Curated OER
Take Apart Sentences
Fourth graders explore the two main parts of sentences, subject and predicate. They, in groups, mix up their sentence strips and then place them face down and have a contest to see which group can rebuild the sentences correctly in the...
John F. Kennedy Center
Jazz music, Dance and Poetry
Students view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance. In this jazz dance lesson, students write a cinquain about jazz dance. Students recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music...
Curated OER
Adjectives - A Dream of Bunyips Dancing
Second graders read "A Dream of Bunyips Dancing" by Elise Hurst. They discuss the book and identify the adjectives used to describe the bunyips. They paint a bunyip expressing the adjectives from the story.
Curated OER
Controlled Narrative Writing
Students examine a short story and add possible adjectives. They re-read the story and add adverbs. They also add other information to make the story interesting.
Curated OER
Seeing Eye "Buddies"
Third graders observe a variety of sights within their schoolyard habitat and sitting quietly back-to-back with a partner describe what they see. The partner sketches the observations, 3rd graders compare drawings with the object described.
Curated OER
Sentence Elaboration with Prepositional Phrases
Students explore language arts by reading an English related story. In this sentence structure lesson, students identify prepositions and discuss how to utilize them effectively in sentence writing. Students read the story "A Day at the...
Curated OER
The City Life or the country Life: conventions: Comparative and Superlative Forms of Adjectives and Adverbs
Reinforce knowledge of adjectives and adverbs by game playing. To better understand English conventions young writers, use flashcards to identify the base word and its comparative or superlative form.
Curated OER
Maggie's Adventures Grades 1-2
Students use Maggie's Learning Adventures online activity. They play a matching or memory game to become aware of homophones. Students recognize that there two ways to use many words. They practice with noun or verb identification by...
Curated OER
Conjunction Recognition Practice
What is a coordinating conjunction, and how is it different from a correlative conjunction? First, study the three types of conjunctions. There are descriptions and examples included to help you do this. Then, release your kids for some...
Curated OER
Whose Is It? (Pronouns and Antecedents)
Define and explore pronouns and antecedents. Young writers read and complete a worksheet using pronouns and correct antecedents. The worksheet is not included but can be easily found online and then dispersed as homework (insert evil...
Poetry Out Loud
Poems Put to Use
Why do we have to study poetry? Here is a lesson that demonstrates some of poetry's more practical and real-world applications for reluctant learners. Start by leading a brainstorming session about where poems or pieces of poems might be...
Curated OER
Edward R. Murrow: This Reporter
What would Edward R. Murrow think of today’s news broadcasts? Learners examine the work of the first public television newscaster and his commitment to researched, accurate reporting. The eight-day study concludes with investigators...
Curated OER
English Literature: An Overview
Relate literary works and authors to the major themes of English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the 20th century. Working in groups, high schoolers will evaluate period philosophy, religion, and politics that influenced...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 4
Why is it important to use precise language? Participants explore this question in the fourth activity in a series of 15 on effective instruction. Perfect for all content areas, the activity promotes appropriate language choice through...
Curated OER
Diamante Poems
Third graders discuss what diamante stands for in English. They discover the elements of a Diamante poem by observing the teacher writing a poem. Using their journals, 3rd graders create their poem using different parts of speech and...
Curated OER
Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!
Students read "Green Eggs and Ham" in celebration of Dr. Seuss's birthday and visit a storymaker website. Students create and type a three scene story using characters from Dr. Seuss's books and share their story with the class.
Curated OER
Create a Word
Brainstorm new words for a class dictionary. In small groups, young learners read and discuss an article about how words get into dictionaries. They then develop a new word, use it in a sentence, and share their creations with their...
Curated OER
The News Article and The Editorial
Here is an outstanding series of lessons on journalism, writing newspaper articles, and writing editorials. This type of writing has long-been neglected in our schools, so this collection of writing activities is most-valuable. Along...
Curated OER
One Grain of Rice
Upper graders read the story One Grain of Rice, and use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast topics found in the story to current event topics today. Groups of three learners work together to create their diagram. The topics they must...
Curated OER
Christmas Candy
Here is a tasty topic for a lesson: Christmas candy! Third and fourth graders research classic Christmas candies, then create their very own! They write a descriptive paragraph about their candy, then use KidPix to create an illustration...
Curated OER
Using Word Maps to Expand Vocabulary
Looking for a good instructional activity on dictionary and word definition skills? The instructional activity presented here is for you! In it, learners utilize a worksheet, embedded in the plan, to record a word's...
Curated OER
Composition Express
Although this lesson was written to use Express Magazine, it could easily be done with a different source. Pupils write on topics of their choosing, using vocabulary and phrases selected by the teacher. They then create their own...
Curated OER
Dragonwings: Explore Chapters 1-5
If you are beginning Laurence Yep's Dragonwings, this will provide activities for the first five chapters. The objectives include making connections to oneself and the world, organizing information and events, vocabulary acquisition,...
Curated OER
When is a Noun a Verb? Examining Double Duty Words
Act and act, address and address...there are so many words in our dictionary that can function as nouns or verbs. Start this lesson by having your class list as many as they possibly can. When an adequate list presents itself, have your...