Curated OER
Lesson: Double Album: The Collection and the Archive
An open discussion starts this lesson off. The class takes a critical look at five works of art that demonstrate the impact and purpose of identity through collections or archives. They then write a list or draw 10-15 items found in...
Time Warp Trio
The Seven Blunders of the World
Learners explore the cultures and civilizations of Mesopotamia. They take a look at the factors that shaped the region, and study the history of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and other ancient wonders of the world. The class is divided...
Curated OER
Dusty Locks and the Three Bears
Read this twist on Goldilocks and the Three Bears: Dusty Locks and the Three Bears by Susan Lowell. Kindergartners listen, predict, and discuss the story. They then participate in a dramatization of the story and draw a picture...
Curated OER
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
How do artists affect and how are artists affected by the time periods in which they live? Learners examine the life and work of controversial and influential cultural artist Patti Smith as they seek answers to this essential question....
Time Warp Trio
See You Later, Gladiator!
Young historians take a look at the age of gladiators, and the cultural atmosphere present when they staged their epic battles. Pupils pretend to be reporters and write newspaper articles about one of the events they stage. Then,...
Curated OER
The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs: Rhyming Words
Readers explore rhyming words. They will use the story The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs to identify rhyming words. Then they will create their own lists of rhyming words. In the end, they will be able to come up with words that rhyme...
Curated OER
A poem about India
Young scholars read and discuss the poem Khwab before writing poems of their own. Students get the opportunity to explore impressionistic poetry about place.
Curated OER
Exeter Model
Eighth graders analyze what makes poetry reading interesting to an audience. They read five short poems. Student free write their interpretations of those five poems. With the help of one line from their free writing, 8th graders start...
Curated OER
Rhyme Time
Second graders write poems based on locomotive skills, such as hop, skip, or run. They read their poems to the class and they act out the action word by performing it to a finish line.
Curated OER
Poems that Tell a Story: Narrative and Persona in the Poetry of Robert Frost
Students read and discuss poems by Robert Frost. Students collaborate in small groups to draw inferences about speakers' character and motives and to gather evidence supporting those inferences.
Curated OER
Johnny Appleseed
Students listen to a story about Johnny Appleseed while learning about how Johnny contributed to history. Students brainstorm rhyming words and write a poem using those words.
Curated OER
Traveling the Transcontinental from Yesterday to Today
Students examine the impact of the train on the physical landscape and spatial organization of America. They read and analyze various poems, analyze maps, and develop a list of the positive and negative changes brought by the...
Curated OER
Persona
Young scholars write three fictitious letters each on the same topic but to three different persons. They compare letters to decide how the voice of the writing changes depending on the person who is receiving the letter. They apply this...
Curated OER
The Poetry Archive
Students discover how to express their feeling poetically. In this poetry instructional activity, students discuss their feelings, descriptive language to describe these feelings, and create poems.
Curated OER
Journeys
Pupils write a story using their journey to school as the setting. In groups, they discuss their experiences and browse through books to get ideas for their story. They practice using a thesaurus to find new verbs or adjectives they...
Curated OER
Cinquain Poems
Students write five-line, diamond shaped poems that are very easy to write then submit one through an automatic PIZZAZZ form.
Curated OER
Superb Sonnets
High schoolers identify and compare the characteristics of both Italian and English sonnets. They read examples of each, then write an original sonnet in either the Italian or English style.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust 1
Young scholars review figurative languages terms and examples. They read the first entry in the book, Out of the Dust, and discuss the images created by the author. Then they create an autobiographical poem using figurative language.
Curated OER
Troubadours
Students perform an original piece in the style of a Medieval troubadour. In this troubadour lesson, students discuss the role of the troubadour and identify facts from a story that a troubadour might share. Students listen...
Curated OER
Up From the Streets: Hip Hop as a Recognized Art
Students discuss the historical roots of Hip-Hop to the present as an example of an art form that arose from the street into popular culture. Emphasis is placed on in-class discussion and written reflections in this introductory lesson.
App State
Brainstorming
Get your young writers outside of the traditional essay writing mode with Free Write Friday. Free Write Friday encourages your class to use personal experiences or knowledge to write more creative pieces. Young writers could experiment...
Curated OER
Introducing Communication Talent with "Casey at the Bat"
Analyze the poem "Casey at the Bat." Your team of analysts will read the poem and complete a variety of activities, including describing how Casey looks and acts, describing how he feels before and after he strikes out, and sharing...
Curated OER
Food and Dialect
The dialect words for types of food from across the British Isles get pupils thinking about native dialects and how they differ from Standard English. Class members create a dialect dictionary and discuss the difference between accent...
Lesson Planet
New Books for Black History Month
Suggested books to help students better understand African American history.