National First Ladies' Library
Writing (and Rewriting!) History
Middle schoolers differentiate between fiction and non-fiction, discuss historical fiction, which combines both genres, choose historical novel from list and read independently, and write original short stories that combine elements of...
Curated OER
Celebration
Students identify the different ways in which different countries celebrate and why, including story, dance, music, and exchanging gifts. Then they develop a basic standard of non-verbal communication through either dance, mime,...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Exploring Key Ideas and Details in Fiction and Nonfiction
Third graders participate in activities to differentiate fiction from nonfiction. In this fiction lesson, 3rd graders describe the elements of a fiction story. Students compare and contrast fiction and non fiction elements....
Curated OER
How Are We Different?
Students discuss the differences between boys and girls. In this acceptance instructional activity, students view pictures of boys and girls and use a Venn Diagram to chart their differences. Students discuss boy activities...
Curated OER
Writing a Book Review - Non-Fiction
Fifth graders write a book review for a nonfiction book. For this response to literature lesson, 5th graders read a nonfiction book and write a review that gets others interested in reading the book without giving too much away. The...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Reading Non-Fiction
Students read and view information sent from seven high school students who travel to China. The daily reports that they send back to the weblog section of the site should be of high interest to students in Minnesota.
Curated OER
English With Technology
Fourth graders use the smart board and their workbook to complete writing assignments based on parts of speech and sentence structure. In this writing lesson plan, 4th graders write, question, punctuate, and more.
Curated OER
Showtime! Profit or Non
Students perform a production. In this job lesson plan, students perform the production they created about jobs in the profit and nonprofit sectors. Students write an essay describing the advantages and disadvantages of working in these...
Curated OER
Question Cards for Reading
Sometimes a teacher reading to a child doesn't think to stop to ask questions about the text. For those of us who don't engage the learners during reading activities, here is a set of cards that contain the questions all teachers need to...
Blake Education
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
The motto for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry warns that one should never tickle a sleeping dragon, but learners will definitely be tickled by the activities in a packet of materials designed to accompany a reading of the...
Curated OER
It's Time to Call 911
Students demonstrate how to get help in an emergency. In this 'In Case Of An Emergency" lesson plan, students listen to a story called It's Time to Call 911, describe emergencies using their senses, practice writing/saying important...
Curated OER
Sorting Living and Nonliving Objects
Third graders sort and classify objects. In this sorting lesson, 3rd graders sort small objects such as cereal or candy. Then, students classify and sort objects that are living or nonliving.
Curated OER
A Different Drummer
Eighth graders investigate philosophy and meditation techniques by discussing Emerson and Thoreau. In this philosophical traditions lesson, 8th graders identify the men Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, their work, and...
Curated OER
Fictional Hereos
Students are introduced to the definition of a hero. As a class, they compare and contrast the difference between non-fictional and fictional hereos they have read about. They read a story, create a story map of one of the heroes and...
Curated OER
Seventh Grade Geography Research Paper Project
Seventh graders work on a cross curricular project in both geography and writing classes. Students conduct research on Latin America using both non print and print sources and follow the MLA form of research. Students turn in source and...
Curated OER
Pounds and Ounces: It's All About Weight
First graders explore number sense by participating in a measurement estimation activity. In this weight lesson, 1st graders discuss the differences between measurement units, both English and Metric. Students examine a loaf of bread to...
Curated OER
Measuring Using Oodles of Noodles
First graders explore and evaluate the use of both standard and nonstandard forms of measurement. They use noodles to measure the lengths of each line they have drawn. They glue the noodles to the page under the given line.
Curated OER
Unknown Frost Poem Discovered
What? A long-lost poem from Robert Frost? Introduce your class to a poem recently found and published from Robert Frost's personal collection. The lesson includes background information on the author, the poem itself, and a list of...
Dream of a Nation
Writing a Narrative Essay
Imagine using narrative essays to encourage change. This multi-week unit plan does just that. After reading a series of articles from Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, class members examine the...
Shakespeare Uncovered
Henry IV, Part I: Does Father Know Best?
“Yea, there thou mak’st me sad and mak’st me sin/In envy that my Lord Northumberland/Should be the father to so blest a son--.” Henry IV, Part I, provides the text for a series of exercises that ask class members to examine the...
Shakespeare Uncovered
Women’s Roles in As You Like It
“There is nothing that becommeth a maid better than soberness, silence, shamefastness, and chastity, both of body & mind.” This line, from Thomas Bentley ‘s The Monument of Matrons published in 1582, typifies the way women were...
Curated OER
Northwest Coast Indians: Winter Celebrations Potlatch
Upper elementary learners engage in a study about the Potlatch as a Northwest Coast Indians social custom. Groups of pupils plan their own Potlatch ceremony; incorporating activities and creating gifts much like the ones that the Indians...
Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
The Backpack Travel Journals
Strap on those backpacks, it's time to travel through history with this literature unit based on the first four books of The Magic Tree House series. While reading through these fun stories, children create story maps, record...
Dream of a Nation
Solution Debate
Class members choose a current social, political, environmental, or economic problem presented in Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, research this problem and a variety of suggested solutions, before...