Curated OER
MOSAICS
Visual arts instructional activity emphasizing pattern and design in individual student mosaics made with paper and reviewing line, shape, space, and color. The individual mosaics will be used to create a border for a group mosaic in...
Curated OER
Internet Pen Pals
Students write letters to e-mail pals and respond to letters received. Students describe the geography of their community to their pals.
Curated OER
Nutrition and Fast Food: Making Informed Choices
Students identify the components of a balanced diet and their importance to good health. Students research their favorite types of fast food to determine how healthy they really are. Links to websites of popular fast food companies are...
Curated OER
A Thousand Paper Cranes
Students, after finishing Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr, discuss the tragedy of Hiroshima and its impact.
Curated OER
Reading And Responding: Lesson 4 Nonfiction/test-taking Strategies
Eighth graders participate in a teacher led activity that focuses on reading nonfiction and test taking strategies. They examine the use of context clues to improve their vocabulary and summarization skills. Also, they complete the...
Curated OER
For Better or Worse: Cultural Exchange
Students participate in a cultural exchange program with a Native American school in Winnebago, Nebraska. They conduct research on a variety of Native American tribes, prepare a presentation that represents the culture of their school...
Curated OER
Curling
Young scholars review the basics of the game of curling. They discuss curling terms, hack, hogline, use of broom, and rocks. Students practice throwing for accuracy and distance. They participate in a curling activity.
Curated OER
Runaways Past and Present
Tenth graders use video and the Internet to compare runaway teenagers of the 1930s with runaways today. The lesson plan uses the integration of technology in order to build skills and conduct research.
Curated OER
Oreo Cookie Writing
Learners explore the concept of response writing. In this writing activity, Oreo cookies are used as motivational tool and writing prompt. Students develop a summary of the events that took place when the Oreos were given out.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Serendipitous Character Names & Powerful Opening Paragraphs
In this lesson plan, Bertrand R. Brinley's The Mad Scientist's Club is used as a mentor text. Students will analyze the introductory paragraph of the mentor text and its sequel. Then students will use an interactive button to select a...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Introductory Paragraphs
This writing center tutorial explains why the opening paragraph is so important. It also addresses six common problems to avoid.
SMART Technologies
Smart: Intro Paragraph
How to write an introduction paragraph, including hook, background information, and thesis statement.
University of Ottawa (Canada)
University of Ottawa: Writing Paragraphs
This site from the University of Ottawa provides a wonderfully designed website that not only gives you exhaustive information on paragraph writing. Students will engage in starting with outlines, writing topic sentences, dividing their...
Other
Wilfrid Laurier University: Paragraph Writing [Pdf]
This site from the Wilfrid Laurier University provides a complete guide to paragraph writing. Contains many examples along with details and structures that are often left out when students write.
Other
Glendale College: Structure of the Five Paragraph Essay
This website from the Glendale Community College shows the structure of five paragraph essays and the elements within the paragraphs (motivator, thesis sentence, topic sentence, specific support, reworded thesis, clincher). Gives...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Writing a Topic & Concluding Paragraph for the Essay
This lesson is a final step towards supporting young scholars to practice writing an informative/explanatory paragraph conveying complex ideas and presenting information clearly and accurately. Second-grade students can usually write a...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Clarity: Introductory Sentences: Lesson 2
This lesson goes over the importance of clarity in the first sentence of a paragraph.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Three Serendipitous Nouns
In this activity, the book entitled A Mink, a Fink, a Skating Rink: What Is a Noun? (Words Are Categorical), written by Brian P. Cleary, is used as the mentor text. After learning the basic definition of noun, a person, place, thing, or...
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School: Writing an Introduction
A tip sheet on how to write and develop an introduction to a research paper.
University of Sydney (Australia)
University of Sydney: Module 3 Unit 1: Planning Your Essay
This unit index contains links with to guide students through the process of planning a multi-paragraph argumentative essay. Students will learn how to interpret the essay question, develop a writing plan, thesis, writing the argument,...
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: Fenimore Cooper the Prairie
At this website, read the full text of James Fenimore Cooper's novel, "The Prairie." Includes a brief introductory paragraph that overviews the context, characters, and situations within this text.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Leading to Great Places in the Classroom
We all know that the most effective way to teach reading is to start with reading. This lesson uses that approach with writing story leads.
Arizona State University
Arizona State Univ.: Horn Folklore & "Urban Legends"
This Arizona State University article more appropriately falls under the heading of literature, but Dr. Ericson's statement in the first paragraph, "I am amazed by the rather large body of plausible sounding folklore which has been...
Other
Fayetteville State University: Z Distributions
The introductory paragraph explains Z-Distributions, their spread, and the ability to find certain values within the distribution. Two animated graphs are then provided as an example of the probability of the normal distribution curve.