PBS
A Veterans Day Thank You Note
This Veterans Day inspire scholars to say thank you to a veteran. Here, learners discover key details about a specific war using an interactive timeline, and then write a thank you letter offering their gratitude to someone who risked...
Curated OER
Writing to Make a Point
Begin your persuasive writing with a helpful exercise on making points. With a list of ten points on transportation in a city, third graders map a logical order to their argument. They then write one or two paragraphs about the points...
Center for History and New Media
A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction, 1865-1877
The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...
Shoop English
Literature Terms Activity
Designed to be used with an independent reading book, this activity provides practice with identifying and explaining literary terms. While they read, individuals find instances of literary devices and elements in use in their books....
EngageNY
Summarizing Notes: Planning a Graphic Novelette Part 1: The Invention of Television
What's the story? Learners create the first of four storyboards about the invention of the television, incorporating narrative techniques and descriptive details. Next, they offer and receive feedback by participating in a peer critique...
New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park
What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...
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
Civil War Essay
Upper graders explore equality by writing an essay. They read the story Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco, and discuss the meaning of the story and its relevance to Civil War events. Learners investigate the five writing process steps and...
Curated OER
Writing A Storybook
Students create a storybook using vocabulary from the topic "urban and rural life". They write about past events in a children's story. They present their story to the class at an author's tea.
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment, Part 1: Text-Dependent Questions and Storyboard Draft: “You Can Do a Graphic Novel” Excerpt
Eyes on the finish line. Serving as the first part of the end of unit assessment, learners answer questions based on a text about how to write a graphic novel. Using what they've learned, they then create a storyboard about the invention...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
8th Grade Poetry: Narrative Poem
The first lesson of a five-lesson unit designed for eighth graders has class members reading and watching a video of Edgar Allen Poe's narrative poem, "The Raven." They then craft their narrative poem, illustrate it, and share their work...
Curated OER
Take the Last Train to Clarksville: Arkansas's Historic Depots and Railroad History
Young scholars study the history of railroads and depots in Arkansas using websites and memoirs. They complete activities that explain how and why the railroads were built, and the different ways people used them.
Curated OER
Reviewing Literary Elements
Students identify the elements of fiction, and work on compare and contrast skills.. In this comprehension lesson, students read different versions of Cinderella. Students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the literary elements...
Curated OER
Rhyme Time
Students listen to a variety of stories and identify rhyming words. They sequence events in the story and generate rhymes of their own. They sort words by rhyming families and write rhymes of their own.
Curated OER
How can we write a silly story?
Second graders use the writing process and create a silly story.  In this silly story lesson plan, 2nd graders will review person, event and setting and complete a chart for each.  Students will put a person, event and...
Curated OER
To War Or Not To War?
Seventh graders research the political, societal, and economic factors of World War I, World War II, and the 2001 war against terrorism.  They participate in class discussions, write journal entries, and conduct Internet research. ...
Curated OER
Isn't It Romantic?
Sixth graders investigate the ideas, literature, music, and art of the Romantic Movement. They apply romantic ideals to their original writing and art, analyze poetry, discuss key vocabulary, and analyze artwork from this era.
Curated OER
Get to Know Your Bill of Rights
Sixth graders research and examine the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America.  They sequence events significant to this time period, read and discuss text, and in small groups prepare and present the...
Curated OER
Yo-ho, Yo-ho a Viking's Life for Me
Students complete a unit of lessons on the Vikings. They analyze maps, read and discuss myths, summarize the main ideas from resource materials, watch videos, sing a song, draw a picture to illustrate Norse mythology, and define key...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Personal Chronology
Fourth graders draw ten significant events from their lives on index cards, shuffle them, and trade sets with other students.  Their classmates try to place them in chronological order.  Next, 4th graders tape their index cards next to...
Curated OER
Picture This!
First graders watch the teacher model how to draw pictures and write words in a First, Next, Then, Last - 4 block graphic organizer. They write and draw in their own 4 block papers.
Curated OER
Eensy Weensy Spider Lesson Plan
Students create their own versions of The Eensy-Weensy Spider.  In this creative writing lesson plan, students read The Eensy-Weensy Spider and imagine what else the spider could do.  Students then draw a picture depicting the spider...
Curated OER
Evaluate the Main Characters? Problem-Solving Processes
High schoolers read passages from several sources and evaluate the text for various criteria. In this problem solving lesson, students evaluate character problem solving processes after reading passages. They will use a Venn Diagram to...
Curated OER
The Little Hungry Caterpillar
Students discuss "The Little Hungry Caterpillar." In this reading comprehension lesson, students make sock caterpillars used in retelling the story so as sequence the events accurately.