Curated OER
Beacons of Light
Students research Internet sites for lighthouses. In this lighthouses lesson, students learn facts about lighthouses in the United States. Students complete a related worksheet and share their information with the class.
Curated OER
Show, Don't Tell: Details to Make Writing Come Alive
After each of three viewings of a 45-second video, aspiring writers employ vivid adjectives and precise, strong verbs to "show, don't tell." First they compose a single sentence, then three, and finally a five-sentence paragraph. Repeat...
Curated OER
Spider "How To" Make a Spider
Young chefs follow the set-by-step instructions of a recipe and use their prior knowledge of the body parts of a spider to make edible spider cookies. After completing a pre-writing graphic organizer they then write a "how to"...
Curated OER
Exploring Nature: Powerful Forces
Learners observe samples of artwork which use line, shape, and form to show movement and depict natural forces of nature. They create their own piece of artwork that shows a natural force and movement and then write a descriptive...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Here is a good four-page worksheet designed to get your young inventors thinking about a simple machine they could design and build. They must answer some basic questions about their machine, draw a sketch of their idea, and write a...
Curated OER
Which Article? (Part 3)
Use this worksheet to have learners fill in thirteen blanks in a descriptive paragraph with the grammatically correct articles for each one.
Curated OER
Millennium Santa!
Third graders decide what would make Santa look modern and in style. They write a descriptive paragraph that another student then reads. They try to draw the image conveyed in the writing. They read the paragraphs and match them with the...
Curated OER
Show! Don't Tell!
Students write a descriptive paragraph. In this writing lesson plan, students define elaboration and discuss the characteristics of an elaborate paragraph. Students write a paragraph that contains vivid adjectives, strong verbs and exact...
Curated OER
Science Inventions
Third graders explore the world of inventions by describing their impact on their own lives. In this technology lesson, 3rd graders practice writing descriptive paragraphs about different inventions that they find...
Curated OER
Descriptive Writing
Fifth graders use descriptive words to write a recipe. They use the theme of Spring describing what would make for the perfect spring break, vacation, or day. They write their recipe on a recipe card and display their recipes on the...
Curated OER
Performance Event
Students examine the media by writing a compare/contrast paragraph. In this mass communications lesson, students identify and discuss the main sources of information for Americans in today's age. Students analyze pictures of people...
Curated OER
The Difference is...You
Students think of a way to change the world and write a descriptive paragraph about it. In this change the world lesson plan, they view a clip from a movie such as Pay It Forward and then choose their own way to change the world.
Curated OER
"The Voice"
In this descriptive paragraph activity, students write a descriptive story from the poem "The Voice." Students answer ten questions before they start to aid them in their writing and use quotations from the poem.
Curated OER
Element Research Project
Students research elements on interactive Internet periodic tables, take notes using Inspiration software, and write descriptive paragraphs with graphics. They create presentations.
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast
Students learn about similarities and differences between different types of weather patterns. For this weather lesson, students read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and Weather. Students create a word search puzzle,...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Our Solar System
Second graders research the Solar System using the Internet to complete questions. They sing The Planet Song and study the names of the planets using an acrostic poem. They write descriptive paragraphs with a partner with whom they check...
Curated OER
Robots All Around Us
Student work in design teams to research robots, create a drawing of a robot they want to make, build a prototype of their robot, present their prototype and research, and write a descriptive paragraph about their creation.
Curated OER
Create An Insect
Students create a new species of insect. They create a list of insect characteristics and use this as a springboard to draw an insect of their own. Students write a brief descriptive paragraphs about their insect, giving particular...
Curated OER
My Living Arrangements
Students identify various housing options, focusing on rental vs. purchase and short vs. long term. With a partner, students discuss their housing situation. Once their discussion is complete, students write a brief paragraph weighing...
Curated OER
Car For Sale!
Car For sale! In this GED prep instructional activity, writers develop a classified advertisement to sell a car. After a discussion of precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language, sellers draft their ad for review,...
Scholastic
What a Character!
How do you know what traits a character displays in a story? Learners select a character and find list three traits for this character, explaining why they chose each trait. They then put this information together into a paragraph or essay.
Saint Paul Public Schools
Using Adjectives to Describe a Busy Street Scene
What just happened in the street? After several introductory activities about adjectives and description, pupils use all that they have learned to compose a paragraph about a hectic intersection.
American Museum of Natural History
Journey to the Bottom of the Sea
Follow the path to the sea floor. Pupils play an online interactive board game to reach the bottom of the sea. Participants must match descriptions of creatures to a property of water dealing with oxygen, food, light, or density to move...
K12 Reader
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Washington Irving's description of Ichabod Crane provides young readers with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to identify the main idea of a passage.