The New York Times
The One-Question Interview
Generate interest in current events, the theme of a new unit, or a research project. Individuals select a question from the list generated by the class, conduct one-on-one interviews, analyze the responses, draw conclusions based on...
University of North Carolina
Oral History
There's no better way to learn something than to hear it straight from the horse's mouth. A handout on oral history, part of a larger series on specific writing assignments, explains how to conduct interviews and use the information...
Curated OER
Phineas Gage: Concept Analysis
Prepare for teaching Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science with this written analysis of the book. The analysis includes a summary, considerations for teachers, project ideas, and a list of additional resources that...
Novelinks
Tuck Everlasting: Bio-Poem
Learn about the characters of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting with a character biopoem. Readers fill in a poem format to detail the character traits of Winnie, Jesse, Miles, and Mae, and share their finished poems with their peers.
Curated OER
"Name Game" Poetry
Students write a poem by choosing a word and then creating a poem out of the individual letters of their word. They brainstorm words for each letter of their poem then create it and publish it using a word processor.
Curated OER
Self Biography
Get to know your students with this project. Each individual writes an autobiography that is at least seven pages long with major facts, visual facts, focal stories, and chronology. The lesson includes a point breakdown for the...
Curated OER
"You Can't Catch Me!"-Introducing Young Children to the School Setting
Students use photography to create art projects.
Curated OER
All About Me
Students practice biographical and autobiographical forms of writing: autobiography, biopoem, character traits, classmate biography.
TV411
How Do You Read Your News?
Words carry baggage. Class members are asked to consider the weight of words in an exercise that contrasts the word choices in two versions of the same event. Consider following the exercise with an activity in which pairs craft positive...
Curated OER
Parts of a Friendly Letter
The art of writing a letter has not been lost to email and texting! Teach kids how to format a friendly letter with a presentation about the parts of a letter, as well as prompting them to write a letter about their favorite holiday.
Curated OER
Picture This - Stars Over Hoke
The classroom becomes a safe and inclusive place for your ELLs as they create documents about their lives. Learners create, read, and present story books based on their own personal experiences. They use digital cameras to take...
Curated OER
How Does Who I Am Relate to Employability?
Sixth graders participate in question and answer sessions and develop a skill-based resume. They identify and explain resume-writing situations in which an ethical dilemma may present itself. Finally, 6th graders identify and project the...
Michigan State University
Interviewing
Do you have pests at your school? Find out through a series of interviews with school personnel. Scholars visit a variety of knowledgable individuals to ask them questions, record their answers, and present their findings to their peers.
Curated OER
Prewriting 2 Getting Ideas
Fourth graders read a poem or short paragraph and have students picture it in their minds. They relate the topic to something in their experience and illustrate, 4th graders generate questions with a graphic organizer, use Prewriting2...
Novelinks
The Devil’s Arithmetic: Personal Narrative Assignment
How can an unfamiliar place help you learn something about yourself? Use a narrative writing prompt as you culminate your unit on Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic. Kids consider the ways that, like the main character from the novel,...
University of North Carolina
Dissertations
Bring on the coffee—it's dissertation time! As a handout on dissertations explains, over 50 percent of PhD candidates never finish their dissertations. The handout, part of a larger series on specific writing styles, helps motivate...
Shakespeare Globe Trust
The Taming of the Shrew
What does it take to build a stage production from the ground up? Scholars read a weekly blog detailing the behind-the-scenes action of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. They also listen to interviews with the cast, meet the...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Going SmokeFree Matters: In Your Home
Is secondhand smoke avoidable if you live with a smoker? Pupils look over an infographic to learn more about how secondhand smoke can travel throughout several rooms, who is more likely to be affected by smoke, and what health conditions...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Going SmokeFree Matters: Multiunit Housing
If you smoke cigarettes in an apartment or condominium complex, the secondhand smoke can travel through walls, ventilation systems, and plumbing to your neighbors' homes. Learn more about the ways smoking can affect those living in...
August House
The Clever Monkey Rides Again
Use a West African folktale to practice several different skills in your first grade classroom. Learners read The Clever Monkey Rides Again and focus on rhyming words, reading comprehension, measurement, art, movement, and word order.
K5 Learning
One of Aesop's Fables
It's one thing to have an idea, but someone has to put it into action! Young pupils read a rendition of Aesop's fable of the mice in the council before answering four questions about details from the text.
Curated OER
Piano Lessons
Playing the piano takes a lot of work, even before you touch the keys! Use a reading passage about learning to play the piano before answering five comprehension questions.
Curated OER
My Antonia: Problematic Situations
Introduce your class to the characters from My Antonia by Willa Cather in a unique way. Given a hypothetical situation about an atomic bomb shelter and a list of character descriptions, pupils must decide which characters get to stay in...
Curated OER
Crops 2: What Plants Need to Grow
Students explore agriculture by participating in a plant growth activity. In this botany instructional activity, students discuss what types of plants grow in their local environment and what the plants need to survive. Students read...