Curated OER
Survey Says...
Young statisticians collect, organize, and present data to illustrate responses to a survey question. They write and conduct the survey. They finish by presenting the results in the form of a graph.
California Academy of Science
Conservation Island
Why not walk in the footsteps of Teddy Roosevelt and become a conservationist? After discussing issues and reasons for animal extinction, the class creates their own conservation plans. Each small group is given mock data regarding a...
Personal Genetics Education Project
Protecting Athletes with Genetic Conditions: Sickle Cell Trait
Should school and professional teams test athletes for sickle cell trait? Will it protect them by providing knowledge or lead to discrimination by not allowing them to participate in sports? After learning about this genetic disorder,...
Curated OER
Five Paragraph Essay
Eighth graders are introduced to the mechanics of writing a standard-form essay. They draft, edit and polish a five-paragraph essay about spending the day as an animal of their choice.
Curated OER
I Nominate My Friend
Students review letter writing skills and the use of descriptive language, and practice writing persuasive letters, with help from teacher and peers. Letters are then written to nominate friend for Friend of the Year.
Curated OER
Persuasive Letter Presenting the Case For Meeting the Need
Eighth graders choose from various works of literature, and participate in many activities regarding their chosen book. Students write persuasive papers and oral presentations discussing the needs of others.
Curated OER
My Name Is Me!
Students write about themselves. In this personal writing lesson, students write their name vertically down a sheet of paper and think of a self descriptive word that matches each letter of their name. Students write a descriptive...
Curated OER
Photo Essay
Students examine the process of writing a photo essay. They examine and select a personal photo or photo from a magazine, and brainstorm a story that can go with the photo. They identify an emotion to go with their picture, then write...
Curated OER
Mouthwatering Adjectives!
Third graders write descriptions of food items in order to create a restaurant menu. They use adjectives to describe mouth-watering and vivid food and compare it to a boring adjective-lacking menu. They design and share their menus with...
Curated OER
Sensory Descriptors
Students feel items in a bucket and describe them using descriptive words. In this sensory descriptive lesson plan, students use words such as smoothe, rough, and bumpy.
Curated OER
Varied Word Choice
Fifth graders examine how to use a variety of word choices when writing. They discuss how using more descriptive words leads to a more varied word choice, watch a teacher-created PowerPoint presentation, and using a Thesaurus replace...
Curated OER
Picture Me with Words
Students search in newspapers for words that describe them or what they like. They gather the words and use them to create a self-portrait. They read "boring" sentences and rewrite them using more descriptive words. They write 10 word...
Curated OER
Listen to Grandfather - Say and Write Korean Words
Students create a calligraphy piece using Korean words. They use han'gul script and write with a brush after learning the words. They pay attention to line and space as they create their work of art.
Curated OER
How Does Meiosis Lead To a Fetus?
Students discuss the stages of meiosis. In this life science lesson, students create an illustration of each stages. They write a short story about a character that went through meiosis.
Curated OER
Write All About It
Fourth graders use research skills and the writing process to create a newspaper. Although students work in groups to complete the final draft of the newspaper, each student is responsible for doing his or her own research and writing...
Curated OER
Change Over Time
Students write a personal narrative that is designed to help them reflect on the nature and meaning of change in their lives.
Education World
Human Nature- Good or Evil?
Students explore the philosophical nature of good vs. evil. In this literacy/philosophy lesson, students read and discuss media articles that illustrate human nature as inherently "good" or "evil." Students practice debating skills and...
Curated OER
Why Transition?
Help your class transition into better writers with this lesson plan, which guides them through the process of adding transitions to increase sentence fluency and organization. The activity is designed for a classroom with a SMART board,...
Curated OER
Breaking News
Young scholars organize a newspaper article using a worksheet that helps them study the vocabulary of news articles. They write newspaper articles about mythical creatures invading contemporary Los Angeles.
Novelinks
The Cure: Guided Imagery
Prepare class members for a discussion of Sonia Levitin's dystopian novel The Cure, by leading them on a guided imagery exercise designed to encourage visualization of written descriptions.
Curated OER
Plagarism and Crediting Sources
Before the instructional activity begins, the teacher writes a paragraph about a favorite toy from his/her childhood. The paragraph is read to the class, and each of the sentences are closely looked at for details and support of the...
Curated OER
Arthur and His Pals
Arthur, the main character in Marc Brown’s books, is the star of this lesson plan. Pairs of researchers select one character from the Arthur series and use the internet to access Brown’s web site and learn more about their chosen...
Curated OER
Egg Hunt Reinforces Math, Language Skills
It's amazing what you can do to reinforce math skills while leading an egg hunt! Learners of all ages will benefit from playing this simple game.
Curated OER
Meet the Corps of Discovery
Students assume the persona of one of the members of Lewis and Clark's expedition team. They research a member of the expedition team, write a first-person introduction of that team member, and share that introduction in a 2-3 minute...