Novelinks
The View From Saturday: Concept/Vocabulary Analysis
Design your unit on The View From Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg with a concept and vocabulary analysis resource. It outlines the plot, literary elements, vocabulary issues, and any possible considerations for planning a differentiated...
Smithsonian Institution
The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
Penguin Books
The Curriculum Guide for The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer
The death of a parent can turn a child's world upside down. A curriculum guide for The Secret Hum of a Daisy explores defining moments in the main character's life, including the loss of her mother. Chapter-by-chapter discussion...
National Arts Centre
Stage-Space Awareness
Introduce scenic designers to stage-space awareness with three fun activities that demonstrate how placement on the nine stage areas convey emphasis and clarify relationships.
University of Pennsylvania
Decoding Propaganda: J’Accuse…! vs. J’Accuse…!
Reading snail mail is a great way to go back into history and to understand others' points of view. The resource, the second in a five-part unit, covers the Dreyfus Affair. Scholars, working in two different groups, read one letter and...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Plant Phenology Data Analysis
Scientists monitor seasonal changes in plants to better understand their responses to climate change, in turn allowing them to make predictions regarding the future. The last activity in the series of six has scholars analyze BudBurst...
Curated OER
Chinese Zodiac
Fifth graders identify the basic elements of a narrative story, such as the beginning, middle, and the end; to analyze the character traits in the story to write a summary using the 5 Ws and How chart included; through sample stories...
Curated OER
The Little Hungry Caterpillar
Students discuss "The Little Hungry Caterpillar." In this reading comprehension lesson plan, students make sock caterpillars used in retelling the story so as sequence the events accurately.
Curated OER
In a Nutshell....
Pupils examine how to summarize the most important details in a reading passage in order to increase their comprehension. They design a story web using the summarization skills. Before class, they complete a reading assignment prior to...
Curated OER
Fictional Narrative Writing in Mathematics
Fifth graders discuss variety of fictional writing genres and connect each to familiar story that has been read, use creative and analytical skills to develop original piece of fictional writing that incorporates math skill, and share...
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling
Students write a personal narrative and convert the story into digital format. In this digital storytelling lesson, students write a personal narrative, record the story, create images for the story, add animations or transitions, and...
Curated OER
Comprehension
Fifth graders take part in a panel discussion. In this character lesson students show their understanding of the connection between events in a story and the development of characters. Students provide evidence from the story to support...
Curated OER
Caribbean Islands
Second graders discover the characteristics of the Caribbean Islands. After being read a story, they use maps to locate the locations mentioned. They recall the sequence of events in the story and identify the cultural traits and...
Curated OER
Comparing and Contrasting Literature Using Venn Diagrams
First graders create a venn diagram with two folktales. In this folktale lesson, 1st graders read Cinderella and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe. They find the similarities and differences and chart these on a venn...
Curated OER
Arthur's Birthday
Students investigate birthdays. In this literacy cross curriculum lesson, students listen to the book Arthur's Birthday by Marc Brown. Students re-read the book orally, graph birthdays, design a word search, and create...
Curated OER
Johnny Tremain
Students study the Revolutionary War. In this colonial America instructional activity, students read Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. Students discuss chapter 1 as they respond to the provided discussion questions.
Curated OER
Nature’s Fury—Myths and Drama
Fifth graders explore the elements of theatre. For this dramatic performances lesson, 5th graders discuss the structural elements of theatre and dramatize "The Origins of the Season," an explanation myth.
Curated OER
The Big Buck Adventure: Part 2
Students go on a pretend shopping spree. In this money instructional activity, students complete a Shopping Spree activity sheet where they pretend they have won $100 and can spend it on a fake shopping spree. Students use...
Curated OER
Literature Study Contracts
Students complete activities with a leveled chapter book. In this literature lesson, students read a novel and complete several graphic organizers and activities as they read. They focus on characters, settings, vocabulary, and plot.
Curated OER
Wars and Conflicts
Students explore the concepts of war and conflict. For this research skills lesson, students use Internet and print sources to research the causes, effects, main events, and significant figures of selected wars.
Curated OER
Exploring Explorers
Young scholars research a selected explorer and teach their small group about their explorer during a jigsaw activity. Independently they write a letter as if they were on a voyage with their explorer, and create a world map that...
Curated OER
Happy Endings: The Final Battle
Fifth graders explore all the myths of the battle of Yorktown. A variety of primary documents are viewed and analyzed for discussion. They become aware that what one sees and hears is not always as it seems in reality. Each group...
Curated OER
Literature: Mapping the Mockingbird
Students read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, focusing on setting. They list items that create mental images of the novel's setting along with location references to characters and events. Using posterboard, they construct physical...
Curated OER
Lesson 1-I Live in a Community
Second graders brainstorm the concept of a community and all the elements involved in the make up of one. They pull from the resources on the community that they already live in or have lived in. In addition, they share their reflections...