Curated OER
The Relatives Came: A Family Read-Along
Students read the book, 'The Relatives Came' by Cynthia Rylant to revive memories about their own summer vacations and family customs. They write a friendly letter about a fantasy summer vacation--"What I Wish I Did on My Summer...
Curated OER
After The End...
Students create a few different endings to stories they are familiar with. In this writing lesson plan, students listen to the story, "The Giant Jam Sandwich," and see how a different ending changes the whole story. Each student chooses...
Curated OER
I, Spy
Fifth graders utilize the library in order to find the answers to three questions about The Revolutionary War. For this writing and library skills lesson, 5th graders pretend they are a Spy, and write the answers in a fictional letter to...
Curated OER
My Book of Thanksgiving Words
In these mini-book activity learning exercise, learners create a Thanksgiving word mini-book that includes the words stuffing, Mayflower, Pilgrims, corn, Native Americans, and turkey. Students also write their own Thanksgiving word and...
Curated OER
Show The Movie!
Fifth graders deliver story presentations that establish a setting with descriptive words, contain a plot and show, rather than tell, what happens. For this language arts lesson plan, 5th graders utilize sentences from the book, "Tuck...
Curated OER
Create a Holiday for Your Favorite Hero
Pupils create a holiday for a hero. The person may be someone in history who is not currently honored with a holiday, another famous person, a family member, a friend, or someone else they admire.
Massachusetts Department of Education
Nostalgia
To prepare for crafting their own memoir, class members examine poetry by Margaret Atwood, Billy Collins, Robert Hayden, and Claude McKay, stories by Richard Rodriquez and Willa Cather, and Barry Levinson's film Avalon. They examine...
Curated OER
Grade A: The Market for a Yale Woman's Eggs by Jessica Cohen
What would it be like to sell your eggs to a couple who can't have children on their own? Could you even imagine it? As most of us have never been in this position, this descriptive essay is really quite interesting. The reading itself...
Cleveland Metro School District
Novel Lesson for The Giver
Lois Lowry's The Giver is one of the most engaging and thought-provoking works of literature in the middle school curriculum. Round out your novel unit with a collection of reading activities, comprehension questions, memoir and...
Curated OER
Multimedia Storytelling
Experiment with multimedia storytelling. After watching a segment of American Family, first, middle and high schoolers tell a story about their families, clarifying the setting, characters, and script. They work on setting...
Vermilionville
Mardi Gras—Secondary
Add a little glitter to your Mardi Gras celebration with a packet that includes information about the history of Mardi Gras. It also provides information about how different communities celebrate the holiday, as well as templates for...
Scholastic
Connecting with Ruby Bridges
When Ruby Bridges entered an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960, she also entered history. Scholars consider what the experience must have been like for the young girl using two books that document her experience as well as a double...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Adventure
Sixth graders write a narrative. They choose options for plot and climax within the context of an outdoor survival story.
Curated OER
Narration about the Mirabal Sisters
Students research the lives of the Mirabel sisters, complete related graphic organizers, and watch the movie, "In the Time of the Butterflies." They write a narrative essay about one event in the Mirabel sisters' lives.
Curated OER
Immigrant Role-Playing
Learners role-play as immigrants coming to America during the early 1900's. They conduct Internet research printing out pictures and reading biographies. Students use the information gathered to create scrapbooks in which the write...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
6 Traits: Voice
Students explore the trait of voice. In this language arts instructional activity, students focus on the writing trait of voice. Students view a video and practice writing.
Curated OER
The "Write" Stuff: Third Grade Strategies and Conventions
Students analyze the writing process through the ten lessons of this unit. The expository lessons address topic and detail sentences, paragraph organization and development, note taking, reports and letter writing.
Curated OER
Who Tells the Story? Defining History
Seventh graders examine historical perspectives. In this historical writing lesson, 7th graders discuss their definitions of history and then discuss perspectives of history. As a culminating activity, students write narrative stories...
Curated OER
Multiple Viewpoints
First graders explore the concept of multiple viewpoints. In this perspective lesson, 1st graders discuss the differences and similarities found within different cultures. Students then write a narrative about how something they can do...
Curated OER
Writing a Biography - Mark Twain
Students write a biography. In this biography lesson, students discuss what a biography is and how to write one. They research Mark Twain, answer questions, and write a biography about his life.
Curated OER
Neighborhood Rubrics
Young scholars use a rubric to analyze their neighborhood and write a persuasive essay about changes that should be made. In this writing lesson, students use a rubric to grade their neighborhood and brainstorm improvements. Young...
Curated OER
Crafting Poetry: A Sensory Journey
Tenth graders experiment with poetry devices to write poems. In this poetry lesson, 10th graders participate in learning stations. Students create a word pool and select a word from the list to create a line of poetry. Students complete...
Curated OER
Writing the Mystery with a Purpose
Learners present the outline of the mystery story they are writing while working in reciprocal teaching groups. They respond to group members writing before they continue to finish revisions.
Curated OER
Web Quest on "How to Write a Mystery."
Learners complete a Web Quest on How to Write a Mystery. They listen to or read a short mystery story and discuss its elements. They write an outline of a mystery story using all of the elements.