Curated OER
Long Vowel Phoneme - ay
Kindergarteners spell patterns of the long vowel phoneme /ay/. After listenting to The Birthday Day, learners work together to construct a class book that utilizes words that end in /ay/. Since the /ay/ phoneme is used so much...
Curated OER
Flipped: After Reading Strategy
Everyone can be an expert! After finishing Wendelin Van Draanen's book Flipped, divide your class into small groups. Then, assign each group a topic to become experts on. The resource suggests topics such as characters, themes, setting,...
Curated OER
Maus I and II: KWL Pre-Reading Comprehension Strategy
Prior to reading Maus I and II, class members fill in a KWL chart to determine what they want to learn and how to find information about World War II and the Holocaust. Consider gathering packets of information and research sites before...
Curated OER
Writing to a Specific Topic
After a class discussion where learners make predictions about what will happen in a book based on its cover illustration, pupils are asked to compose a written response about an aspect of the story and include some of their own...
Novelinks
The Wednesday Wars: KWHL
What do you know about the Vietnam War? What do you want to find out? How to do you plan on finding this information? To gain an understanding of the backdrop of The Wednesday Wars, class members create a KWHL chart and then begin...
Curated OER
Paws in Jobland: An Interview With...
Elementary schoolers listen and watch television or radio interviews in order to learn interviewing skills. They work in pairs, and "interview" their partner to find out about his/her life, job, and any interesting personal facts. Peers...
Curated OER
Not So Much a Lesson, More a Song and Dance
Inspired by Britain's National Poetry Day, this resource will help your class analyze poetry. You will find a variety of poetry analysis methods to work through with your class. Finish by having each person compose an original poem.
Curated OER
Publishing Book Reviews
After reading "How to write a good book review" and browsing some book reviews, class members generate a list of things they would like to see in a book review. Then young reporters read a book, write a review and post their polished...
Curated OER
Voice and James Joyce
After reading a text written by James Joyce, middle and high schoolers find examples of passive voice. They share their findings with the class. Use this lesson to emphasize the effect of passive voice in writing.
Curated OER
Long Vowel Phoneme - oo
Learners recognize words by common spelling patterns. The teacher reads a poem to the class and look at rhymes for the word moon. They practice handwriting in conjunction with spelling, and they can even write their own -oo- poem!
Curated OER
Irony in Poetry and Prose (Fiction and Non-fiction Texts)
Middle and high schoolers examine the impact of irony in poetry and prose. In this figurative language lesson plan, they read instructor-selected literature and identify uses of irony. Then they discuss how irony enhances literature.
Curated OER
Author's Purpose
How do you determine an author’s purpose? You ask the author, of course. Invite a local journalist into the class to respond to scripted student questions about his/her writing process. A review of basic classroom etiquette is also...
Curated OER
KWHL Jacob Have I Loved
Your class has just begun reading Jacob Have I Loved, and they're coming upon the fifth chapter. Pause their reading and have them complete a KWHL chart (not included) to detail what they've learned from the novel's beginning. An example...
Curated OER
Hoot: Anticipation Guide
Should companies be able to build wherever they want? Are animals worth protecting? Explore the literary themes from Carl Hiaasen's Hoot with an anticipation guide. Kids read ten statements and decide if they agree or disagree, then...
Poets.org
Ghosts and Spirits
Connect poetry to a naturally kid-friendly topic: ghosts! Draw on your class's prior knowledge of the paranormal to help them access the classic poem "Haunted House" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After a fun warm-up activity describing...
Curated OER
CVC Words
Have your class practice simple words with the short i sound. This is a quick and easy way for learners to practice reading skills. It could be used as a whole group or independent activity.
Curated OER
Global Warming Unit: Presentation to Class and School
Students present their research reports on global warming, along with any other associated products (models, diagrams, Web-pages, etc.) to the rest of the class and school.
Curated OER
Daily Language Practice Builds Skills, Test Scores
Students develop their proofreading skills. In this daily language practice lesson, students improve their writing skills as they edit passages. The editing work encompasses capitalization, punctuation, and grammar.
Read Write Think
Poetry Portfolios: Using Poetry to Teach Reading
Over the course of five periods, scholars create a poetry portfolio. They begin with a reading of the poem, Firefly. With a focus on vocabulary, learners reread the poem then look for sight words and other skills.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell
The depth of Nineteen Eighty Four is in the details. Encourage a close reading of Orwell's dystopian classic with resource sheets that focus attention on the author's stylistic choices that lead to the betrayals that make Big Brother's...
Read Works
How to Say “I Ruff You”
Who says you need a human to be your valentine on Valentine's Day? Give your dog-loving readers an inspiring perspective on how a sister givdes her brother a valentine from the family dog. They then answer 10 questions thatd involve...
K12 Reader
Displaying Data
It's important to learn how to display data to make the information easier for people to understand. A reading activity prompts kids to use context clues to answer five comprehension questions after reading several paragraphs about...
Brigham Young University
The Crucible: Problematic Situations
What would you do? To prepare for the final scene from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, readers are presented with a series of moral dilemmas and asked to consider what they would do in the same situations.
Curated OER
The Metamorphosis: Herber Readiness Activity
Delve into Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis before opening the book with a lesson on literary themes. High schoolers engage in a word association activity before reading a list of statements based on the book's...