Curated OER
Musical Vocabulary Links
Students use well known songs to help them learn new vocabulary and apply meaning to the words. They make associations to the songs in order repeat and memorize new words. They use the Star Spangled Banner as an example in this lesson.
Curated OER
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Learners define from a word list for a literary selection. Using the literary selection, they read the vocabulary in context. They determine the definition of the word as used in context and create a crossword puzzle using the...
Curated OER
"As You Like It" by William Shakespeare
Jacque's soliloquy from Act II, scene ii of As You Like It sets the stage for a close reading exercise that models how to approach difficult, dense text and enables readers to practice reading comprehension and analysis...
Curated OER
Word Structure
Students infer the meanings of unfamiliar words using context clues and knowledge of prefixes and suffixes. They identify vocabulary words as nouns or adjectives using context clues and suffixes. In addition, they decide the meaning of a...
Curated OER
Jargon
Eighth graders investigate the concept of jargon and how it is used in different contexts in relation to the study of vocabulary. They practice interpreting jargon by concentrating on the comprehension strategy of using context clues.
Curated OER
Glossary
Show your class how they can use a glossary to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word. A book about the great emperor penguin is used to hone in on vocabulary development through the use of context clues and the glossary found at...
Curated OER
The Stolen Smell
Third graders read the story The Stolen Smell, and complete language arts activities based on the book. In this The Stolen Smell lesson plan, 3rd graders complete activities such as discussion, reading, researching, drawing, role...
Curated OER
Where is Shirley the Elephant?
Young animal lovers engage in a lesson that's all about elephants. They access an elephant sanctuary website and read a story about Shirley the elephant. They perform a series of activities based upon that story, and also study about the...
Curated OER
Louisiana's Tragic Hero - "Evangeline"
"Ye who believe...List to a Tale of Love in Acadie." Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline," launches a study of tragic heroines, epic poetry, the expulsion of the Acadians from Canada, and their subsequent migration to Louisiana. The...
Curated OER
Kumeyaay Indians
Useful for literary analysis, citing textual evidence, or summary skills, this lesson about the Kumeyaay Indians would be a good addition to your language arts class. Middle schoolers read novels and summarize the literature in their own...
Curated OER
Because of Winn-Dixie
Readers analyze an excerpt from Kate DiCamillo's novel Because of Winn-Dixie. They read silently, and then hear it read aloud. Definitions for underlined vocabulary words are in the margin, and other potentially difficult words...
Curated OER
Unwind: Directed Reading Thinking Activity
To generate interest in reading Neal Shusterman's young adult science fiction novel Unwind, class members engage in a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) that asks them to examine the front and back covers, the blurbs, and "The...
Curated OER
Pendemonium: The Italian Job
Discover how to use prefixes and suffixes to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. The group views a jovial video on the topic, and then they create a chart of prefix and suffix meanings to identify the meanings of words in a social...
Curated OER
Erie Canal: Journey Back in Time
Fourth graders read the novel, The Eric Canal, identifying the characters and setting. They respond to daily reading by writing in journals and complete a short answer test upon completion of the novel.
Curated OER
Making and Using a Graphic Organizer for Solving a Mystery
Students create tables in a word processing program which helps them organize their text clues when reading a mystery story. They develop reading comprehension strategies while using a computer based graphic organizer in order to solve...
Curated OER
Measuring Perimeter
Have your class practice measuring the perimeter of various objects using this resource. Fifth graders place various-sized polygons in order (from largest to smallest). They use non-standard measuring tools to estimate the distance...
Curated OER
"Swamp Monsters" by Mary Blount Christian
Using the book Swamp Monsters by Mary Blount Christian, young readers discuss key vocabulary terms and make predictions about swamp monsters. They complete a Cloze activity, explore past-tense verbs, and categorize vocabulary words.
Curated OER
Community Ripple
Originally designed to be used along with a text that is not included, this plan contains a graphic organizer and word guessing game to help readers use decoding strategies to gain new vocabulary. A set of questions relating to community...
Curated OER
Math Prefixes
Young scholars use a dictionary to gather appropriate information for writing simple definitions. They recognize prefixes that relate to numbers, such as mono-, bi-, and tri-. Pupils use their creative abilities to extrapolate new words...
Curated OER
The Gift of the Magi
Test the true meaning of giving - and irony - with this lesson plan about "The Gift of the Magi." Using textual analysis, details, and text organization, middle schoolers make predictions about future events in the story and determine...
Curated OER
A Plump and Perky Turkey
Help readers recognize elements in a story. They will use pictures and text to gain meaning from written material. Have learners listen to the story A Plump and Perky Turkey and participate in a discussion. They recognize the...
Curated OER
Spanish: Body Parts and Beyond
Students drill on Spanish vocabulary words by participating in a card game. They use a list of teacher-prepared clues that are glued to cards. Later they apply these words to skits and dialogues about health issues.
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies - Sentence Starters and Vocabulary
Students prepare for the reading of iam Golding's novel, The Lord of the Flies, by exploring the theme through a discussion and sentence starter activity.