Curated OER
Looking at the Civil War through the lens of local history." Teaching
Students research life in Plymouth during the Civil War. Using the internet and other resources, students examine the historical effects of the Civil War. In groups, they publish a newspaper explaining the events of the day.
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The Maggie B.
Pupils are read the book "The Maggie B.". Using the text, they try to name the locations mentioned. They use a map to name all the oceans and seas and discuss the characteristics of each. They color a map worksheet to keep with them for...
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Author Cards
Eighth graders create an informational card for a selected author. They read and analyze a book by their chosen author, conduct research about the author, and create an author card that includes a written critical response to the...
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What's Up with Waste?
Fifth graders design a brochure that identifies types of solid waste that are often improperly disposed, explains the effects of this disposal and proposes a solution to the problem. The read humorous books, define vocabulary words and...
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What Makes the Writer Write
Students chose a novel which includes social criticism to read. After reading the book, they use the internet to research the issue in the novel and work with others to develop a presentation. In their presentation, they identify the...
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Camp Newspaper
Fifth graders write newspaper articles about Camp Campbell. They discuss the vocabulary of news stories, read examples, brainstorm ideas, and choose a topic before writing the article. After editing the articles, they word process them...
Turabian Teacher Collaborative
Parts of Argument II: Article Critique
Break down the parts of argumentative writing with a critical thinking activity. High schoolers read an article of your (or their choice), and use a graphic organizer to delineate the ways the author structures his or her arguments.
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Learning About Writers
Students explore how authors write stories. For this careers lesson, students invite an author into the classroom and ask him/her questions about writing as a career.
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What Makes Me Who I Am?
Fifth graders analyze their genetics and look closely at cell interaction within their bodies in this unit. Students publish and share picture books.
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THE HUMBLE Beginnings of the Hamburger
Students listen to numerous claims concerning the hamburger's origins and then compose an original tall tale on the subject. Students name some tall tales they have heard or read about. Students make books that feature tall tales...
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Secrets of the Mummies
How did the ancient people of Egypt preserve their dead so well that their bodies are still recognizable today? Learn the painstakingly complex process they used for preservation. Young scholars read and summarize a narrative detailing...
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Jeffrey and Sloth: Six Traits of Writing
Use drawings as inspiration. Have learners doodle for 10 minutes before beginning the lesson. Then, have them use their doodles to inspire a story. Several writing activities are included here to play with writing. One of my favorites...
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Animal Diaries
Launch this instructional activity with Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm! Discuss the format and content of a diary, and ask learners if they've ever kept a diary before. Then, after an introductory discussion, have learners choose an...
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Storytelling In America
Students discuss how Washington Irving is considered an important 19th century-American storyteller. They create their own version of a passage from 'The Legend' after listening to the story.
Prestwick House
Author’s Purpose in Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” Speech
President Ronald Reagan's "Tear Down This Wall" speech, delivered on June 12, 1987 before the Berlin Wall, provides class members with an opportunity to examine three key aspects of informational text: author bias, the use of facts and...
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"All About Me" Webpage
Students conduct interviews and write about the interview. The information from these interviews is used to create a webpage on Netscape Composer. Students cite Internet sources for any images downloaded from the web. Students also use...
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Graphing Memories
Mem Fox’s Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge provides the labels for a graphing activity. Class members create an illustration of a memory item brought from home, and place their illustration in the proper column of a graph. When the...
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A Feature Presentation - Geographic Landforms
Students investigate, identify and compare the various geographic terms that can be used to describe the landforms occurring in the Hawaiian islands.
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Safe In the City
Young scholars read a news article about the most dangerous cities in the United States. In groups, they develop a plan to present to the city council to improve the situation in their own community. They examine how the media presents...
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Safe In the City
Students read a report about the most dangerous cities in America. Using the internet, they research their own community in regards to how safe it is. They interview local law enforcement and determine the degree of local danger. They...
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VIPs: Very Important Pups
In this matching worksheet, pupils match nine presidents to a brief description of each's dog. The descriptions contain other clues to help make the correct match.
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Dear Mrs. LaRue; Letter Writing
Students listen to the story about a naughty dog who writes to his owner in letter form. In this writing a letter lesson, students pretend to write to a character in the story and practice their literacy skills. Students then...
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Worry Dolls
First graders are read The Worrywarts, by Pamela Duncan Edwards. In this discussing your worries lesson, 1st graders listen to the story and have a class discussion about how they handle their worries. They are introduced to "worry...
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Fiction vs. Nonfiction
Students explore fiction and nonfiction writing. They identify the elements of fiction in a short story and identify the criteria necessary in a nonfiction piece. Students distinguish the author's purpose in an expository text,...