Curated OER
Swish, Swish, Swish
Students identify the digraph /sh/ in written and spoken language. After a brief discussion of the independent and combined sounds of the phonemes /s/ and /h/ students practice identifying initial and final placement of the new digraph...
Curated OER
Sweet Potato Pie Goes Fast
Students practice their reading fluency by covering up parts of words in order to identify word they do not know, and by completing repeated readings. They read "Sweet Potato Pie" with a reading partner who times them and records the...
Curated OER
Map Out the Important Stuff!
Students practice summarization by creating a story map. Students listen to a read aloud by the teacher, after which the class creates a storymap of the major events in the story. They read a passage from the Indian in the Cupboard...
Curated OER
Beginning Reading Design: Blending Boats
Students study how to blend the sounds together in words with the CVC form. They use letter cards and the books, "Tin Man Fix-It," and Dr. Seuss', Green Eggs and Ham. They work with /m/ words to blend the sounds together to read words....
Curated OER
The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly in the Plains
Students review the concept of vowel digraphs. They identify the digraph /ai/ in spoken language. After a brief discussion, students apply the rule for reading and spelling words containing the /ai/ digraph by creating a word chart.
Curated OER
Comprehension is Key!
Students observe and demonstrate how to use a story map to identify the main idea of text. They observe the teacher read an article about birds out loud, and create a story map for the article. Students then independently read another...
Curated OER
Not Just Words
Learners work to improve their oral expression while reading aloud. They read and record an entire story with a partner and listen to the playback of the readings. They evaluate their expressive language using a given checklist.
Curated OER
READ 180 Routine Assessment
Students complete assessments to determine strengths and weaknesses in their reading and writing skills. They use an educational software package to complete a computerized assessment. Afterward, they write a narrative about a memory in...
Curated OER
Screening Coleridge’s Fantasies: Using Popular Music as a Bridge to Literacy
Twelfth graders use music to aid them in interpreting poetry. In this poetry lesson, 12th graders analyze the lyrics, figurative language, and literary devices of selected music. Students compare the music to the poetry of Samuel...
Curated OER
The Letter Aa
Students explore letter Aa. In this letter recognition instructional activity, students participate in country, state, food, literature, physical education, colors, careers, music, and game activities that are linked to the main...
Curated OER
Patterns in Poetry: Part 2 -- Sound
Students understand a variety of poems listening for sound letter correspondence, rhyme scheme, assonance, and alliteration. In this language arts instructional activity, students practice listening and reading skills to complete...
Curated OER
Famous Kansans
Fourth graders research famous Kansans. In this language arts lesson, 4th graders select a famous Kansan and write a persuasive nomination for inclusion in a Hall of Fame.
Curated OER
Information Overload: Looking at News
How do events reported in mainstream newspapers, on television news, blog posts, and social network sites differ? Ask your class to investigate the way the same news item is presented in the many information sources available. Groups...
Curated OER
We Can Dance!
Students explore a variety of creative body movements and practice speaking the terms used to demonstrate the movements and shapes. The creation of a video provides an opportunity to learn the vocabulary and practice their speech.
Curated OER
Storytelling In America
Students discuss how Washington Irving is considered an important 19th century-American storyteller. They create their own version of a passage from 'The Legend' after listening to the story.
Curated OER
Describing Paintings: Calm or Stormy
Young writers use nouns, verbs, and adjectives to describe details in two paintings. One depicts a sunny landscape, and the other shows a cloudier view. They write a narrative inspired by the paintings, paying attention to transitional...
Curated OER
Spinning My Tale
Begin writing personal narratives in this writing lesson. Junior high writers start by writing a journal about their favorite holiday. They read a book at their skill level and use graphic organizers to record their ideas for writing....
Curated OER
The History of The Cyclorama and Moving Panorama
Here is a instructional activity designed to acquaint learners with two amazing forms of entertainment from the 19th century: The Cyclorama and the Moving Panorama. After seeing what these two contraptions were all about, pupils make...
Curated OER
Descriptive Writing: Using Art to Inspire description
Write with the senses! Try using art to inspire writers to consider all of the senses. Here, the class is divided in half. Each group looks at one of two images, imagines the senses that would be engaged, and records answers to five...
Visa
A Perfect Fit: Finding the Right Career for You
Class members explore possible career paths and consider their own passions and interests by researching job openings, career descriptions, and skills, as well as reading the success stories of experienced entrepreneurs.
Scholastic
Citing Text Evidence
Could you go without your cell phone for 48 hours? Pose this question to your class and then read the article provided here. Pupils mark the text and and complete a graphic organizer that requires the use of textual evidence.
Curated OER
Short Story Commercials
Middle schoolers read short story selections, and work with classmates to produce commercials using digital video equipment.
Curated OER
A Dollar Goes A Long Way
Investigate life along the Old Spanish Trail! They visit websites and identify the history and environment. They create journals, dramatic enactments, and maps to discover the role individuals played in society. They also explore the...
Curated OER
Those Fabulous Fables
A video leads off this activity on fables, introducing the class to this important form of traditional storytelling. The group defines fable and hears an explanation of the origin of this type of folk tale. They summarize the story they...