Curated OER
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Before Reading Strategy
Spark interest in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with an anticipatory exercise that begins with a brainstorm around the words heroic and good boy. Pupils then complete an anticipation guide, discuss the results in groups, and...
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...
Curated OER
A Visit to the Madrid Zoo
Young scholars conduct research on animals by visiting the website for the Madrid Zoo. They locate various animals on the website and answer questions about animals and their habitats in Spanish, then create a poster, advertisement, or a...
Vermilionville
Mardi Gras—Secondary
Add a little glitter to your Mardi Gras celebration with a packet that includes information about the history of Mardi Gras. It also provides information about how different communities celebrate the holiday, as well as templates for...
Curated OER
ReQuest Strategy: Reciprocal Questioning
Explore reciprocal questioning with this ReQuest comprehension strategy. After reading a passage, learners first question the teacher, trying to "stump" her. Then it is the teacher's turn to ask the pupils questions. All correct answers...
Curated OER
Practicing Letters e and f
Which of these words begins with the letter e? Scholars become familiar with lowercase letters e and f by visually matching. After tracing each letter, they draw lines from the letter to images beginning with the same...
Curated OER
Find the Rhyme
Which one rhymes? There are four starting objects here, each heading a row of three objects. Learners identify the objects and their vowel sounds to determine which one rhymes with the first object. All these rhyming words involve the...
Curated OER
Sorting Sets
Here is a simple sorting activity which is appropriate for pre-k and kindergarten learners. Pupils sort each of four items into the correct group, then count the totals and write the numbers in the boxes provided. Along with being a good...
Illustrative Mathematics
Triangular Tables
Somewhat of a puzzle, this problem gets pre-algebra preteens to write an expression representing a seating chart using triangle-shaped tables. This single task is an applicable lesson for meeting sixth grade Common Core math standards....
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Double, double scholars' appreciation of the Scottish Play with a guide that adds a rich brew of pre-reading background information, chapter discussion questions, activities, and writing prompts to provide readers with a "firm and good"...
Curated OER
Printing Practice Letter F
In this printing worksheet, students trace 13 lowercase e's and print more within the lines provided. In the example, students are given arrows that guide them in writing the letter.
Curated OER
Spelling
Learners are taught the spellings of some words with a specific prefix. They comprehend the terms prefix and suffix. Students define the word pre as before and they relate the definition of prefix: the letter blends come before the word....
Curated OER
Goldie Girl and There, Their, and They're: Homophones and Homographs
Instruct your class on homonyms and homophones. Learners take a pre-test and examine a list of homophones. They also play online word games to practice spelling and usage and write a fairy tale in which they use at least 10 homophones....
Poets.org
Ghosts and Spirits
Connect poetry to a naturally kid-friendly topic: ghosts! Draw on your class's prior knowledge of the paranormal to help them access the classic poem "Haunted House" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. After a fun warm-up activity describing...
Curated OER
Author's Purpose
A simple activity for young readers, this introduces the idea of author purpose. Learners analyze various types of texts (newspaper articles, magazines, books, advertisements, etc.) and determine if the author's purpose for writing was...
Curated OER
The Tell-Tale Heart
Bring Edgar Allan Poe's spooky story to life! After reading the short story "The Tell-Tale Heart," middle and high schoolers identify the theme, character traits, irony, and other story concepts. During pre-reading, they take notes,...
Curated OER
Alpha By Author
Let's learn the alphabet! Young learners will keep letter journals, writing down words they like and drawing pictures. They'll also complete a simple worksheet that requires them to organize books in alphabetical order.
Curated OER
Recycling: The Way to Save...Fad or Fact
Pupils write stories about recycling and illustrate them. They examine various containers and determine whether or not they are recyclable. They make a chart about the containers and visit a recycling center.
Curated OER
7th Grade Math: Algebra (Distributive Property)
With algebra tiles in hand 7th graders will uncover the wonders of the distributive property of multiplication. They will take a pre-test, define the distributive property, then model and practice using their tiles to solve basic...
Finance in the Classroom
Unit on Checking
As part of a four-lesson unit on personal finances, class members practice using a checkbook. Exercises include writing checks, filling out deposit and withdrawal slips, and keeping a check register.
Curated OER
I am Special and You are Special Too - Project Children L.E.A.D.
Eighth graders recognize what makes them special through class participation and discussion of rap music, writing a poem about themselves, and designing their own special hat while working in groups.
Curated OER
The Power Of Possessives
The whole class with get when to use an apostrophe after this activity. They use apostrophes to show possession or ownership. This activity includes a discussion starter, a practice exercise, a story activity, and a practice...
Curated OER
Introduction to the American Civil War
Eleventh graders participate in a drill activity in which they review the political, social and economic causes of the Civil War. Individually, they complete a Civil War pretest in which they test their misconceptions about the war. They...
Curated OER
"The Lottery," by Shirley Jackson
Middle schoolers who are about to read the chilling tale, The Lottery, do some writing beforehand. They are asked to write how their lives would change if they won a huge lottery jackpot. Then, they read the short story, and will be...