Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Have You Seen Bugs? (Oppenheim)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Are your scholars interested in bugs? Get future entomologists excited about vocabulary through Joanne Oppenheim's colorful book Have You Seen Bugs? They use the informational text (although this strategy is useful for any book) to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: I Love You the Purplest (Joosse)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Use Barbara Joosse's heartwarming story I Love You the Purplest (which can be found on YouTube if you don't have it) to practice vocabulary in context with emerging readers. This sensory text is an excellent opportunity to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: In the Small, Small Pond (Fleming)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Explore pond life and action words through Denise Fleming's In the Small, Small Pond, which you can find online if you don't have it on hand. Learners explore the following verbs: doze, hover, plunge, scatter,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Into the A, B, Sea (Rose)

For Teachers K - 3rd
As budding readers learn about the ocean, they'll get practice with the alphabet and new vocabulary words (cling, nab, prey, slumber, and thrive) in context. Read Deborah Rose's book Into the A, B, Sea, which includes a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: It's Pumpkin Time (Hall)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Looking for a Halloween-themed vocabulary lesson? Study words in context using Zoe Hall's story It's Pumpkin Time, an excellent informational text for budding readers. The spooky suggested words are: buds, gather, hollow,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Kindergarten ABC (Rogers)

For Teachers K - 1st
As kindergartners are learning the alphabet, expand their vocabulary in the process using Jacqueline Rogers' book Kindergarten ABC. Each page features a letter and various objects for scholars to locate in the picture, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Make Way for Ducklings (McCloskey)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Use the Caldecott Award-winning book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey (which can be found on YouTube if you don't have it) to guide budding readers through vocabulary in context. Although the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: One Hungry Monster (O'Keefe)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Combine counting and vocabulary practice with Susan O'Keefe's engaging story One Hungry Monster, which you can find on YouTube if needed. Introduce learners to the following in-text words: doubt, gargle, rude, swear, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: One Tiny Turtle (Davies)

For Teachers K - 3rd
The loggerhead turtle is a fascinating species, and budding readers learn all about it in Nicola Davies' account One Tiny Turtle. This informational narrative offers excellent vocabulary in context, and you'll...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Over in the Meadow (Keats)

For Teachers K - 3rd
If you're reading the classic story Over in the Meadow, consider this strategy to cover vocabulary in context with budding readers. After a brief introduction, listeners raise a hand when they hear each word (bask,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Pinkalicious (Kann)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Although the title of Elizabeth Kann's story Pinkalicious isn't a real word, the book is an excellent way to explore some new vocabulary in context: acute, mushy, rare, steady, and surrounded. Find the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Smoky Night (Bunting)

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Experience the Los Angeles Riots through the eyes of a child in Even Bunting's poignant story Smoky Night. Use this text as you teach vocabulary in context, using comprehension questions to help scholars make connections to outside...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Some Birthday! (Polacco)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Patricia Polacco weaves an engaging tale for budding readers in her book Some Birthday!, an excellent resource for vocabulary in context. You can use this text to introduce the following words: investigate, snarl, and squawk....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: Swimmy (Lionni)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Learn the importance of leadership as you explore vocabulary in context through Leo Lionni's book Swimmy, which can be found on YouTube in case you don't have it. This text includes some excellent vocabulary words for young readers,...
Writing
Curriculum Corner

Wonderful Words for Writing!

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
Twenty slides make up a set of festive, May-themed writing prompts designed to grab scholars' attention and warm-up their writing skills. Prompts include story starters, holidays, research questions, the five senses, and more! 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Fill-In: Nicki Minaj

For Students 7th - 9th
Nicki Minaj is a pop and fashion icon to today's youth. Here, they will read an article about her and what she wore to the MTV Music Awards. They read the article, then attempt to fill in the missing words from several of the paragraphs....
Worksheet
Curated OER

Fill-In : Corn Mazes

For Students 7th - 10th
Can you actually get lost in a corn maze? Kids read how one family was so lost that they called 911 for help. An interesting piece of informational text put out by the New York Times is here to entertain and educate. As they read the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Home Living / Daily Living: Safety Terms

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Being able to recognize safety signs in your environment is a great start to staying safe. Kids with severe to moderate disabilities work to recognize and identify safety terms and signs. They use flashcards and decreasing prompts to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dr. Seuss - Make Time for Rhymes

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Read the story Green Eggs and Ham to practice phonemic awareness, rhyming, and writing skills with emerging readers. They will match oral words to printed words, create a graphic organizer, and the use rhyming words in an...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Nonfiction Books: Table of Contents and Index

For Students 1st Standards
How do you find what you're looking for when reading a nonfiction book? Even first graders can learn how to use a table of contents and an index. They use the provided images of each to locate information and answer nine questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chicken Soup With Rice

For Teachers K - 1st
Complete a variety of activities related to the Maurice Sendak's book Chicken Soup With Rice. Readers identify the months of the year, identify words starting with the letter J, explore online illustrations created by Maurice Sendak, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pretending with Prefixes

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
The book Fortunately provides an excellent opportunity to discuss prefixes and suffixes as they appear in context. The class goes over a list of prefixes and suffixes with the teacher. They then write two sentences; the first...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Fill-In l Remembering Dick Clark

For Students 7th - 10th
Your scholars may have an idea of who Dick Clark is, but do they understand the role he has played in American history for over 50 years? Give learners some practice with media literacy as they read an article about Clark's life and fill...
Lesson Plan
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.4

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Your pupils will be expected to determine the meaning of words and how those words affect the meaning of a text. Help them master this skill with the ideas listed here. First, look over the two activities that could be used for your...