Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introductions and Conclusions

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discuss the importance of writing clear, well structured essays. They explore the use of introductions and conclusions when writing an essay. Students compose an essay using both introductions and conclusions.
Lesson Plan
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The Structure of DNA

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the structure of DNA by constructing simple models of DNA with materials given to them in class. They will also discover that some female scientists such as Rosalind Franklin have not been given...
Lesson Plan
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Up Close and Personal with Black Bayou Lake

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students get up close and personal with Black Bayou Lake. Visiting web sites and taking virtual tours, they write multi-paragraph essays using descriptive words and literary devices.
Lesson Plan
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How do things flow in and out of a cell?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students revise thier partner's essay. They also write the second draft of their essay for homework. Students use the Protein Explorer web site to visualize molecules, ATP, DNA, proteins and lipid bilayer. They are able to see all the...
Lesson Plan
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Comparing the House and Senate

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students create posters and write descriptions on the responsibilities and powers assigned to the United States Senate and House of Representatives. Students compare and contrast the two houses' powers and responsibilities as well as...
Lesson Plan
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Cell physiology and chemistry

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students design an experiment to discriminate between chemical diffusion, osmosis, facilitated diffusion and active transport through a membrane. Be specific about predictions and interpretations!
Lesson Plan
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Review Steps in the Writing Process and Explore a Poem

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students practice their persuasive writing skills. In this writing process instructional activity, students write essays that meet the requirements of the included text element worksheets and analyze poetry of their choosing.
Lesson Plan
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Poetry Interpretation and Figurative Language

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover how figurative language is used in poetry. They read selected poems and identify the figurative language with handouts and worksheets included in the lesson. They write poems of their own using figurative language.
Lesson Plan
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Reading the Movies: Another Approach To Teaching Critical Thinking Skills And Writing

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore the elements of film to analyze character, action, and the themes in the movie, "Quiz Show." The lesson encourages students to make personal connections and real life applications as they view the movie, critically.
Lesson Plan
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The Land and the Water

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read "The Land and the Water," a fictional short story and an article about John F. Kennedy, Jr. and compare and contrast fictional tragedy to a non-fiction tragedy. They fill out a Venn diagram and write an essay using...
Lesson Plan
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Cover Letter: Completing and Organizing Your Personal Job Portfolio

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students work on their career portfolio. In this written communication lesson, students discuss the purpose of cover letters, read sample cover letters, and then write their own.
Lesson Plan
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Writing Prompt- Think Pack Cards- The Principal and The Perfect Pizza

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
In this writing prompt think cards worksheet, young scholars receive bookmark sized cards that contain a writing task, a word storm, and writing hints. They write essays entitled, The Principal, and The Perfect Pizza. Parents receive...
Lesson Plan
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Persuasion and Figurative Language

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers study and discuss definitions of metaphor, simile, and personification. In small groups, they read a section of "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" and identify those devices. The group presents their examples with the...
Unit Plan
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"Et tu, Brute?" - The Characters, Conflict and Historical context of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar

For Teachers 6th
Students analyze the Shakespearian play, "Julius Caesar" in this seven lesson unit. Through readings, hands-on projects, and the study of plot development, comparisons are made to the movie and the historical records available.
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The Individual and His Role in Society

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders discover how various writers approach the themes of : alienation and solitude, living life "deliberately" and "phonies." Through reading, journaling, class discussion, and writing assignments they realize the power of the...
Lesson Plan
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Language Arts: Sentence Variety and Fluency

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners are able to identify, create, and evaluate three kinds of sentences: simple, compound, and complex. They are able identify the purpose of various sentence types: declarative, interrogative, imperative, exclamatory, and...
Lesson Plan
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Study Skills- Fact and Opinion

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students engage in a variety of activities in order to achieve the objectives of a layered curriculum unit. They take notes on the differences between fact and opinion. Students also use a newspaper in order to recognize opinionated...
Lesson Plan
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House on Mango Street: Future Opportunities and Limitations

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students complete a literary analysis lesson for House on Mango Streetby Sandra Cisneros. In this literary analysis lesson, students read and discuss the assigned chapters and complete an open mind diagram. Students write a letter from...
Lesson Plan
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A Look at U.S. and Canadian Approaches to Individual Liberties

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students compare and contrast Canadian and U.S. policies regarding social issues. In this sociology instructional activity, students research social and governance policies in the countries and write personal essays using their findings.
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Point of View and Mentor Relationships

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders  analyze the role of mentors, point of view, and prejudice using the texts of To Kill a Mockingbird and Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this literature analysis activity, 10th graders review Scout's...
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Exploring Prejudice and Text-to-Text Relationships

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders use the novel To Kill a Mockingbird to analyze relationships in society. For this literature analysis lesson, 10th graders participate in a shoe activity where they bring in one shoe belonging to someone they know and a...
Lesson Plan
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Writing to Learn History: Annotations and Mini-Writes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars use their critical thinking skills to write about historical events. In this historical perspectives lesson plan, students read documents about historical events and make annotations and marginal notes. Young scholars then...
Lesson Plan
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Southern Puritanism and Tennessee Williams

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students write an essay comparing Arthur Mille's The Crucible and one of Tennessee Williams' plays. In this Tennessee Williams lesson, students discuss the influence of Puritanism on modern American drama. Lesson includes...
Unit Plan
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The Writer’s Toolbox: What You Need to Master the Craft

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
All the tools (and directions) you’ll need  to build an essay are included in a resource designed for learners and educators. The packet can be given to class members or divided into sections and used as part of a series of lesson...