. After discussing, class members write a journal entry about the included...
+
Activity
Curated OER

Express Yourself Lesson Seed 6 Close Reading

For Teachers 6th Standards
Look back at the third chapter of The Cay with your class. Pupils will conduct a close reading, taking a second look at a chunk of text and responding to a series of text-dependent questions. Wrap up with an analytical writing prompt...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

6th Grade: Express Yourself, Lesson 2: Close Read

For Teachers 6th Standards
The second instructional activity of a pair about Paul Laurence Dunbar, this plan focuses in particular on his poem, "We Wear the Masks." After a short historical introduction, class members conduct a series or readings, marking up the...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
Hyperion Publishing

Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
The language of the Constitution can feel quite ominous to young learners, but there are a variety of strategies you can utilize to help your class grasp the important concepts and ideals in our nation's founding document. This lesson...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading of Waiting for the Biblioburro: Finding the Main Message and Taking Notes

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Expose your class to Waiting for the Biblioburro, narrative nonfiction that will act as the bridge between ficiton and informational texts to come. Class members do a close reading of the text, looking at excerpts instead of the whole...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Continued Close Reading of Waiting for the Biblioburro: Comparing and Contrasting the Children in Colombia, Appalachia, Chad, and Afghanistan

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Focus on similarities and differences with a jigsaw activity that requires pupils to compare Waiting for the Biblioburro to other texts they have read. To prepare, class members first respond to text-dependent questions, moving on to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching “Level of Difficulty” through Close Reading, Reflection, and Performance

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What makes a poem difficult? Explore that topic and more with your class as you work through the lesson detailed here. Using materials from Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation contest, individuals or small groups examine poems and...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Characters Changing Over Time (Chapter 10: "Las Papas/Potatos")

For Teachers 5th Standards
Engage further in Esperanza Rising with a focus on close reading and metaphor. Class members zero in on the tenth chapter, examining characters and big ideas. Pupils discuss the text in small groups and as a whole class, and participate...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Understanding Themes in Esperanza Rising

For Teachers 5th Standards
Determining a theme or central idea is greatly emphasized in the Common Core standards. Target that skill though big metaphors and central symbols in Pam Muñoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising. Help your class reach the standard through...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Inferring About Characters Based on How They Respond to Challenges (Chapter 3: "Las Papayas/Papayas")

For Teachers 5th Standards
Start off your day with a quick reading comprehension quiz about chapter three of Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. After they complete the quiz, pupils participate in a discussion and look closely at the text. A strong Common Core...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Getting to Know Esperanza (Chapter 2: “Las Uvas/Grapes”)

For Teachers 5th Standards
Delve into Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan with close reading and evidence-based, text-dependent questions. Part of a unit series, this well-sequenced, Common Core designed instructional activity draws on material from the previous...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Because of Winn-Dixie

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Readers analyze an excerpt from Kate DiCamillo's novel Because of Winn-Dixie. They read silently, and then hear it read aloud. Definitions for underlined vocabulary words are in the margin, and other potentially difficult words are in...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension 4: Level 8

For Students 8th - 10th
Need a quick but comprehensive reading strategies exercise? Even your most reluctant readers will be engaged by the story of a nuclear reactor explosion at a top-secret Idaho base. After reading the short passage, learners answer nine...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension 6: Level 9

For Students 8th - 10th
Did you know that an acre of trees can absorb as much carbon dioxide as a car emits in 11,000 miles of driving? Such fun facts abound in a short reading comprehension passage detailing the benefits of parks and rooftop gardens. After...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Analyzing Poetry

For Students 10th - 12th
Use this poetry analysis learning exercise to help your learners understand a poem of their or your choosing. This resource asks class members to summarize the poem and analyze it by looking at voice, word choice, imagery, and theme. The...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 2-Profiles in Courage: To Kill A Mockingbird and the Scottsboro Boys Trial

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Review one of the most memorable cases in the history of the United States. After reading To Kill A Mockingbird, young scholars read and select court transcripts and other primary source material from the Scottsboro Boys Trial of 1933....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Introduction: Reading Strategy and Response

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders analyze a poem. In this poetry analysis lesson students read a poem, analyze it, and write a response. They write about their own thoughts on the poem's meaning and any feelings they have about the poem.
+
Lesson Plan
Tennessee State Museum

Deciphering the Document: Unlocking the Meaning of the Emancipation Proclamation

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Help your learners truly understand the Emancipation Proclamation by asking them the put it into their own words. After reading the document out loud to the class, and briefly discussing the legal language, split your class into small...
+
Activity
Curated OER

Express Yourself Lesson Seed 9: Climax

For Teachers 6th Standards
Conduct a close reading of chapter 9 of The Cay. Read the chapter again and ask pupils to respond to a list of included text-dependent questions. Finish the class with the provided writing assignment, which asks learners to use textual...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Close Reading

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders read and study Hamlet. Then they are introduced to close reading as a means of understanding what is being read--not only understanding the printed word, but also the nuances and connotations of language as it is used by...