Curated OER
Class Book Awards
Students study the criteria used to select notable book awards, including the Caldecott Medal and the Newbery Medal. Then they develop their own Class Book Awards to bestow upon favorite books in the classroom library. They decide on...
Curated OER
Book Critique
Once your students finish reading a book in small groups, whole class, or individually, this is a great worksheet for students to reflect on what they have read. Six critique questions are presented for students to think about. This is a...
Curated OER
Original Children's Books
Bring the fun and creativity of children's stories to your language arts class. Middle schoolers write, revise, and publish an original student book which incorporates the elements of a short story. They put their story in the form of a...
Curated OER
East Asian Fiction and Non-Fiction Books
Readers explore East Asian culture and literature with a book folder project. Before beginning the project, learners record three beliefs they have about East Asian culture. They then select two books to read and create a display for the...
Curated OER
Making Big Cats' Web Pages
Students investigate the lives of big cats by creating a website. In this web design lesson plan, students examine web authoring software in pairs as they read books on big cats. Students share their web page creations with the class...
Curated OER
Book Party
Learners compile a list of titles and authors worthy of having their own festivals, then research and write proposals outlining the activities for a specific book festival. They write analytical letters from the perspective of the author...
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.
Curated OER
What Makes the Writer Write
Your 11th and 12th graders are ready to critique society! Channel that inclination by studying a novel that offers social criticism of other eras (book recommendations included). This resource presents a well-thought-out overview of such...
Scholastic
Hill of Fire Teaching Plan
Some books are perfect for drawing connections between multiple subjects. The book Hill of Fire becomes the hub for three very different, yet related activity ideas. First the class hones their oral language skills by creating an...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: Performing Arts
The classical arts have made a lasting impact on our society and your advanced learners get to find out why. The activity starts as the children create a list of the arts found in society, they discuss how these art forms impact their...
Curated OER
Book Smarts
Students identify the ideas and themes that are most significant in a work of literature, then propose ways to visually represent these themes through art.
Curated OER
Joseph Conrad: 1857-1924
An interesting glimpse of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, this presentation provides several pertinent quotes from the novel to support various themes. In the context of a larger unit, this powerpoint could be helpful; however, on its...
Curated OER
The Function of Music
Explore concepts of audience, purpose and symbols in this lesson from Media Smarts that asks students to consider all the functions of music. Through a series of discussions and activities, your class will brainstorm possible functions...
Curated OER
Is That How it Happened?
Younsters are exposed to classic stories of Arkansas Folklore including The Arkansas Traveller, and Davy Crockett. They discuss if the stories they hear are examples of folklore, or some other kind of story. Then, each puil is required...
Curated OER
Passive Voice: English Project
Here’s a great idea: Have your class members create presentations about a grammar issue! “English Project” is a colorful, student-produced PowerPoint focused on passive voice. The presentation could be used as a lesson and as a model for...
Curated OER
English Literature Circle Discussion
Learners participate in literary circles to analyze characters, critique writing, discuss events, and story elements. In this literary circles lesson, students take responsibility for their learning as a member of the group. Learners...
Curated OER
Literary Wizardry
Students discuss what they already know about the Harry Potter series. After reading an article, they examine a critic's reaction to the latest book in the series. As a class, they brainstorm what parts of their school day could use...
Curated OER
Write Your Own Screen Play
Middle schoolers critique the transition of "Holes" from a novel to screenplay and consider how the details in a book are brought to life in a movie. They then choose a scene in a book and transform it into an original script after...
Curated OER
The Rainbow Fish
Students are read the book "The Rainbow Fish" and summarize each page. They discuss actions they should be displaying to others. They critique the book and role-play being friends to end the lesson.
Scholastic
Persausive Writing
A unit on persuasive writing guides elementary learners through the writing process. The first part examines the elements of persuasive writing, including expressing an opinion, connecting ideas, using supporting facts, and writing...
Great Books Foundation
Discussion Guide for 1984
George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, can seem strangely prophetic when compared to modern news events and politics. Readers of Orwell's dystopian classic sharpen their critical thinking skills by engaging in a shared...
Curated OER
The Lightning Thief: During Reading Strategy
After reading up to page 371 of Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, get insight into how Percy felt making a major decision through active discussion strategies that enable both academic and thoughtful...
Curated OER
Descriptive and Imaginative Poetry
Students use descriptive and imaginative words and images in poetry. In this poetry lesson, students choose a picture to describe to the class. As the student gives the description, the classmates choose the words and images that best...
Curated OER
Creating Our Newspapers
Students write newspaper articles in groups to form a class newspaper. In this newspaper lesson plan, students share their work with another group who critiques it.