Curated OER
Prize Numbers
Students explore what a proof is, how and why mathematicians create them and compose essays on how reason and logic are employed in the workplace. They explore whether any three lines can make a triangle and attempt to verify Goldbach's...
Curated OER
Meet the Corps of Discovery
Students assume the persona of one of the members of Lewis and Clark's expedition team. They research a member of the expedition team, write a first-person introduction of that team member, and share that introduction in a 2-3 minute...
Curated OER
First Set of Essay Questions on The Hobbit
Students read The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and choose two essays to write about the first six chapters. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read the first six chapters of the novel and use a worksheet to take notes as they...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Diversity in World Literature Lesson 11: The Historical/Biographical Approach to Literature
How affected is Thinks Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe's personal biography? Using a four corners strategy, and evidence from their readings, class members debate the degree of biographical influence in Achebe's novel.
The New York Times
Making Do: Learning and Growing Through Adversity
What is it that makes people keep going when they face challenges in life? Ask your class to consider this question in relation to their own experiences and as they read material from The New York Times. Using personal experiences and...
Federal Reserve Bank
Expense Tracking
Where does all your money go? Individuals keep a record of the money they spend over the course of 30 days. They then categorize where they are spending their money and write an essay detailing their findings.
EngageNY
Analyzing Point of View: Inferring about the Natural Disaster in Eight Days
Who is telling the story? Readers take a look at the text Eight Days to determine if the story is told in first or third person. They then discuss in groups and complete a shared writing activity to describe how the narrator's point of...
Curated OER
Writing and Scholarship Planning For College-Bound Students: Overcome Writer's Block
Learners examine methods for overcoming writer's block. They complete a worksheet, write personal statements, and participate in a class discussion.
Curated OER
Philanthropy And Children Who Are Homeless Lesson 2: Was the Orphan Train Philanthropic?
Young scholars study the lives of homeless children who rode the Orphan Train by reading first person essays of the children's experiences. They examine what rights were denied to the homeless children during the late 1800's and decide...
University of Virginia
Analyzing Social Commentary in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn continues to be one of the most frequently banned books. The satire and social commentary present challenges when using the book as a core text. Direct readers' attention to how Twain uses plot,...
Education World
Human Nature- Good or Evil?
Students explore the philosophical nature of good vs. evil. In this literacy/philosophy lesson, students read and discuss media articles that illustrate human nature as inherently "good" or "evil." Students practice debating skills and...
Curated OER
Fahrenheit 451: Social Criticism
Students write a four paragraph essay that tells about two things in society that Ray Bradbury criticizes in the book, Fahrenheit 451. In this social criticism lesson, students develop a thesis based on their reading of the book and...
Curated OER
Quilt Codes
Students list criteria to evaluate credible historical sources and defend their criteria in an essay. In this historical sources lesson plan, students review information of historical sources as well as the facts and pictures.
Curated OER
A Picture Says a Thousand Words
Students create a writing selection with a well-developed plot. They use a personal photograph in which they are visible to base their autobiographical writing. They write a description of the events surrounding the photograph in the...
Curated OER
Who Am I? - Brainstorming
Students brainstorm lists of places, events and relationships that define them. They search for clip art and pictures in magazines to illustrate the items on their list and create a graphic timeline of their lives.
Curated OER
Writing First Drafts (Grades 3-6)
Learners examine, experience and practice strategies that assist students in writing an expressive essay. They outline and then write a first draft of an essay to be edited and proofed and then corrected. Each student adds a visual prop...
Curated OER
The Editing Process
Students read a sample essay and evaluate them in groups. They write their own essay on a topic of their choice and use peer editing. They share their essays with the class.
Curated OER
Narrative Writing
Binoculars are used as a metaphor for good descriptive writing. Class members first view a small picture and then an enlarged view of the same image in which the details come into focus. Next, learners examine a paragraph lacking sensory...
Curated OER
Slave Narratives
Students examine the slave perspective and how it differs from stories we hear in text books. In this slave narrative instructional activity, students use primary source narratives to compare how slave life was expressed by the slaves to...
Curated OER
Step into the Painting: Social Studies, Literature, and Art
Travel back in American history to the era of slavery and abolition. After reading about the Underground Railroad, young historians examine a painting depicting the event, and write a narrative from the point of view of a person in the...
Curated OER
Writing A Thanksgiving Day Story
Students write a Thanksgiving Day Story using some or all of the words included in the worksheet. These stories can be fiction or non-fiction (Personal Essays). They are graded on sentence structure, paragraph structure, grammar,...
Curated OER
A Year in Review: The Memoir
If you are planning a unit on memoir and autobiographical narrative, you should consider this resource. Using Internet research skills, pupils review works by James Frey and Henry David Thoreau. In response to these works, learners...
Nemours KidsHealth
Conflict Resolution: Grades 9-12
Conflicts happen. Learning to deal with them positively, manage anger, and communicate feelings is the focus of a lesson that gives high schoolers the tools they need for conflict resolution. After reading a series of related articles,...
Curated OER
The Writing Process
Fifth graders analyze well written and poorly written essays and define the four steps in the writing process. In this writing lesson plan, 5th graders edit poorly written essays.