Curated OER
Picture This
Give your littlest learners the opportunity to learn how to discuss, observe, and visualize. First, they determine if the image they are looking at is a photograph or a painting. Then they work together to brainstorm words that describe...
ReadWriteThink
Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments
A speaker, a message, an audience. After analyzing these elements in Queen Elizabeth's speech to the troops at Tilbury, groups analyze how other speakers use an awareness of events, and their audience to craft their arguments....
Curated OER
Giving Game--Planning to Make The World
Students, in groups, examine plans to make the world a beter place. They evaluate the plans based on feasibility, practicality, and do-ability by students their own age.
Curated OER
Leadership: Communicating With Your Peers
Young scholars explore communication by using non-verbal cues. In this body language lesson, students utilize blindfolds to communicate with classmates through words only, then use only physical actions to communicate and compare the...
Curated OER
Eastside Literacy Reading Lesson - Fact or Opinion
Analyze critical thinking skills that involve the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion through self-reflection. Higher education students will collect a newspaper article, advertisement, magazine article, tabloid article,...
Curated OER
Information Overload: Looking at News
How do events reported in mainstream newspapers, on television news, blog posts, and social network sites differ? Ask your class to investigate the way the same news item is presented in the many information sources available. Groups...
Curated OER
Clauses: Building Blocks for Sentences
Colorfully animated and packed with engaging examples, this PowerPoint encourages to employ clauses to create a variety of sentence structures. Peer editing of sample paragraphs would provide an opportunity for guided practice with...
Curated OER
Writing Workshop: Writing Process
If reading seems to be going out the window due to television or other influences, it follows that writing might be close behind. Here are suggestions for setting up a writing workshop in your classroom to keep writing going strong.
Curated OER
During Reading Strategy: Literary Newspaper
Add some writing to your class's reading of Cold Sassy Tree! With this plan, readers assume the role of journalist and create a segment of a paper with their peers. Suggested segments are included, and a worksheet dividing the text into...
Curated OER
What Kind of Student Do You Want to Be?
Third graders write an essay which answers the question, "What kind of student do you want to be?"
Curated OER
Blubber: Discussion Guide
Pupils read Blubber by Judy Blume. For this Blubber discussion lesson, students answer pre-, during, and post- reading of the novel to assist them with comprehension. Themes addressed are problem solving, perspectives, leadership, and...
Curated OER
Informative/ Expository Writing
Elementary schoolers are charged with writing an article for their peers. A class discussion yields topics about which learners consider themselves to be an expert. The teacher models how to construct an article by using facts he or she...
Curated OER
Read it Like You Mean It!
First through third graders observe and demonstrate a variety of reading expression strategies. First start by reviewing some common digraphs and the sounds they make. Then listen to the teacher read different sentences with and without...
Curated OER
Comic Book Project
Students write a comic. In this writing instructional activity, students discuss comic books and why they continue to be so popular. Students create a comic book using an imaginary character. Students must present a problem and solution...
Curated OER
Animals and Cosmetics Testing Lesson Plan
Students educate themselves as consumers. In this animal welfare lesson plan, students research the pros and cons of testing cosmetics on animals. Students develop alternatives for cosmetics testing and share their results with their peers.
Curated OER
“Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Readers not only identify aphorisms in Emerson's "Self Reliance," but also find evidence of transcendental elements contained in the essay. They also demonstrate consistency...
Curated OER
Walk Like Animals
There's nothing like a good movement activity for young learners. In this one, everyone pretends to be a certain kind of animal and moves in a way that the animal really does. First, a brainstorm session is held where the kids name the...
Curated OER
Treasured Comments
Learners write positive comments to classmates. They decorate a box or envelope, write one positive comment to share with each student in the class, and read the comments written to them by the other students.
Curated OER
Delicious Words
Fifth graders work together to make simple menus more interesting by adding descriptive words. This plan works well with the Six Traits of Writing as it covers the trait of word choice. This is a really fun way for students to practice...
Curated OER
Le School Sac
Students critique their own school bag by sketching and writing a detailed description of it. In this creative design lesson, students then design a more efficient carrier for their school supplies on paper. Students explain to their...
Curated OER
Children's Book
A great way to publish students' stories is by having them create a picture book using Pages. This simple lesson plan has them take a short story they have written and create a book with a title page and dedication. After they have...
Curated OER
Grammar and Mechanics Review
Students review and edit writing pieces for grammar and mechanics. They view sentences and discuss how they feel about them. They collaborate in small groups to revise and edit sentences and present them to the class.
Curated OER
Hats
Students listen to a read aloud of "Hats, hats, hats," by Ann Morris focusing on the variety of hats. They play a file folder game categorizing hats from the book.
Curated OER
Emailing Colonial Pen Pals
Fifth graders write emails to a friend imagining they are traveling to colonial America. In this emailing penpals lesson, 5th graders discuss appropriate language and topics in email communication, use correct format and write...