Fluence Learning
Writing Informational Text: Community and School Gardens
Two informational texts feature community gardens of the past and present and how seeds grow. Scholars read, discuss what they have read, complete a timeline, define words, and compose a brief essay about the texts' main idea.
Scholastic
Pilgrim and Wampanoag Daily Life
A instructional activity looks at the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe during the first Thanksgiving. Scholars compare and contrast information presented by an online activity then discuss their findings. Learners examine the two group's...
Curated OER
Writing Letters: c and o
How can you incorporate drawing a dinosaur with printing practice? Here's how! Budding printers trace and write lowercase letters c and o, following guidelines to trace one set before trying another on their own. Then, they complete a...
Curated OER
A'planting We will Go
Germination is an amazing process that results in amazing things. The book The Tiny Seed is the inspiration for a set of activities that will help build early literacy, observation, language, and writing skills. The class observes how...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders and Community: Early 20th Century Chicago Neighborhoods and Ethnic Enclaves
Chicago is one city, four neighborhoods, and countless nationalities. The lesson explores the ethnic division of Chicago in the early twentieth century. Academics read primary sources, analyze maps, and tour an online exhibit to...
Curriculum Corner
I See a School
Give observational and writing skills a boost with a activity that takes scholars on a sight-seeing journey around the school. Learners read sentences and color a corresponding picture, then write their own observational sentence and...
Positively Autism
"What to Expect at Christmas" Social Skill Story
Holidays are less stressful if we know what to expect. Here's a social skills story that prepares learners with autism for the change in routines that holidays bring.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Phonological Awareness: Syllables, Clapping Names
Scholars practice identifying and counting syllables. Images of classmates are cut out and placed on a chart. Learners clap and count the syllables in each child's name. They finish by writing the number of syllables under the...
Little Book Lane
"Sh" Words
Sh, sh, sh! When two letters together always make the same sound, they're called a consonant digraph. Get those early readers ready to use the sh sound with confidence. This packet contains printable wall cards, a miniature sh book for...
Northshore School District
American Voices and Their Audiences
Those new to teaching an AP level language and composition prep course and seasoned veterans will find much to treasure in a unit that is designed to help young language scholars develop the skills they need to analyze the language...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.5: Structure of an Argument
Imagine a cross-curricular project that not only rewards learners for examining the textbooks used in their other classes but builds literacy skills as well! Groups compare the formats and writing style in their various textbooks. Teams...
Curated OER
Conversation Heart Bingo
Primary learners play conversation heart bingo in order to write common phrases. They will create a bingo card with common phrases from conversation heart candy. The teacher calls out phrases and the learners cover them with conversation...
Curated OER
The Complex Sentence
Develop the writing skills of your middle and high schoolers with this learning exercise on complex, compound, and simple sentences. This resource assumes your learners are familiar with simple and compound sentences, so only the complex...
Novelinks
Walk Two Moons: Guided Imagery
Sensory details can enhance the reading experience, especially during a guided imagery reading. Young readers close their eyes and listen to a passage from Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons before responding to discussion questions and...
Curated OER
Creating Letter-shape Patterns #2
Before learners become writers they need to feel comfortable moving a pencil from left to right in various patterns. Use these exercises to give budding printers some fine motor practice. They complete three patterns by tracing a dotted...
Scholastic
Pilgrim and Wampanoag Daily Life for Grades 3-5
Thirteen steps make up a lesson that challenges pupils to compare and contrast the daily lives of Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. Learners revisit the Graffiti Wall then break into small groups for an investigative reading assignment...
Curated OER
Narrative Writing
Are you the oldest in your family? The youngest? The middlest? How do you feel about your place in your family? After reading such stories as My Rotten, Redheaded Older Brother by Patricia Polacco and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by...
Scholastic
Calligraphy Minibook
Engage young learners in practicing their counting skills while teaching them about the Japanese writing system with this printable book. Using the included key that shows the kanji characters for the numbers 1-10, children count the...
The Kennedy Center
Fairy Tale Variations
Here are two great lessons that work together and are inspired by the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. Young writers and actors will retell the story of "The Frog Prince" through games, improvisational script writing, and song....
Florida Center for Reading Research
Word Steps
Blending basic CVC letters to make words is one of the first steps to independent reading. Provided here are several images of stairs and several letters to cut and arrange. The learner rearranges the letters to form CVC patterns, sounds...
Curated OER
Mouse Mess
Scholars practice rhyming and phonemic awareness using trade books and poetry. They will listen to the book Mouse Mess several times throughout the week, identifying rhyming words, and matching words that begin with the same sound. Then...
Curated OER
Let's Learn About Firefighters!
Students explore, analyze and study about fire fighters and fire safety. They listen to a book, list what they already know about firefighters and fire safety rules and compare/contrast types of firefighters. Each student then writes a...
Curated OER
I'm Special Books
Students become aware of the concept that each of us is special. They develop an appreciation for the special things that each can do now, and begin to develop early literacy skills. Each student creates a book about themselves and...
Curated OER
Vowel Sounds: I and O
Early readers put their short vowel know how to the test. They read a series of simple cvc words, circle all the words that contain the medial short vowel sound indicated, then write those words in the space provided. Phonics, reading,...