Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hawthorne: Author and Narrator

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the difference between a narrator and author. They read Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, 'The Scarlet Letter,' write a description of the narrator, and research how Hawthorne was impacted by the politics of the time.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You're Invited...To A Tea Party

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Kids read the book Boston Tea Party by Steven Kroll and use maps to locate various landmarks. They identify the cause and effect of the events related to the Boston Tea Party, then write a descriptive composition.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

For Land's Sake: George Washington as Land Surveyor

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students discuss the importance of land ownership and the purpose of land surveying in the eighteenth century. They interpret a transcript of an eighteenth-century land survey. They survey and area of land. They create a written or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry and Our National Anthem

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students express the meaning of the Star-Spangled Banner. In this American history lesson, students read through the national anthem and complete an activities from a list of choices. Some choices include: writing the anthem in your own...
Interactive
Curated OER

I know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Essay Questions

For Students 10th - Higher Ed
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 15 short answer and essay questions about Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
Interactive
Curated OER

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

For Students 9th - 12th
For this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 13 multiple choice questions based on The Things They Carried. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Catcher in the Rye

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders engage in the reading of literature in order to focus upon some of the basic literary elements while examining "The Catcher In The Rye". They use the experience of reading and literary analysis in order to help develop an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hope In The Hard Times - A Unit on the Great Depression

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners examine the Great Depression through the analysis of the novel, 'Bud, Not Buddy.' They analyze photos from the National Archives website, complete a character analysis, and conduct research and summarize a topic from the Great...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Poetic Images to Initiate the Exploration of Resistance During the Holocaust

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the role of resistance during the Holocaust. Viewing images, they complete a set of notes on the Holocaust and discuss the feelings they get from looking at the photographs. They identify the parts of speech used in...
Interactive
Curated OER

The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

For Students 10th - Higher Ed
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, learners respond to 15 multiple choice questions about Mann's The Magic Mountain. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Write Stuff

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders share a previously written portfolio piece and the class guesses the genre. Students use tally marks to keep track of how many of each piece there are in class. Once the data collection is complete, 4th graders create a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Little Mystery and Intrigue in Writing Short Detective Stories

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars read and analyze the twelve short stories in the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." They create their own detective that has to solve a new kind of crime, and write and edit a short story with their original...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War--The Battle of Corydon

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate the Battle of Corydon. In this American Civil War instructional activity, 8th graders discover details about the Battle of Corydon and the leaders of the battle. Students also identify how the Corydon...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living Biographies

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders create a multimedia slide presentation containing facts, graphics, and sounds relating to a biographical figure based on their reading of a biography or an autobiography. They present their slide presentations before the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Necklace Of Teeth Comic Strip

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create a comic strip which identifies the major events in a story of the teacher's choosing in this upper-elementary classroom language arts instructional activity. The instructional activity is highly adaptable and can be used...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Greeting Card to A Character

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils create a greeting card from one character to another after finishing a novel. Individually, they use their imagination to write the paragraph using the text to support their ideas. They share their greeting card with the class...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Garden: My Life as a Fruit or Vegetable

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore agriculture by participating in a role-play activity. In this farm to fork lesson, students ask and answer questions as though they were a specific plant about to be eaten. Students write responses to critical thinking...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Journeys

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students write a story using their journey to school as the setting. In groups, they discuss their experiences and browse through books to get ideas for their story. They practice using a thesaurus to find new verbs or adjectives they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Time I Got Lost

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders go through the writing process but substitute paper and pencil with the computer to create a story about "The Time I Got Lost".
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I am the Walrus

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students research walruses using the library and the Internet, then write an essay from what they find in their research.  In this investigative lesson students view a video on walruses then write an essay after researching. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Long Time Ago in the Future

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and discuss Canadian young adult literature. They compare/contrast the elements of citizenship, characterization, and themes, write journal responses, and identify the elements that define Canadians.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Underground Travelers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students 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 railroad...
Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix:left Brained Writing Prompt: Mini Workshop:favorite Person & Song

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Do you have a favorite person--a friend or a family member? Do you have a favorite song? Think about putting your favorite person and your favorite song together in a fictional scene. Make an interesting piece of writing by using really...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Telling Your Story

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
A lesson in which students gain empathy for people who lived during a historical time period by writing a first-person story with experiences that would have happened during that time.