Curated OER
Starting an Elementary Book Club
Discover the benefits of starting a book club in this two-part article.
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Technology-commected Folklife Lesson Plan: Fables
Young scholars discuss ways the stories were alike and different. The teacher demonstrate how to draw a Venn diagram using Microsoft Word. They label the two circles and enter the likenesses and differences on the diagram.
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The Land and the Water
Third graders read "The Land and the Water," a fictional short story and an article about John F. Kennedy, Jr. and compare and contrast fictional tragedy to a non-fiction tragedy. They fill out a Venn diagram and write an essay using...
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Language Arts: What Makes an Individual
Third graders listen to the teacher read "The Sneetches" prior to creating charts about their individual characteristics. After numerous examples of individuality, they compile them on chart paper. As an extension, 3rd graders write...
Curated OER
Analyzing Features of Consumer Text
Students evaluate consumer information. For this written communication lesson, students read nutrition facts from different foods and determine the foods that have the most healthful benefits.
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Dinosaur Designs
Second graders examine facts that can be found in nonfiction books. They listen to a read aloud of Patrick's Dinosaur, with time before the end for student predictions. They make dinosaur t-shirts using facts from the book.
Curated OER
How the Environment Effects our Feelings
First graders compare images and discuss their feelings created by an artist's work. They explore the correlation between experiencing feelings in art and literature and feelings caused by changes in weather.
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Underground Travelers
Young scholars are introduced to new vocabulary associated with the Underground Railroad. Using primary sources, they evaluate the railroad's impact on society in the past and today. They also make a judgment about the morality of the...
Curated OER
Libraries Are the Place to Be
Celebrate National Library Week by discovering all that your local library and the Library of Congress have to offer.
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Autobiography
Sixth graders read and write autobiographical sketches, determine the author's purpose in writing, and type paragraphs using WP utilities.
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Differences Between Fiction And Non-Fiction in the Library
Learners examine the differences between fiction and non-fiction books in the library by discussing kangaroos. They distinguish between facts about kangaroos, and using their imaginations and imagining what they would do with pet kangaroos.
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Author, Author!
Third graders, in groups, select and research a favorite studenT author or illustrator. They answer questions about the author, conduct research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation with their findings.
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Chasing Lincoln's Killer: A Novel Study
James Swanson's novel, Chasing Lincoln's Killer, provides an engaging unit of study for all readers.
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Cross-Curricular Language Arts Lessons
Here are lesson ideas to begin integrating social studies content into the language arts classroom.
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Some Houses Are Made of Straw, Wood, or Brick: But... This House is Made of Mud...
First graders read and discuss several stories. They share information about different types of shelter around the world. They explain that lifestyles and shelter depend very much on where people live and how they use the resources...
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Ants
Third graders study the habits and habitats of ants. They research the use of technology as a valuable investigation tool and access other web sites for future research projects. The students make successful decisions while playing SimAnt.
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Trash! How Cities Work: Dealing with Garbage in the US and India
Students identify how different cultures deal with the challenge of trash. Read an excerpt from a chapter book based on real life written from the Southern Indian perspective. Describe the life of a street child in Southern India....
Curated OER
Honoring Our Pets During National Pet Week
Recognize National Pet Week with reading and writing activities to celebrate the animals in your pupils' lives.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Creating a Psychology News Wiki
If you're searching for a way to keep your class informed of current psychology news, this ongoing assignment is both educational and engaging. Class members locate and read a psychology article of interest, write a psychological...
Louisiana Department of Education
The Metamorphosis
How can something be true even if it didn't happen? Invite your classes to investigate the truths found in the world of magical realism as they analyze short stories, poems, informational texts, video, and art from this genre.
Louisiana Department of Education
Fahrenheit 451
In his 2013 introduction to Fahrenheit 451, Neil Gaiman states, “Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” In this extraordinary unit plan, readers "explore the power of written language to educate and...
Alabama Learning Exchange
J. Alfred Hyperbolizes
Mermaids will sing to your class members as they engage in an activity related to T.S. Eliot's famous dramatic interior monologue. After engaging in a socratic seminar about literary devices in the poem, individuals choose one...
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...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Attitude Determines Altitude
A fabulous lesson plan which combines mathematics with space science. Middle schoolers work in cooperative groups in order to research early astronauts and their accomplishments. They look at a variety of rocket and space shuttle...