Curated OER
The Importance Setting and Mood in Fiction
Seventh graders examine the setting in pieces of fiction. In this story analysis lesson, 7th graders investigate the setting in fictional stories and the importance it has. Students discover new vocabulary terms applying to...
Curated OER
Lesson 1: Using Compare and Contrast Key Words
Third graders compare and contrast two things. In this comparing instructional activity, 3rd graders see vocabulary words used when comparing or contrasting two items. They read the story Alligators and Crocodiles by Trudi Strain...
Curated OER
Write to Music
Students improve their creative writing skills. In this writing skills lesson, students learn about picture captions, story writing, critiques, poems, reports, letter writing, creative writing, and a rap poem.
Curated OER
Oreo Cookie Writing
Students explore the concept of response writing. In this writing lesson plan, Oreo cookies are used as motivational tool and writing prompt. Students develop a summary of the events that took place when the Oreos were given out.
Curated OER
Descriptive Writing
Students write a description of an animal. In this descriptive writing lesson, students discuss ways to write to appeal to all five senses. Students then describe an animal in a paragraph and pair up to guess the animal.
Curated OER
Show! Don't Tell!
Students write a descriptive paragraph. In this writing instructional activity, students define elaboration and discuss the characteristics of an elaborate paragraph. Students write a paragraph that contains vivid adjectives, strong...
Curated OER
Rock Around the World
Students take pictures and write a paragraph about a rock they have found. In this rock lesson plan, students also send their information to the Mars Space Flight Facility.
Curated OER
Theme
Young scholars examine a reading selection. In this descriptive writing lesson, students read an excerpt from "Hello! Anybody Out There?". Young scholars discuss the idea of aliens living on other planets, describe what they think an...
Curated OER
Awesome Outlines to Organize Writing
Fourth graders practice writing outlines. Using worksheets imbedded students get lots of practice enhancing their skills writing outlines
EngageNY
Illustrating: Geography Icon
For the final step of the performance task for this unit, class members will create an illustration to go with the paragraph on their bookmark. After looking at models, guide pupils toward recognizing the criteria for an effective...
EngageNY
Making a Claim: Emma Burke’s Point of View of the Immediate Aftermath of the Earthquake
Sharpen those pencils; it's time to write! Scholars begin writing the first body paragraph of their literary analysis essays. Additionally, pupils use graphic organizers to analyze a character's point of view from Laurence Yep's...
EngageNY
Making a Claim: Moon Shadow’s Point of View of the Immediate Aftermath
Body paragraphs are the building blocks of every essay. Pupils view and discuss a model essay using a rubric to evaluate one of its supporting paragraphs. Next, scholars use what they've learned to continue drafting their own literary...
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment: Final Essay
This is just the transition phase. Scholars participate in a mini lesson about using transitions in writing. They then have a brief peer critique of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs for their end of unit assessment. Learners...
Curated OER
Dr. Seuss and Read Across America
What important facts about Dr. Seuss influenced the Read Across America movement...? This is the driving question of a research project that requires scholars to find information about Dr. Seuss' life and work. Class...
Curated OER
Hanukkah - ESL
Reinforce vocabulary and reading comprehension with a Hanukkah-themed collection of worksheets. Scholars first read a two-paragraph informational text, then apply their new-found-knowledge to match phrases, fill in blanks with...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Alice Paul" by Katharine Rolston Fisher
Powerful women need not look like Wonder Woman. After writing a paragraph about a strong woman they know, young scholars examine images of Alice Paul and then do a close reading of Katharine Rolston Fisher's poem "Alice Paul." Finally,...
Gourmet Curriculum Press
Author's Purpose
Who knew determining author's purpose could be turned into a game? Four teams compete to correctly identify the author's purpose for writing a series of passages.
Santa Ana Unified School District
The Power of Point of View
Sometimes a whole story can change based on the perspective of the person telling it. Practice identifying and analyzing point of view in various reading passages and writing assignments with a language arts packet, complete with Common...
Curated OER
Double-Entry Journal Writing
Introduce your learners to the concept of a double-entry journal. Talk about how to connect with the text and model an example for them. Using whatever literature you are working with, have scholars choose a quote and make their own...
EngageNY
End of Unit 1 Assessment: On-Demand Analysis of a Human Rights Account
The last instructional activity in this unit about human rights consists of a final assessment. To demonstrate the skills your class has acquired throughout this unit, they will work with a new article entitled "From Kosovo to the United...
Curated OER
Figurative Language: Part Two
Help your young writers make their writing more descriptive and exciting in this figurative language lesson. Middle schoolers review their figurative language examples from Part One (linked to this lesson), and then write a paragraph for...
ESL Holiday Lessons
Christmas Day
Celebrary the holiday season fluently with a packet designed for English learners. The resource includes reading comprehension, spelling, scrambled sentences, and writing worksheets focused around Christmas.
Overcoming Obstacles
Integrity
A lesson about integrity challenges scholars to define it, discuss why it's essential, and the benefits of having it. Class members brainstorm ways to show integrity at home, at school, and in the community. Pupils participate...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "In the Next Galaxy" by Ruth Stone
Imagine what life might be like in a different galaxy. That's the challenge young scientists take on in a warm-up activity designed to prepare them for a close reading of Ruth Stone's poem "In the Next Galaxy." After class members share...