Curated OER
New York State Testing Program: English Language Arts Listening Test Selection Grade 7
Although labeled as a listening test, no questions accompany Jim Davis’ "Flight of Fancy," a short essay in which he describes how he came to be a cartoonist and the creator of Garfield. However, the article is interesting and crafting...
Curated OER
Hero Within
Young scholars interview a hero. In this heroes lesson, students read Number the Stars to begin a discussion about heroes and then create mind maps on each character. Young scholars pick a local hero and interview them and then write a...
Curated OER
Editing and Revision Made Easy
Fifth graders use computer to correct mistakes in written sentences.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce, and the Unreliable Biographers
High schoolers research biographical facts about Edgar Allan Poe and Ambrose Bierce and complete literary analysis activities. In this biographical lesson plan, learners research basic biographical facts about Poe and Bierce. High...
Curated OER
What If: The Seed Of A Story
Learners read and comprehend a piece of fictional writing, analyze how setting, characterization, and plot affect the theme of a story and work in a group to create a new writing assignment. This 5-day plan culminates in students writing...
Curated OER
Johnny Tremain for the 21st Century
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the American Revolution based on the novel, 'Johnny Tremain.' They define key vocabulary terms, develop a timeline, write a report on a colonial craft, make a colonial flag, and create a...
Curated OER
Mining For Descriptive Gold
Students describe places using language that is as vivid as possible. They will examine the writer's craft in describing a place by reading and discussing "Resurrecting the Miner's World." They will then revise their descriptive pieces...
Curated OER
Colonial Customs
Young scholars experience Colonial life and explore the customs of the 17th century. In this colonial America lesson plan, students play dress up, barter items, author pledges, and review 17th century etiquette.
Curated OER
Picture a Character
How would Jean-Etiénne Liotard paint the characters from "The Little Mermaid?" What would the main character from "The Little Match Girl" look like from Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes' point of view? After examining various paintings...
Curated OER
Dream Big
Students discuss the success of privately built and flown space crafts by reading and discussing a news article. They develop adventure trip proposals to present to Sir Richard Branson. Students write essays reflecting on the importance...
Curated OER
Gray Whales
Explore the majestic grey whale while deepening your understanding of animal adaptations. Grey whales from head to toe are specifically designed to fit their environment. Learners will examine the ways in which the flippers, head, body,...
Learning Station
Audience Appeal
In this writing worksheet, students learn that authors create books aimed at a particular audience of a certain age and interest. Learners read the names of 10 kinds of books and write the name of someone they think would enjoy it, and why.
Curated OER
Symbolism
Students engage in a lesson about symbolism while reviewing the work of Edgar Allen Poe. They review the definition of symbolism and use it to list the symbols in his work. They write a journal about how the author uses many literary...
Curated OER
Bronte and Rhys' Portrayal of Bertha
Students, while reading and discussing the two texts by Charlotte Bronte and Jean Rhys, compare/contrast the two main characters and juxtapose them as the same character told from two different points of view. They gain insight of how to...
Curated OER
5 Mother's Day Lessons and Activities
Learners complete a craft project. In this Mother's Day lesson, students learn about Mother's Day around the world, write an essay about their mother, create a Mother's Day card, create coupons for meaningful time with their...
Curated OER
A Long Way Home
Students examine the difference between hard news and editorial writing by considering several pieces written about the Elian Gonzalez custody battle. They then craft their own hard news and editorials on the case.
Curated OER
FOREST GRUMP: Examining How Deforestation Affects Plants and Animals of the Canadian Boreal
Students consider definition of an ecosystem as it relates to the Canadian boreal, discover how deforestation affects this forest and recreate ecosystems. They write persuasive letters urging politicians or business people to help save...
Curated OER
Story Dolls
Young scholars express themselves through art and writing at the same time in this lesson. Students create paper doll versions of themselves. Young scholars write a biography of their dolls.
Curated OER
Self Portrait on Paper
Students are guided into creating their own self-portrait in steps using colored pastels. They also use their self-portraits as a springboard to write a personal narrative. This is a cool lesson!
Curated OER
Death Be Not Proud
Students consider various opinions concerning the execution of Timothy McVeigh. They formulate, and share in writing, their own perspectives on his execution and on the lasting impact of the Oklahoma City bombing.
Curated OER
High Anxiety
The Learning Network section of the New York Times produces high-quality teaching materials. This issue gets middle or high schoolers reading an article about how people use art to express their response to high-stress events. They work...
Curated OER
Cranberry Bog
Young scholars explore cranberry farming in Massachusetts and the rest of the nation. They research on challenges facing cranberry farming industry and then write reflection papers on optimum pest control methods from the perspective of...
Curated OER
A South African Storm
Students read a letter titled "A South African Storm" on her experiences of discrimination in the country. Individually or as a class, they answer questions about the author's purpose in writing the piece was and how she made herself...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Core Analysis Frame: Fiction
Dig into any piece of fiction with a series of analysis questions. There are two levels of questions provided: basic and in-depth. The basic questions can be copied double-sided onto a single piece of paper, while the in-depth questions...