Curated OER
Summarizing with Somebody Wanted But So
Teach your young readers how to summarize a text using a strategy called Somebody Wanted But So. Kids identify the character (Somebody), the motivation (Wanted), the conflict (But), and the resolution (So). The resource comes with...
West Virginia Department of Education
Harpers Ferry Letters
Scholars write letters as if they were someone who heard the story of John Brown's raid. The resource, a standalone, covers information from primary sources that is important to West Virginian history: the Harpers Ferry Letters.
Student Handouts
Process Steps
A straightforward graphic organizer is a great way to outline steps for any subject. Kids fill out 10 steps to describe a process or brainstorm writing, with small arrows indicating that one step leads to the next.
Curated OER
“THE LORAX” by Dr. Seuss
Few children's books convey the message of conservation as well as Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. Read the story aloud, emphasizing the interconnectedness of plants and animals in an ecosystem and discussing different ways people can help...
Curated OER
Text Structure Booklet
Middle schoolers work on comparing and contrasting different text structures with this project. First, they study an example of a sample page in a booklet, which they go on to use as a model. They complete a booklet with text structure,...
Curated OER
The Common Core Literacy Standards - Grade 3 Posters
Brighten your third grade classroom with this series of colorful Common Core displays. Including all of the English Language Arts standards and substandards, each with supporting illustrations and examples, this resource provides clear...
Curated OER
The Ultimate Survivor Using Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
What items would you need to survive if you were stranded in a remote place? Using chapter 10 of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, middle-schoolers work through a Six Trait writing activity to create a story about their own survival in a similar...
Curated OER
Amos and Boris: Text Study
Twenty insightful questions follow a read aloud of the story, Amos and Boris by William Steig. Scholars then show what they know through completion of a cause and effect chart, reading fluency assessment, and a written...
Mississippi Whole School Initiative
Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Curated OER
The Big Sneeze
Students participate in a variety of shared reading and writing activities related to the book "The Big Sneeze" by Ruth Brown. They develop a list of farm vocabulary, sequence the events of the story on a graphic organizer, act out...
Curated OER
Is There Room on the Bus?
Students explore beginning, middle, and end by listening to a story and completing a worksheet. They retell the story referring to the sequencing of events.
Curated OER
Making Predictions
Seventh graders read stories, stopping periodically to make predictions. They discuss how the sequence of events, as well as cause and effect, can give hints to the outcome of the story. In addition, 7th graders use logic and...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr. Team Activity
Students sequence the events of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life, after first being read a biography. The facts are on strips of paper, which are later glued end to end.
Curated OER
Writing an Autobiography
Students identify life goals as they write an autobiography. They write a strong introduction for their autobiography. Students write a sequences of events using their Life Map as a graphic organizer. They write facts accurately...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Tell Me A Story
Students listen to the story Mrs. Wishy Washy and practice retelling the story. In this tell me a story lesson, students become familiar with all of the characters in the story, then use character pieces to retell the story. Students...
Curated OER
Some Days Are Like That!
Second graders engage in an activity of reading a story and have a discussion about the story to measure comprehension. The use of a graphic organizer helps student retention because it is brain compatible for students.
Curated OER
Heroes of the Civil War Era
Students complete a unit of lessons about the heroes of the Civil War Era. In this Civil War lesson, students complete a 13 lesson unit about the Civil War and its heroes.
Curated OER
The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Understanding Primary Sources
Students analyze Russell Lee's photo essay as a sign of segregation in Texas. They consider the differences between primary and secondary sources and how historians use these sources.
Curated OER
Technologies of the Civil War
Fifth graders discover new and interesting technologies of the Civil War. In this Civil War portfolio of lessons, 5th graders analyze primary resources, develop new vocabulary, investigate websites, and create a time line of new...
Curated OER
SEQUENCING A STORY WITH PICTURES: TEXT AND TALK
Third graders create a graphic organizer. They draw illustrations that show the beginning, middle and end of a trip they took to visit a friend or a relative. They write age-appropriate text to accompany each drawing. They tell...
Curated OER
"Chicken Soup with Rice" Activity Card Worksheet
In this months of the year activity worksheet, students cut out picture cards associated with the story, "Chicken Soup with Rice." They glue the cards into a table that is labeled with the months of the year. They re-read the story to...
Curated OER
Using Story Structure to Enhance Comprehension
In these story structure worksheets, students review story structure and learn how to use story maps to help with their reading comprehension. Students review an example story map and then study three different graphic organizer versions...
Curated OER
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
First graders, after reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar, place the story in its correct order of sequence. They place any set of events (situation) in their correct order.
Curated OER
Planning and Drafting a Personal Narrative
Bring your learners together to write a class narrative about the first day of school. Start off by teaching them about sequence with a quick oral activity. Then, work together to fill out a story map. Finally, compose the class...