Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Science Center Ideas for Students Who Finish Work Early

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
A science center can be a great way to extend the learning of students who finish their work early.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading a Newspaper

For Teachers 9th
Students define the terms associated with parts of a newspaper. They identify various sections of a newspaper and the type of articles found in each and provide the responses to who? what? when? where? and why? contained in a ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abigail Adams: Integrating Social Studies and Language Arts

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders increase reading strategies while learning about Abigail Adams and her role in history. In this Abigail Adams lesson, 3rd graders read about the American Revolution and Abigail Adams using all the balanced literacy...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

A Recipe for Success: Cooking with Your Class

For Teachers 1st - 6th
When you cook with your class, you build community while improving language arts and math skills.
Activity
Florida Center for Reading Research

Vocabulary: Morphemic Elements, Meaningful Affixes

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Invite learners to determine which affix and base word combinations create new words. This activity allows pupils to play around and create words that match specific meanings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Worth a Thousand Words

For Teachers 1st
First graders examine the significance of the American bison to the American Indians of the Great Plains. They create a story in pictographs in the style of American Indians of the Plains.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission Accomplished

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders describe the impact of certain figures in United States history, including Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. They describe experiences of early American explorers and compose narratives from the perspectives of others.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beyond Louisiana

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the challenges that faced the United States as a new nation, especially those related to exploration, expansion, and international affairs. They study the chronology of events related to the expedition of Lewis and Clark.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying the Theme in a Story

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers recognize Theme through the use of simple, short stories. Using Pro Quest, students begin by researching the literary element, theme, and how it can be identified. They then identify the themes in Aesop's...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Bats, Friend or Foe. An Argument Writing Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 4th Standards
Students will state an argument with evidence, for or against, bats being removed from their environment by writing a letter to the editor and citing evidence for your claim.
Handout
University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin Madison: Writing Center: Reading a Book to Review It

For Students 9th - 10th
Advice on steps to take and things to think about while reading a book to be reviewed. These directions will be particularly useful when reviewing non-fiction, but can be modified to work for fiction, too.
Handout
University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin Madison: Writing Center: How to Write Critical Reviews

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site provides the viewer with a step-by-step guide to writing critical reviews for non-fiction works. Its steps include analyzing the assignment as well as writing a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Links to other writing...
Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: All About Posters

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
As young writers become more skilled through the Writers Workshop lessons, they can begin working to become more skilled with non-fiction writing. A series of mini-lessons, graphic organizers, and samples of student work are all provided.
Interactive
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Reach: Snails and Snacks!

For Students Pre-K - K
Explore the sweet, slimy world of snails (and worms!) as you discover the difference between fact and fiction with videos, stories and games.
Handout
Colorado State University

Colorado State University: Writing @ Csu Writing Guides

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is a fairly sophisticated series of writing guides. It assumes that users already have a solid grasp of spelling, grammar and mechanics, so it focuses more on organization and types of presentation than on more basic skills....
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Diagram It! Identifying, Comparing & Writing About Non Fiction

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
Introduce your students to the different types of non-fiction such as biographies, biographies, and informative books. Students will use graphic organizers, peer interaction, and hands-on experiences to further understanding of this lesson.
Lesson Plan
TES Global

Tes: Non Fiction Unit 4 Formal/impersonal Writing: Tourists

For Teachers 5th - 8th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students will analyze tourism brochures to determine features related to nonfiction writing in this unit. Tourism websites may be used in lieu of the brochures. Cotswold and the North Leigh Roman Villa...
Activity
Sonoma State University

Berkeley Education: List of Works by Jack London

For Students 9th - 10th
Superb site from Berkeley Education for finding any work by Jack London. Included are plays, short stories, fiction, non-fiction, and essays.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Question and Answer Books From Genre Study to Report Writing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Contains plans for eight lessons that explore Question and Answer Books and ask students to do research in order to write their own. In addition to objectives and standards, these instructional plans contain links to sites used in the...
Handout
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

Purdue University Owl: General Writing Resources

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This helpful resource details the process of writing, including how to plan, write, and revise. Content also includes the different types or genres of writing, and exercises in grammar and mechanics.
Unit Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Introducing the Essay: Twain, Douglass and American Non Fiction

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson plan serves as an introduction to American literary non-fiction writing and focuses primarily on teaching some basic approaches to recognizing rhetorical strategies adopted for persuasive effect in essays and non-fiction. The...
Unit Plan
Wisc-Online

Wisc Online: Writing Effective Paraphrases

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
In this learning module, students practice paraphrasing brief, non-fiction passages.
Handout
University of Toronto (Canada)

University of Toronto: Critical Reading Towards Critical Writing

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Aimed particularly towards writing about non-fiction, this site describes ways to think about what you read so you can write more clearly. Focuses on analyzing the "ways of thinking" that an author uses so you can evaluate the validity...
Activity
University of Glasgow

University of Glasgow: Critical Reviews

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site is designed to be used by psychology students at the university level, but it provides helpful instruction for anyone writing critical reviews of non-fiction. Instruction includes everything from how to be critical to...