Curated OER
Earth Day Reading Comprehension
Here is a really neat Earth Day reading passage that can be used online or printed. The initial passage provides learners with the opportunity to read a poem entitled, "Woodman, Spare That Tree!" It also includes comprehension questions...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Heart to Heart" by Rita Dove
Take heart! Here's a lesson that will encourage learners to notice details. After listening to Sarah Vaughan singing "My Funny Valentine" and noting how the word heart relates to Valentine's Day, scholars observe a human heart image....
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Weather
A reading adventure pack, featuring a fiction and nonfiction book focuses on the weather. Scholars read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Seymour Simon and then complete three creative activities. Participants craft...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Rocks
A Reading Adventure Pack focuses on rocks. Scholars participate in three activities after reading a fiction and nonfiction text—The Jade Stone, a Chinese folktale adapted by Caryn Yacowitz, and Rocks in His Head by Carol Otis Hurst....
Curated OER
Poetry: Walking With My Iguana
Bring a little excitement to your next poetry analysis lesson. Using the highly energetic poem "Walking With My Iguana," learners consider poem structure and rhyme. They listen to the poem, discuss the rhythm and tone with their...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “Dead Stars” by Ada Limón
Pay attention! A lesson featuring Ada Limon's poem "Dead Stars" is designed to help learners develop their noticing skills. Class members first study the constellation Orion's image and list what they notice and how the image makes them...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Dinosaurs
Two books—Dinosaurs by Gail Gibbons and Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hof—begin a learning experience in which scholars complete three creative, imaginative, and real-world activities. First, pupils create a puzzle featuring their...
Curated OER
The Living Environment
In this reading comprehension instructional activity, 2nd graders have the choice between musical, kinesthetic, logical mathematical and verbal linguistic options to display their knowledge. Students can write a song, perform a play,...
Rainforest Alliance
Knowing the Essential Elements of a Habitat
To gain insight into the many different types of habitats, individuals must first get to know their own. Here, scholars explore their school environment, draw a map, compare and contrast their surroundings to larger ones. They then...
Curated OER
Giraffe Comprehension using Eric Carle as the Feature Author
Students demonstrate reading comprehension by drawing a picture and writing a sentence about giraffes. In this early reading comprehension lesson, students listen to a read aloud and watch a video about giraffes before drawing a giraffe...
Curated OER
Rain
First graders practice oral and silent reading using beginning comprehension and decoding strategies. In this guided reading instructional activity, 1st graders take a picture walk and make plot predictions prior to reading the...
Curated OER
If You Don't Believe Me, Look It Up!
Students learn about bats. In this bats and comprehension lesson, students read Stellaluna and share what they know about bats. Students complete a learning log and Internet bat research worksheet.
Lerner Publishing
Teaching Habitats
What makes up a habitat? Use this resource to engage first graders in the exploration of desert, wetland, forest, and ocean habitats. Youngsters classify plants and animals into the four distinct habitats through drawings and cutting and...
Curated OER
Animalopedia Poetry
Students reseach animals while working in groups. They write poems to be included in a class Animalopedia book.
Rainforest Alliance
Sounds of the Rainforest
Do you hear what I hear? Encourage scholars to use their listening skills and participate in a series of activities that demonstrate how the sense of hearing is crucial to the human and animal world. Activities guide learners...
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Section Two: Why is Biodiversity Important?
Explore soil, genetic traits, natural resources, and pollution in a series of lessons that focus on biodiversity. Kids complete experiments to learn more about the importance of varied genes and organisms in an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Ocean Life Mural
How many oceans can you name? First, have learners try to name as many oceans as they can, and then have them locate and identify the oceans on a world map. They create a recognizable ocean animal using poster board and tissue paper....
Curated OER
Read a Tonsil Poem
Students examine a poster to determine where the tonsils are located and listen as the teacher explains what the tonsils are used for. They read along as the teacher reads a poem about tonsils aloud. They discuss the poem to check for...
Curated OER
Preparation -- The Right Way to Help and FOrm for Poetic Reflection
Students prepare for their service learning project by listening to a representative from the Lake Michigan Federation. They volunteer their time to clean up the coast line. They reflect on the event by writing a poem about their...
Curated OER
The Listening Walk
Students play instruments that reflect sounds in the story: hoots, toots, creaking, shrieks, clacking, crunching, whooshing, etc. They make vocal sounds from the story: whispered, sniffled, sigh, giggled, croaked, laughed. The...
Curated OER
Illinois Biodiversity
Students examine the amount of biodiversity in the state of Illinois. They practice using new vocabulary and listening to stories about animals. After given time to reflect, they write their own haiku. They work together to create a...
Curated OER
Pond Theme Unit
In this pond theme instructional activity students research facts on pond life. Students complete comprehension questions, crosswords, word search, and math puzzles. Students write a short report.
Curated OER
Winter Through the Arts
Students read the book The Snowy Day and discover various winter themes. In this winter lesson, students develop movements to express the feeling of a snowstorm. Students also construct winter-themed art pieces.
Curated OER
Native American Culture
Students read a variety of Native American Literature and discuss the main idea by answering critical thinking questions about the poem. Students use context clues to understand the feeling of the Native American culture about the Earth....