English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Identifying Synonyms
"Let the hunt begin!" As an introduction to synonyms, second graders generate a list of word pairs that have similar meanings. The words pairs are written on sentence strips, cut apart, shuffled, and distributed to class members who must...
Odell Education
Building Evidence-Based Arguments: "Cuplae poena par esto: Let the punishment fit the crime."
Should a criminal's punishment match the crime? An argumentative writing plan explores this question as class members investigate a variety of mixed-medium sources by experts in the field, form evidence-based claims, and support them...
Curated OER
Socratic Seminar Questions/Observation
Prepare participants for a Socratic seminar by asking them to not only design questions for the discussion, but to also observe an assigned partner during the seminar. A great way to encourage student-led discussions.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The House Un-American Activities Committee
Was the House Un-American Activities Committee justified in investigating subversive influences in the entertainment industry? Part two of the three-part series of lessons that examine the anti-communism movement after World War II,...
Curated OER
Mandala Portfolio Project
Here's a great idea for writing portfolios. Kids decorate all four sides of their portfolio, introducing themselves, their families, goals, dreams, and favorite things. Detailed directions for all four panels and a rubric are included in...
Curated OER
Painting Inside the Lines
Students examine how freedoms of expression and religion are shaped within democracies. They consider reactions to controversial art exhibit in Moscow. They compose reaction papers supporting or refuting a quotation from the article read...
Curated OER
Long Vowel Phoneme -ee- 1 of 4
Young scholars apply word-level skills through shared and guided reading. They use poems of parts of poems as models for own writing. They read texts aloud with pace and expression.
Curated OER
On Your Mark, Get Set, GO!
Students in order to become a fluent reader need to read often and repeat what they read over and over. Repeated reading helps students gain better knowledge of text. Fluent readers recognize words automatically and with this automatic...
Curated OER
Poetry as a Means of Redemption and Reflection
Eleventh graders read poetry for homework and discuss it during class. They participate in poetry readings and decide who the speakers are in the poems.
Curated OER
Having Beary Much Fun with Core Knowledge
Students participate in a teddy bear themed unit to improve their social and reading skills along with other core knowledge subjects. In this social and reading skills lesson, students complete 8 units of activities to learn about social...
Curated OER
Likes and Dislikes
In this likes and dislikes learning exercise, students read the sentences and complete them with the phrase 'I like' or 'I dislike.' Students complete 15 sentences.
Curated OER
School-Home Links: Tracking Text Top to Bottom
In this following text worksheet, students tell a story about their family in their own words and ask a family member to write it on the provided lines. The family member then reads the story to the child.
Curated OER
"Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets"
Students examine the expressive and descriptive language used in the books "Dr. Xargle's Book of Earthlets" and "Planet of the Robots." In pairs they take notes about each other's physical appearance and conduct interviews, identify the...
Curated OER
Impacting Indiana
Fourth graders become familiar with the culture and history of Indiana. In this James Whitcomb Riley lesson, 4th graders read poetry which includes the dialect of Indiana. Students analyze the poem. Groups memorize and recite stanzas...
Curated OER
The Eyes Have It
Students explore the health risks associated with wearing decorative contact lenses. They research other cosmetic modes of expression that can pose health risks and debate whether these practices should remain legal.
Curated OER
If I Could Fly
Students listen to an oral reading of the book Tar Beach, start and exit the Kid Pix program, use the mouse and the keyboard as input devices, and use the software to create a painting to express their ideas generated by the reading of...
Curated OER
LOOKING AT A CHARACTER
Second graders investigate self- and teacher-selected literature (e.g., picture books, nursery rhymes, fairy tales, poems, legends) from a variety of cultures. They re-enact and retell stories, songs, poems, plays, and other literary...
Curated OER
Poetry-The Essence of Life
Students analyze and appreciate various types of poetry. In this poetry unit, students read classic and contemporary works to discover ways in which poetry expresses strong feelings. Students identify key vocabulary used to analyze...
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Richie's Rocket
Fourth graders, after reading with intonation and expression the book, "Richie's Rocket," by Joan Anderson, circulate in centers to create a puzzle with emotions and experiences from the ideas in the story, write the definition of words...
Curated OER
Finding Science in An American Childhood by Annie Dillard
Students read excerpts from Annie Dillard's memoir, "An American Childhood," with the teacher. They experience opportunities to connect English, science, nature and art together from a new and unique perspective. This approach serves as...
Curated OER
Wonderful Wintertime
Young scholars explore the seasons and how to describe them with adjectives. In this lesson about winter and descriptive language, students develop an understanding of the seasons specifically winter, and become equipped to describe them...
Curated OER
Idiom Quizzes I
In this identifying idioms in an online/interactive worksheet, students read sentences with expressions written in brackets and choose the expressions that best replace those expressions. Students choose 21 answers.
Curated OER
Idiom Quizzes - Legal & Law
In this recognizing the meaning and usage of idioms in sentences worksheet, students choose idioms to replace the expressions in parenthesis. Students choose 20 online/interactive answers.
Curated OER
In the Middle - Middle School Poetry
Students analyze and interpret poems. In this poetry lesson, students are read poems aloud, discuss the meanings in groups, and complete two worksheets after listening to the poems. Links to the worksheets and discussion questions are...