Curated OER
Forest Grump
Students consider the definition of an ecosystem, its parts, and how these parts can be affected when the ecosystem is endangered. They examine dangers being faced by the Canadian boreal forest by reading "For Billions of Birds, an...
Curated OER
Japanese Festival Mask Making
Middle schoolers learn about Japanese culture and make a mask. For this lesson about Japanese mask-making, students use research and art to explore the Japanese culture. Middle schoolers research Japanese masks. Students design their own...
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling: At-Risk Students Find Their Voices
High schoolers use digital cameras and software to create a digital story which consists of a series of digital images paired with a narrarated soundtrack. They focus on relevant images and a presecribed sequence of steps to provide a...
Curated OER
Travels of a T-Shirt
Eighth graders recognize the natural resources used in an energy web. In this consumerism instructional activity students identify solutions to over consumption and the impact of consumerism.
Curated OER
Paul Revere's Ride-Fact or Fiction?
Students discuss Paul Revere's ride. In this social studies lesson, students read Paul Revere's Ride and compare the differences between the poem and the historical event.
Curated OER
Sketching Pyramids
Learners sketch and identify properties of pyramids. In this geometry lesson, students create nets to identify three dimensional shapes. They sketch cones, prisms and pyramids.
Curated OER
Watching Apples Grow
Students examine the importance of each season to the life cycle of an apple tree. In small groups, they create a four-season display illustrating the life cycle of an apple tree along with a written description of each season.
Curated OER
Count it, Glue it, Read it!
Students identify numbers 1-10 and count objects to match corresponding numbers. In the number sense lesson plan, students create a counting book, matching numbers they've written on index cards with the correct number of items (beans,...
Curated OER
Colors Crackle, Colors Roar
First graders engage in a reading of poems in colorful language. They become with the interrelation of using Spanish and English words interchangeably in a text. The lesson also builds multicultural appreciation for young students.
Curated OER
Earth Day
Third graders utilize technology to access, analyze, interpret and communicate information about Earth Day.
Curated OER
Show Some Backbone and Teach Invertebrates
Fifth graders identify two similarities and two differences between two phyla, assign fictitious invertebrate to its phylum and explain why it belongs in that grouping, and construct member of given phylum and explain why it should be...
Curated OER
From Object To Story
Pupils engage in a study that focuses upon the study of artifacts for the purpose of defining the heritage of family. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create a personal family...
E Reading Worksheets
E Reading Worksheets: Author's Purpose Lesson
In this learning module, students will learn about authors' purposes for writing. PowerPoint lessons, worksheets, and quizzes are provided to reinforce the understanding of why authors write assorted pieces. This module is designed to...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Listen to the Word Choice of Authors: Crafting a Poem
Students will analyze a poem's word choice and then create a poem of their own using word wall vocabulary.
Grammar Check
Grammar Check: Copywriting 101: How to Craft Compelling Copy (Infographic)
This infographic provides copyrighting tips. The author provides ways to optimize a copy.
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech: Betsy Byars: Techniques and Themes
Teachers with classes reading the works of Betsy Byars will find information on this prolific author's craft.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: How Does Writer Organize Nonfiction Text?[pdf]
This poster contains writing craft questions for students to ask when reading nonfiction. This graphic organizer is a copyrighted material that may be used for educational purposes.
Other
Abrams Books: Picture Day Perfection: A Common Core State Standards Aligned
This activity and discussion guide uses the book "Picture Day Perfect" to teach multiple common core state standards for language arts. Included in this lesson are discussion questions, a craft project, printable worksheets, and an...
Other
Essays on the Craft of Dramatic Writing
This site, by the author of a workbook on the craft of writing, is filled with essays about many elements of dramatic writing, from the principles of storytelling, to plot development, to character development. There are also numerous...
Other
Charlotte Zolotow: Paul Zindel Becomes an Author
Editor Charlotte Zolotow's large site offers this page about Paul Zindel, how they met, and how she influenced his creative life. Especially interesting is Zindel's description of all she brought to his life and craft as a writer.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Race and Identity in Antebellum America
This unit features authors of Antebellum America and how they portray the American identity through their literature. Click on the tabs to explore the various resources available to enhance this unit.
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Ela Guidebooks: Modeling (Mentor Texts)
This strategy helps students understand an author's craft, refine their writing about texts, and improve their language skills, including using standard English grammar, usage, conventions, and vocabulary in writing.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Units: Teaching Units
Complete teaching units (12) by grade level. CommonLit units are crafted to be both engaging and rigorous, featuring a variety of literary and informational texts from diverse sources. Reading, writing, and discussion are prioritized in...
Other
Ncte: "Can We Blog About This?": Amplifying Student Voice in Secondary Language
This article describes blogging implementation in ninth-grade pre-advanced placement language arts classes to support strong writing practices. The author found that blogging empowered high school authors to craft worlds of digital...