Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Through the Viewfinder: Learning to Think Like a Professional News Photographer

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students investigate the skills for photo composition to become quality photojournalists. In this photojournalism lesson, students cut out photographs from magazines and decide on the best ones, as well as determine what makes them good....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thinking Syntactically: Using non-print text to faciliate generation of syntax and analysis of tone

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students write with a command of the stylistic aspects of composition. They respond to non-print text. Students demonstrate working knowledge of syntactical choices. They construct sentences using descriptive language. Students analyze...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personification

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners engage in a lesson about personification. They read passages from Charlotte's Web  which are connected to the concept of looking for key words to name the character. Students review the definition of personification, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fall Similes and Metaphors

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students interpret what a similies and metaphors are. They give examples of similies and metaphors. Pupils write different similies and metaphors using fall or autumn descriptive words. Students base their comparisons on facts, once they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What About Us? Women in the Civil War

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students research the role of women in the Civil War. In this Civil War unit, students research the role women played during the war. This unit includes eight different activities including vocabulary, writing prompts and a literature...
Lesson Plan
Orange County Department of Education

Integrity and a Boy Called Slow

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders identify the character trait of integrity in the main character, Slow, in "A Boy Called Slow." They participate in a discussion to determine what steps the main character took to earn his new name. Students write an essay...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

10 Things I Hate about Shakespeare

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students look at the works of Shakespeare to describe and explain relationships among some of the different texts. The writing of the learners has the intent of increasing comprehension, interpretation, and critical analysis skills.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Bums in the Attic

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students engage in a study about the life of young girl in the book "Bums In The Attic". They read the narrative story while considering the first person point of view. Students write a journal that analyzes the author's style of writing.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at French Decorative Arts

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars compare the role of a marchand-mercier to that of a modern-day business counterpart and write a persuasive letter. In this French art lesson, students discuss the role of the marchand-mercier in French design and role-play...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Looking at French Decorative Arts: Makers of Nothing, Sellers of Everything

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners imagine they are a 'marchand-mercier' (or salesman) and write a persuasive letter to sell French items. In this art analysis lesson, students identify the role of a 'marchand-mercier' and write a three-paragraph letter to sell...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroes Past and Present

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify characteristics of a hero, then write a narrative composition describing a heroic event.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personalized Postcards

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create and send postcards to friends and family members. Using actual photographs, they write a rough draft and final draft of a paragraph and print it out to glue onto a postcard template to mail to their friend or family member.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Son of a Gamblin' Man: The Life and Art of Robert Henri

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students bring baby pictures of themselves. They discuss composition in art and compare these to their pictures. Students discuss mood, and ways an artist creates mood. They create a triptych using their baby picture, a recent photograph...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Editing

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders edit their previously written essay in this lesson. They discuss the importance of revision, and observe the teacher modeling proper revision techniques. They apply the techniques to their essay and then prepare their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WH AT' S Y O U R A M B I T I O N?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and analyze an excerpt from Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain. Students use the Six Traits of Writing to compose an essay on a personal life ambition that each students may have. Students use prewriting strategies and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creative Autobiography

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Learners brainstorm and outline ideas for their autobiography. They begin composition of it as well. Students create a timeline of important events to help them get started and discuss the elements of a what makes a good story.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Dream of Class Perfection

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students discover the influence of Greek classical art and philosophy on the French Revolution. In this art lesson plan, students analyze a Neoclassical artist and write an essay in which they discuss how the style contributes to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Autobiography: Maya Angelou

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study the concepts of autobiography, biography, and fiction as literary genres. They read, study, and analyze Maya Angelou's autobiographical writings in terms of what she intended to accomplish by her writings. They develop and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From Graphic Organizer to Comparison

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders brainstorm a variety of topics for writing. As a class, learners create four types of graphic organizers on selected topics. They discuss how to use graphic organizer in constructing a written paragraph.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Holocaust Literature Circle Discussion

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders participate in a literature circle regarding various novels of Holocaust literature. They read their selected novel and write a journal entry in response to the reading, and in small groups participate in a group...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Searching For The American Dream

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore the meaning of the American dream and how it has been explained in various forms. After reading various immigrant accounts, 9th graders use poetry and writing to explain how different cultures view the American...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Interview! Magazine

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students interview a subject and write a biographical sketch for a fictional magazine. In this interview instructional activity, students choose a person to interview and create two sets of questions. Students conduct the interview....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Emotion or Reason?

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students use persuasive devices to construct oral or written arguments. In this arguments lesson, students discuss the types of persuasive devices used in arguments and form groups to select a topic to research. Students create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mountain Myths

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students become familiar with Native American myths and legends created to explain volcanic activity. They apply the clustering, writing process and peer-editing techniques to the writing of an original myth about Mount St. Helens