Curated OER
Guess Who's Coming to Our Classroom
Students use their research skills to determine the famous person given in clues. Using a character recently dicussed in their classroom, they discuss how they would create a costume for them. They write sentences to be used as dialogue...
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Effective Writing is More Than a Five Paragraph Essay
Groups become experts in one aspect of the six traits of writing, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, jigsaw, and teach others about their trait. Writers then focus on these traits as they compose a persuasive essay about a person they...
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Famous Britons
Students read three short texts which give clues to the identities of three famous Britons. The texts explore the fame of the three personalities and the growing interest in celebrities in modern British life. Students participate in a...
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On The Day You Were Born
Students engage in a study about the holiday of a birthday with the help of using children's literature. They make cognitive connections of using the characters of the book and relating them to the personal celebration of a birthday.
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Surviving the Winter
Fifth graders investigate given cultures using the internet, personal interviews and other sources, They examine how the civilizations of six Native American tribes and six Australian Aboriginal tribes survived during their respective...
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Let's Create a Sculpture!
Students engage in a lesson that is about creating a sculpture with the help of viewing sculptures in the Watts Towers in Los Angeles. They use modeling clay to create personal sculptures using the pictures as examples for personal artwork.
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How Does Who I Am Relate to Employability?
Sixth graders work in groups to discuss ethics and the role honesty, courage, responsibility, self-discipline, and self-respect may play in a future employment opportunity. Groups present their ideas to the remainder of the class as well...
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Building Friendships
Students explore that sometimes we are surprised when we spend time with someone we previously thought we would not like and find this person to be very likeable and they may become a great friend. They explore how a friendship can...
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Seasonal Poetry Reflective Journal
Pull quotes from a text and craft responses to the quotes you chose. First, read a short excerpt from Mary Claire Wilfert's oral history. Then, read the contemporary poem "Robert's Cove," pulling quotes and writing responses as...
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Branches of Government
After reading a short text on the branches of government in the United States, future voters answer 8 fill-in-the-blank questions, as well as 11 true or false questions. This worksheet would be a great homework assignment or silent...
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Characterization of Mice and Men
Using a SMART board presentation (provided), your class discusses the characterization of Lenny, George, Curley, Curley's wife, and the farmhands in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. The presentation includes a list of traits for...
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The Miracle of the First Poinsettia
Connecting to literature and learning how to infer are two great reading strategies everyone needs to know. Here, the class will read along with the story The Miracle of the First Poinsettia, review folktales as a genre, and make...
Bridge
Mercury - Mercury is Rising
Hold a discussion in your class about the increase in mercury being found in fish that are caught commercially as food for humans. Given a worksheet, learners then calculate how much fish a person can safely eat each month to remain...
3C Skills Collaborative
Skill One: Motivate Yourself
As your class members begin to apply for colleges, scholarships, or jobs, it would be valuable for them to be given an introduction as to what they might encounter in an interview. While the title might lead you to believe this lesson is...
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Mapping My Spot in History
Students create their own town's history. They place themselves on the map in a literal as well as figurative sense. Students produce portions of an updated version of an early twentieth century panoramic map. Students gather information...
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Against the Odds
What factors help people achieve goals? What factors prevent people from achieving goals? What are the elements that need to be in place to make a team function well? Using Damien Lewis’ Desert Claw and John Francome’s Winner Takes All,...
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Dogs: Reading Comprehension
This reading comprehension instructional activity includes a 2-page selection about dogs, as well as ten short answer questions.
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Writing: Laying and Covering the Foundation
Your middle schoolers can become stronger writers with a lesson covering the basics. They compose effective thesis statements and introductions, discuss different ways to capture a reader's attention, and compare a poorly written...
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Elements of a Story - Plot, Characters, and Setting
Use this SMART board activity with any short story in your unit plan. The SMART board file contains a step-by-step guide to plot diagrams, including an interactive practice page and an assignment. This resource is beneficial for language...
Region of Peel
Colonial Tag
This exercise combines learning about colonialism with playing tag. Class members are asked whether a statement involves an economic, religious, political or social factor and then run to the location with the corresponding poster. The...
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Anticipation Guide for Death of a Salesman
"It is better to ignore something unpleasant than to face reality." Readers of Death of a Salesman complete an anticipation guide before tackling Arthur's Miller's tale of Willy Loman and his sons. After completing the play, class...
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Much Ado About Nothing: Guided Imagery Exercise
“Be glad that all things sort so well.” To make text-to-self connections to Shakespeare’s play, class members engage in a guided imagery exercise prior to reading Act IV, scene i of Much Ado About Nothing (the wedding of Claudio and...
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A Guide to Getting Along: Listening
Here is an effective way to have your charges practice and model important listening skills. After a short review of effective active listening concepts, such as using body language, summarizing what the other person said, and asking...
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The First American Party System: Events, Issues, and Positions
Learners identify factors which lead to the development of the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. They examine the writings of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton as well. They discuss what elements are needed for an orgainized...