Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patriots v. Loyalists

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Students consider how colonial citizens chose sides in the American Revolution. In this Revolutionary War lesson plan, students role play Loyalists, Patriots, and undecideds in a classroom simulation. Students research their positions so...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take a Spin Through the Solar System

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders participate in a variety of activities to explore the Solar System in this unit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Color My World

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders write poems using color to describe their feelings and environment. After viewing a sample student poem imbedded in this plan, 4th graders utilize The Student Writing Center educational software program to type their poem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Words to Warm the Winter: Characters Count!

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders take part in a mini-lesson on characterization, discuss roles for Literary Circles and meet for the first true session of their Literary Circles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Am I? Determining Relative Location

For Teachers K
Students use position words to describe where their teacher is sitting and read a story that makes use of position words. For this spatial lesson, students make a stick puppet and play Simon Says focusing on using position words in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Silent Spring

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read background information about Rachel Carson found on the listed website links. They analyze and answer questions about her work and how it is linked to science then they research pesticide usage and alternative methods.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Indi/Visual

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders take photographs for a photo essay contest. Using primary source documents, they review various types of artwork and discuss how some of the images have become commonplace. They use the internet to view examples of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Jefferson's Legacy: A National Library

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Young scholars examine the creation of the Library of Congress. They investigate reasons why Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection to the Library. Employing various research resources, students write newspaper articles about the...
PPT
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Science Fiction

For Students 9th - 10th
This slideshow introduces the genre of science fiction. It presents background information, common elements, common themes, pop movies (from books) showing diverse examples, and three specific examples: "Time Machine," "I, Robot," and...
Unit Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Ga Virtual Learning: Popular Culture: What Makes a Book Popular?

For Students 9th - 10th
This lesson focuses on the elements that makes a book popular and provides links to lists of Goodreads popular books and NPR's "Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels."
Lesson Plan
Utah Education Network

Uen: Create a Book (Grade 3 6)

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Students will illustrate and write their own story.
Article
Harold D. Underdown

Writing Young Adult and Children's Fiction and Fantasy

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A great article concerning writing children's literature, especially in the area of fantasy or science fiction. The author provides information concerning how to develop characters, creating literary elements, and discusses some pitfalls...
Unit Plan
The Best Notes

The Best Notes: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an online study guide/notes for the non-fiction book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer including author information, literary elements, chapter-by-chapter summaries/notes, study questions, and analysis. The book retraces the steps of...
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Book Report Alternative: The Elements of Fiction

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Analyzing a book takes the form of creating their own when young scholars complete this activity. The stated goal is to help students "Read like writers." Includes link to a template for student use.
Unit Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic: Book Files: My Side of the Mountain

For Students 9th - 10th
"My Side of the Mountain", is a Newbery Honor, by Jean Craighead George. This book is about Sam Gribley's adventure in the Catskill Mountains. The novel's themes are nature, independence, survival, and adventure. Make the smart choice by...
Unit Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Elements of Literature: Guide to the Sign of the Beaver [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This Holt Literature guide in .pdf format, offers some background on the novel, a chapter-by-chapter summary, and some post-reading suggestions.
Article
Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets: 103 Things to Do Before/during/after Reading

For Students K - 1st Standards
The highly-respected Reading Rockets program offers both teachers and students a toolkit of ways to connect more actively with the materials they read. Some of these techniques are specifically for fiction-reading, others are designed...
Unit Plan
The Best Notes

The Best Notes: Hiroshima by John Hersey

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an online study guide/notes for the non-fiction book Hiroshima by John Hersey including author information, literary elements, chapter-by-chapter summaries/notes, study questions, and analysis. The book tells the stories of six...
eBook
Other

America Dept. Of State: Outline of American Literature [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This online book presents an overview of American literature chronologically. Eras and movements are explained and biographies of significant authors are provided. This is a good way to understand the background and influences of...
Lesson Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Plot 1st Grade Unit

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of three lesson plans designed to teach students to identify problems and solutions in fiction text and to retell a story's problem and solution in sequence. Students learn to identify the plot...
eBook
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Axle the Freeway Cat

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this online book from the International Children's Digital Library, a lonely cat meets a new friend in a traffic jam.
Unit Plan
Other

Literature Unit: "A Day No Pigs Would Die"

For Students 6th - 8th
This site features questions for each of the chapters in Robert Newton Peck's "A Day No Pigs Would Die."
eBook
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Black Ear, Blond Ear

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this online book from the International Children's Digital Library, relations between the blonde cats and the black cats, who live on different sides of the river, learn about each other when they exchange ears.
eBook
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: The Blue Sky

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this online book from the International Children's Digital Library, a sad and lonely little girl dreams of seeing her mother again as she watches the clouds in the sky.