Curated OER
SCI-FI TALES
Fifth graders brainstorm known features of science fiction books and titles read. They pair up and discuss the possible physical characteristics fo a creature that could appear fron an excerpt of SCI-FI TALES.
Curated OER
MOSAICS
Visual arts lesson 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 another lesson.
Curated OER
Nutrition and Fast Food: Making Informed Choices
Learners 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
For Better or Worse: Cultural Exchange
Learners 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
What Responsibilities Accompany Our Rights?
Young scholars are able to explain the importance of the fulfillment of responsibilities by citizens if everyone's rights are to be protected and able to describe specific responsibilities associated with five essential rights of citizens.
Curated OER
A Thousand Paper Cranes
Learners, after finishing Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr, discuss the tragedy of Hiroshima and its impact.
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 uses the integration of technology in order to build skills and conduct research.
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.
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.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Serendipitous Character Names & Powerful Opening Paragraphs
In this lesson, 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...
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 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.
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...
SMART Technologies
Smart: Intro Paragraph
How to write an introduction paragraph, including hook, background information, and thesis statement.
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...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Writing a Topic & Concluding Paragraph for the Essay
This instructional activity is a final step towards supporting students to practice writing an informative/explanatory paragraph conveying complex ideas and presenting information clearly and accurately. Second-grade students can usually...
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...
E Reading Worksheets
E Reading Worksheets: Writing Persuasive Essays
Persuasive writing is the topic of this article. Students will learn the parts of the persuasive essay and how to write an effective persuasive essay.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Identifying and Writing Effective Opening "Hooks"
Contains plans for four lessons that teach students to write effective "hooks," or beginnings, to their writing. They read the introductions of fiction passages and analyze the techniques they use before applying these techniques in...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Writing Effective Topic Sentences
This lesson goes over tips an techniques for writing an effective topic sentence. This tutorial lesson shares a short slideshow with the lesson's content.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Revising an Introduction: Lesson 2
This lesson discusses improve an introduction through revision. It is 2 of 2 in the series titled "Revising an Introduction."
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Clarity: Introductory Sentences: Lesson 2
This lesson goes over the importance of clarity in the first sentence of a paragraph.
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.
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,...