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
Dwellings Around the Globe
Students explore dwellings around the globe and conduct collaborative research on cliff dwellings, igloos, longhouses, and yurts. They then explore how different dwellings reflect environmental and cultural conditions, and they create a...
Curated OER
Maize to Maquiladoras: Movement from Mexico to Arizona
Fourth graders label maps of Arizona and Mexico to show the people, goods, and ideas that have moved between the two places. In this Arizona and Mexico lesson plan, 4th graders summarize the effects of the movement on Arizona life.
Curated OER
Most Wanted Villians
Students review the characteristics of various characters in fairytales. As a class, they review the story details and create a concept map using a software program. They create their own wanted poster of the villians in the fairytale to...
Curated OER
Exploring the Sonnet
Students research English/Shakespearean and Italian/Petrarchan sonnet forms. They write an original sonnet on their preferred form (English or Italian), write the poem on the wordprocessor and publish and post it on the net at the Sonnet...
Curated OER
Story Retellings
Second graders complete story maps in order to retell stories to the class.
Curated OER
Whodunit? Creating Mysterious Plays
Students examine mystery plays by reading a number of five-minute mysteries. They write and perform their own plays.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Could You Repeat That?
Pupils participate in an oral story telling activity designed to show how story embellishments occur. They read "Beowulf" and identify incongruities that suggest additions and embellishments over the years.
Curated OER
Identifying Science Fiction
Students discuss works of science fiction that they read, highlight aspects that made each a part of science fiction genre, identify formal literary elements, and discuss ways each can be developed through science fiction.
Curated OER
There's a World of Science to Read Today!
Students read a current science article. They write a summary of the article, take notes, write and edit a summary, and print their work.
Curated OER
Out of the Dust (High School)
Fourth graders read Hesse's "Out of the Dust". They respond to questions about the novel and write a free-verse poem modeled after the author's.
Curated OER
Routing Explorers
Students read excerpts from an explorer's journal and then become investigators and navigators themselves. Students answer questions about the difficulties and time it took for the explorers to travel from Washington to New Orleans and...
Curated OER
Becoming A Local Historian
Students practice the art of being a historian. They compare primary and secondary resources to conduct a critical thinking assignment. Students compare the map of the Baton Rouge area to a modern one in order to make inferences about...
Curated OER
Tasmanian Time Travel
Sixth graders perform research using the Internet about the Tasmanian Devil. The project can be presented in a variety of ways. The use of computer software is important for students to know, specifically Hyperstudio.
Curated OER
Computer Lab Lesson Plan - Science
Students examine rocks and minerals. Using the internet, students research rocks and how they are formed. They use word processing software to list minerals and materials that form specific rocks.
Curated OER
Millennium Scrapbook
Third graders create a millennium scrapbook, collecting stories about the past millennium and including photos of local, national and international events.
Curated OER
Descriptive Essay
Learners review previously written essays, draw pictures of shapes, and write descriptive essays.
Curated OER
Predictions, Predictions, and More Predictions
Third graders pose questions about the subject of a short story based on the title and cover illustration; then read the story and determine if their questions actually pertained to the story line, and, if so, how the story answered the...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Organize an Argument [Pdf]
This site provides a nonfiction graphic organizer that will help students organize an argument.
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Writing Process: Organizing
This lesson focuses on the organization of your paper including how to write a thesis statement, the elements of an effective paragraph, patterns of organization, transitions, and conclusions. It also provides a video of the Toulmin...
University of Sydney (Australia)
University of Sydney: The Write Site: Evaluating Your Evidence
This essay resource teaches students how to select the type of evidence that best lends weight and credibility to their topics and how to organize the evidence effectively. A chart is provided as a quick reference. Click on pages 2-4 at...
Grammarly
Grammarly Handbook: Patterns of Organization for Academic Texts
A list of six different ways to organize a text with links to more information for each.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Make Inferences in Informational/expository Text
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, you will be taking a look at how authors of informational texts, such as expository texts, organize their writing and the effects that organization can have...