Freeology
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream"
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech "I Have A Dream" is hailed as one of the most eloquent and moving speeches of the 20th century. But what makes his words hit his listeners' ears in just the right ways? Young orators study Dr. King's...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Don’t Tease Me!
A whole-class discussion sheds light on school bullying and ways to prevent it. Scholars share a moment when they observed or experienced some sort of teasing. Pupils brainstorm ways such behavior can be stopped or prevented.
Curated OER
Introduce a Weather Unit
Engage your learners by playing Water Music Suite by Handel. Different types of weather sounds play on the recording, and it's an easy lead into talking about the weather! What is weather? What kinds of weather exist? What is it called...
ProCon
Death Penalty
Should the United States continue the practice of capital punishment? Scholars set out to answer the question in preparation for a class debate or discussion about the death penalty. They watch videos, analyze charts about death penalty...
Curated OER
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: Fishbowl Discussion Instructional Routine Guide
What exactly does make life worth living? In preparation for a fishbowl discussion of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, readers of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel highlight sections that show a character grieving, coping, or suffering...
Curated OER
Teaching Listening to Advanced Learners
Students provide input on listening tasks and provide practice in listening for specific information in an exam type format.
Curated OER
My Summer Vacation: Traveling
A classic lesson idea, kindergarteners share stories about their summer vacations on their first day of school! First, your young learners will listen to you talk about your summer vacation, making sure to use plenty of visual aids. Then...
Curated OER
Genre Study - Grade Three
Third graders learn to identify different types of literature genres. In this genre lesson, 3rd graders complete pre and post- assessment, conduct a genre research activity, and complete the associated worksheets.
Curated OER
Learning the Roles in Literature Circles
I love literature circles! Get your pupils together and have them discuss the book they are reading. They determine and practice their role in the literature circle then discuss the book they are reading. This is a great introduction to...
EngageNY
End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 1A: Fishbowl on Better Use of Water in Agriculture
Just keep swimming! Pupils participate in a Fishbowl discussion, sitting in two concentric circles and alternating between speaking and listening roles. During the discussion, they defend a claim about the best way to begin managing...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 1: Unit 1, Lesson 6
Wrap up your literary analysis unit with a discussion activity as tenth graders prepare for an end-of-unit assessment. After they have read and annotated Christopher Marlowe's "The Passionate Shepard to His Love," Sir Walter Raleigh's...
Curated OER
How Do You Like to Learn?
Use this worksheet to gather insight into the types of activities assignments that each of your students prefers, and create an effective, student-centered learning environment.
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4
Still working on deciphering the Common Core standards? Let this resource help you out with the fourth speaking and listening standard! After a brief explanation of the standard, the resource details two example activities and provides...
Curated OER
The Value of Teaching Lexis in Combination
Students conduct controlled practice in ten frequently used multi-word lexical items and engage in speaking practice to activate personal engagement with the target language.
Curated OER
Discussion Starter: Leisure Activities
Get small groups of English language learners talking with this short activity. Attached is a worksheet that encourages learners to talk about leisure activities that they do, that they'd like to try, and that they would never try....
Road to Grammar
Shopping
Talk about what you bought last weekend with plenty of activities centered around the theme of shopping. English language learners have the opportunity to listen, speak, write, and read over the course of these exercises. The resource...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Friendship Line Dancing
Develop social awareness with a lesson that challenges scholars to properly communicate with their peers. Standing in two lines, participants practice introducing themselves, asking how their partner is feeling, asks if they want to...
Orlando Shakes
Arms and the Man: Study Guide
Few aspects of life make better fodder for a comedic play than politics. A study guide introduces George Bernard's Shaw comedy Arms and the Man. Along with summaries of each scene and brief biographies of the main characters, two lesson...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Down on the Farm: English Language Development Lessons (Theme 8)
Down on the Farm is the theme of this series of ESL lessons designed to support reading, speaking, and listening skills. Over three weeks, your learners will have the opportunity to sing songs, play guessing games, create masks,...
Digital Writing and Research Lab's – Lesson Plans
Teaching Close Reading through Short Composition/Revision
This activity may have writers evaluate short compositions, but their subjects are quite tall: great Americans. Pupils read one another's compositions and closely examine how specific phrases and diction contribute to shaping American...
Cloud Front
Socratic Seminar for: A Christmas Carol
Socratic seminars are a great way to encourage the development of critical thinking, speaking, and listening skills. And Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a perfect text for such a seminar. Use the questions in the packet to...
Rainforest Alliance
Who Takes Care of the Maya Forest Corridor?
Who keeps animals safe? Who keeps us safe? Discover the helpers that make learning and growing possible through a medley of activities that focus on habitats—ours and those in the rainforest. Scholars are asked to identify one...
EngageNY
Choosing a Book That Interests Me: Seeking the Superhero Reader in Me
Selecting a "power book" and engaging in a structured class discussion are the learning targets for this fourth lesson in a larger unit. It is designed as a beginning of the year unit for establishing norms and routines in the classroom....
Curated OER
BBC Learning English, Speaking (Clarifying Meaning)
In this verbal comprehension learning exercise, students identify possible reasons for poor inter-personal communication and learn multiple phrases to use for clarification in a conversation.