Illustrative Mathematics
Number of the Day
Daily routines not only help to manage classrooms, they can also provide students with rich opportunities for learning. This activity supports young learners in developing their number sense by counting up the school days on a class...
Virginia Department of Education
Integers: Addition and Subtraction
Young mathematicians construct their own understanding of integers with an inquiry-based math lesson. Using colored chips to represent positive and negative numbers, children model a series of addition and subtraction problems as...
Virginia Department of Education
Balancing Act
How many different interpretations of the mean are there? Scholars place numbers on a number line and determine the mean. They interpret the mean as the average value and as the balance point.
Curated OER
Main Idea and Supporting Details
Second graders write topic sentences. In this writing lesson, 2nd graders construct a paragraph consisting of a topic sentence and 2-4 additional sentences. Students analyze their writing and publish a final copy.
Curated OER
Animal Diaries
Young scholars read Diary of a Worm by Foreen Cronin. In this journal writing lesson, students research an animal and write a diary by their animal. Young scholars apply the research they've completed in their writings. Students share...
Curated OER
The Red Studio Turns 100!
Students observe the art of Henri Matisse and discuss the ideas and feelings his art brings about. In this Henri Matisse lesson plan, students look at many of his artistic paintings and discuss and write in a journal the point of view...
Curated OER
Putting the Truth in Writing
Students define "nonfiction" and describe what they view as the best pieces of nonfiction writing. They determine criteria to evaluate whether or not a piece of nonfiction writing is good, and list categories of nonfiction writing.
Curated OER
Express Yourself: Make Art From Your Ideas
Pupils analyze and discuss various sculptures by the artist Andrea Arroyo. They discuss ways artists use symbols to express abstract ideas, design and create a plasticine plaque, and write a journal response.
Curated OER
Critically Surfing the Web
The New York Times article “Online Diary,” launches this study of websites and how to assess them. Richly detailed, the lesson includes warm-up activities, procedures, journal prompts, discussion questions, and links to valuable...
North Carolina State University
Integrating Your Research
Employ this resource to expand efficient ideas on how to present and organize activities that describe how researchers can implement their research by using direct quotes, paraphrasing, and summarizing—without plagiarizing. Activities...
Curated OER
Getting to Know You
After going over the five steps of the writing process, pupils fill out "Getting to Know You" worksheets. They trade papers with each other, and have the task of writing a descriptive paragraph about the person whose worksheet they...
Curated OER
Oral History: Park City Museum
Bring U.S. history to your language arts class with this lesson. Middle schoolers complete an interview for an oral history project, and discuss the importance of oral histories - and how they embellish written accounts. They write...
EngageNY
Identifying Supporting Reasons and Evidence for an Opinion: Exploring Why Jackie Robinson Was the Right Man to Break the Color Barrier (Promises to Keep, Pages 26–29)
Breaking barriers is not an easy thing to do. Scholars read a section in Promises to Keep and summarize how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. They write the gist of the passage in their journals and then complete...
Curated OER
Writings on a River
Learners identify words that can be used to describe Mark Twain's character Tom Sawyer. Students explore stage production of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" by reading and discussing "An Older (and Calmer) Tom Sawyer". They develop their...
Curated OER
Reliving History Through Writing
Students read a first hand account of John F. Kennedy's assassination. They write an essay describing how a world or national event affected them.
Curated OER
The Write Response
Students explore what impact the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had on nine different American novelists. They write and share their own thoughts and feelings, then consider the role writing plays in their own lives,...
Curated OER
Oh, I Believe in Yesterday
Who is Aimee Mann? Read the New York Times article "P.S. I Loved You," included here, and have your readers answer a series of reading comprehension questions. Afterward, encourage your class to brainstorm ways in which they...
Curated OER
Diving into Iceland's Genetic Pool
Investigate ethical issues surrounding the Decode project in Iceland. Middle and high schoolers take the positions of the Icelandic government, scientific researchers, and citizens and defend or refute the Decode project in a Reykjavik...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension Strategy Ideas
Students participate in pre-reading activities, journal keeping, vocabulary lists and other reading comprehension boosters. These activities can be applied to many genres.
Curated OER
Letter Writing
Third graders write to themselves or to known audiences, share news, explore new ideas, and record notes. They identify that holidays are days that people set aside to recognize a person or event that has made a great impression....
Curated OER
Editorial Writing
Students Write a persuasive essay that contains effective introductory and summary statements; arranges the arguments effectively; and fully develops the ideas with convincing proof, details, facts, examples, and descriptions. They write...
Curated OER
the Business of Good Ideas
Students consider economic factors in patenting a new invention. They research an already-patented health product and assess its profitability.
Curated OER
Picture Writing
Learners use pictures to help them communicate their ideas. They write personal books or journals using pictures. Students can create daily blogs usig the internet and create a weekly newsletter.
Curated OER
Visit to Nature
Students complete a science journal which contains pages in which they can predict what they think they will see before the field trip, and also pages to write down what they actually do see during the field trip.