Curated OER
Wordless Picture Books
Students use wordless picture books to examine elements regarding a story, the plot, and characters. In this wordless picture books instructional activity, students select a book to creatively discuss. Students then listen to the teacher...
Curated OER
Winter
In this literacy activity, learners use context clues and the word bank in order to complete the reading passage with the right word choices.
Curated OER
Shh! I am Trying to Read!
Students explore the advantages of being able to read silently. They then review a "stuck on a word" strategy using context clues to determine meanings of unknown words. They then practice reading silently and the teacher assesses for...
Curated OER
Working Watermelon
You're going to wish you had a watermelon for this lesson! Class members read about watermelons and make a salad in class to sample. They also perform estimates, measurements and calculations on a watermelon. They predict what percentage...
Curated OER
Investigate a New Word from "Notes from the Trail"
Learners read and take notes from Notes from the Trail. For this reading fluency lesson, students read back and share their notes finding 7-10 new words. Learners define, write an unrelated sentence and present.
Curated OER
Elements of African Oral Literature
Ninth graders examine the importance of family history. In this Language Arts activity, 9th graders read and discuss African oral literature with a focus on the roles of griots. Students compare /contrast the elements of...
Curated OER
Which Way To Go?
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package of lessons includes nine lessons from the American Literature series, each covering a different reading selection about a man making a key life decision. Pre-reading...
Curated OER
How does it feel? Why is the Civil Rights Movement so Important?
Fifth graders study the Civil War. In this US history lesson, 5th graders simulate what life was like during the Civil War by having two groups with one group given more materials than the other group. Students then draw a...
Curated OER
Le Monde Francophone
Seventh graders discover the variety of French Speaking Countries worldwide. They discover, compare and contrast some distinguishing features of those areas. Students complete several worksheets within this lesson.
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Rainforest Resources
Students explore products of the rainforest. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students discover the resources that the rainforest holds and examine products from the rainforest used around the world.
Curated OER
Prehistoric Native American Lesson Plan: Pictionary with the Past
Learners participate in a vocabulary exercise at a website dedicated to Prehistoric Native Americans.
Teaching Tolerance
Consuming and Creating Political Art
A picture is worth a thousand words, but political art may be worth even more! After examining examples of political cartoons, murals, and other forms of public art, class members create their own pieces to reflect their ideals and...
Secondary Solutions
Of Mice and Men: A Literature Guide
Whether you are planning on using Of Mice and Men for whole-class reading or as a selection for literature circles; whether you are new to John Steinbeck's novel, or it has long been a part of your curriculum, you...
EngageNY
Launching Frightful’s Mountain: Building Background Knowledge and Establishing Reading Routines
Welcome to Frightful's Mountain. The teacher introduces scholars to the text Frightful’s Mountain by reading the first chapter aloud. Learners then talk with a partner about the text. The instructor models answering focus questions...
College Board
The Departure
Scholars learn about the Hero's Journey as they read Ray Bradbury's "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh." They analyze the story's structure and narrative techniques. Finally, they write summaries of the text's central idea and use their...
Curated OER
"Seeing Things With Parted Eye."
Student read a section of Shakespeare's, Julius Caesar to identify the context. In this Shakespeare lesson, students discuss a section of Julius Caesar to determine how Cassius feels about Antony. They work with a partner to develop a...
Curated OER
Flight of the Future/Space Flight
Students explore space science by viewing videos on YouTube. For this moon landing lesson, students view clips of Neil Armstrong taking his first step on the moon and discuss the space race between the U.S. and Russia. Students utilize...
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Does a Picture Always Say a Thousand Words?
Students read and discuss "Enigmatic Portraits of Teen-Agers Free of All Context," then choose a photograph and write a first-person narrative from the perspective of the subject.
Curated OER
The Declaration of Independence: From Rough Draft to Proclamation
Students discover how the Declaration of Independence transformed from a draft to a treasured historical document. In this Declaration of Independence lesson, students discuss the context in which Jefferson wrote the document and analyze...
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Referencing the Classical Past
Students explore the concept of myths conveyed through art. In this art history activity, students examine "Three Goddesses" and discuss the state of the world at the time that Nollekens created the sculptures as they analyze the...
Curated OER
The Civil War Comes to Kansas: The Battle of Mine Creek
Seventh graders explore the impact of Price's Raid and the Battle of Mine Creek. In this American Civil War lesson, 7th graders examine a list of events based on the war in Kansas and then put them in chronological order. Students also...
Curated OER
Story Mapping A Favorite Book
First graders create a diagram of a story by using the computer program Kidspiration. In this diagramming lesson plan, 1st graders will pick a book to write about. They then will plug in story elements of the book into the computer...
Curated OER
Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library
Students examine the need for a national library. In this Library of Congress lesson, students analyze primary sources to investigate the persuasive techniques that Thomas Jefferson used in a letter meant to show his...
Curated OER
Act It Out!
An effective way to demonstrate understanding is by synthesizing one's own work. Use a creative lesson designed for a unit on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun for small groups to show what they know about the play,...