Apple State University
Friendly Letter Mini-Lesson
This mini-lesson plan about informal letter writing is packed with a lot of information about writing a friendly letter. Class members begin by working in pairs to answer questions after reviewing letter models. Then, take part in a...
National WWII Museum
“My Dear Little Boys…” Interpreting a letter home from the war
Letters have long been prized by historians as primary sources for what they reveal not only about events but also about the emotional responses of the writers to these events. "My Dear Little Boys," a letter written by Leonard Isacks on...
Curated OER
Socratic Seminar on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail
Key in the struggle to gain the rights of democratic citizenship was the April 1963 arrest of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for civil disobedience. To deepen their knowledge and understanding of events during the civil rights movement,...
Curated OER
Valentine's Day: Love Letters
Oh the joys of love! As a special Valentine's Day assignment, budding authors research the life of one of the most romantic poets, Keats. They read the letter, "To Fanny Brawne, 13 October 1819," then compose a love letter of their own....
Curated OER
Phoneme Substitution, Harder (With Letters)
Emergent readers create new words by changing a phoneme, using sets of letter cards to spell out each CVC word. They begin by substituting initial sounds, then final sounds, and lastly the middle vowel. Help them sound out each word,...
Scholastic
Writing Letters of Gratitude
A lesson begins with a discussion on gratitude—what does it mean, and for who are learners thankful? Scholars share their thoughts and feelings then choose a community worker to which they wish to share their gratitude. Writers compose a...
Curated OER
Creative Writing - Research and Letters
Here's a fresh approach that combines research, business and personal letter writing, and creative story telling. Student groups research different decades in the life of a famous Japanese astronomer. They then craft a decade fact sheet,...
Curated OER
Writing an Informal Letter
What is the difference between formal and informal letter writing? Who gets a formal letter? What about an informal letter? This reference page presents different introductions and phrases you might see in each type of letter, and then...
Curated OER
A Letter Home
Students review the text of The Spirits of the Alamo part of the site, and each assume the identity of one person at the Alamo. They write a letter home describing his/her experience at the Alamo.
Curated OER
Introduce /o/
The best way to get your scholars familiar with the alphabet is to expose them to each letter in multiple contexts. This strategy incorporates letter recognition, sound, word examples, and pronunciation, and emerging readers will feel...
Curated OER
Reintroduce /t/
Use these strategies to connect letter pronunciation, sound, word examples, and recognition, focusing on the letter t. Emerging readers examine the letter and listen to you say the /t/ sound. As you explain how to do it, they try...
Curated OER
Reintroduce /i/
As your scholars begin learning letters of the alphabet, help them connect sound, pronunciation, word examples, and letter recognition using these strategies. Focusing on the letter i, begin by drawing it on the board. Can scholars...
Curated OER
Reintroduce /e/
These inventive strategies help emerging readers focus on the letter e, forming sound associations along with letter recognition. Explain the mouth movement in making the /eee/ sound, asking learners to try it. Can they think of words...
Curated OER
Architectural Letters
Have your class construct their own architectural letter. This art project focuses on architecture, or the art of building. You can connect this activity to a biography activity. Your class can decorate their initial to reflect their...
Curated OER
Introduce /g/
As your emerging readers are learning the alphabet, set them up for success with strategies like these that incorporate multiple contexts and learning styles. Focusing on the letter g, write it clearly on the board. Model the /g/ sound,...
Stanford University
Letter from Birmingham Jail: The Power of Nonviolent Direct Action
What strategies are most effective in changing an unjust law? Class members examine the tactics used in the Birmingham Campaign of 1963 (Project C) to achieve social justice and social transformation. After examining documents that...
Curated OER
Letter Sound Fluency
How fast can you go? Test scholars' letter sound recognition with a timed game. Using letter cards of all the letters you've learned so far, learners take turns flipping cards and correctly saying the letter sound. Model this first,...
Curated OER
Differing Federal Responses to the Great Depression: Letter Analysis
Young analysts examine two letters, one written by President Hoover and one written by FDR. Each letter contains that president's response to the role of the Federal Government during times of crisis (The Great Depression). They analyze...
Curated OER
Nathaniel Hawthorne's—The Scarlet Letter
Designed for teachers, this guide to The Scarlet Letter is divided into background information about Hawthorne and Puritan New England, suggestions for teaching various ability levels, and ideas for extensions that include current events.
Curated OER
Introduce /a/
Start your alphabet study strong using these strategies combining pronunciation, recognition, letter sound, and word examples focused on the letter a. Scholars examine the letter shape and listen to you pronounce the /aaa/ sound. As you...
Curated OER
Introduce /r/
Use these inventive strategies to focus on the letter r, forming sound associations along with letter recognition. Explain the tongue movement in making the /r/ sound, asking learners to try it. Draw the r on the board and give examples...
Curated OER
The Road to Careers (Part 3)
Fourth graders work in teams to write individual friendly letters to the readers of the Careerville News who have written to the Career Information Columnist requesting information about working in Careerville. They focus their friendly...
National Gallery of Canada
To Canada with Love
Focus on line and color with a postcard project. Learners view various works of art and discuss line and color before moving on to creating their own work. Using nature as inspiration, pupils decorate postcards and mail them after...
Curated OER
Letter and Rhyme a Day
There are so many fun activities for alphabet learners! Use nursery rhymes, letter hunts, and the name sort to have learners interact with the letter of the day. Your learners will never get bored with the variety of activities provided...