Curated OER
English Literature Circle Discussion
Young scholars participate in literary circles to analyze characters, critique writing, discuss events, and story elements. In this literary circles lesson, students take responsibility for their learning as a member of the...
Curated OER
Connecting Literature, Writing and Music
Students assess the impact of music to portray emotions and tell stories. Examples are taken from the life of Rosa Parks and a piece of band music called "A Movement for Rosa". Evaluation is accomplished through in-class participation...
Curated OER
Equadorian Rainforest: The Tropical Supermarket
Students study the concept of sustainable agricultural practices through cocoa farming and the lives of the people who are the producers. Students watch a slide show and read a story which helps them understand the origins of chocolate,...
Curated OER
Hope In The Hard Times - A Unit on the Great Depression
Young scholars examine the Great Depression through the analysis of the novel, 'Bud, Not Buddy.' They analyze photos from the National Archives website, complete a character analysis, and conduct research and summarize a topic from the...
Curated OER
Folk and Family Heroes and Heroines
Students define and assess the difference between folk heroes and family heroes and then find examples of each in their own lives. They view a "Swapping Stories" video, surf the internet for examples and complete a variety of worksheets...
Curated OER
What price Freedom! Civil War and Reconstruction
Fifth graders become familiar with the events of Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. In this reconstruction lesson plan, 5th graders work in pairs where each student creates a building with blocks and draws it....
Curated OER
Reasons to Settle in America
Students complete a research project. In this American History lesson plan, students work in groups to research reasons that people wanted to settle in America. Students record the information, share what they found and write...
Newseum
Evidence: Do the Facts Hold Up?
Sometimes it's hard to escape bad information! Pupils learn the E.S.C.A.P.E. method for evaluating news sources and complete a worksheet to assess a news article using their new skills.
Roald Dahl
The Twits - The Twits Get the Shrinks
Turn readers into investigative journalists. The 11th and final lesson that accompanies The Twits by Roald Dahl asks the question "What happened to Mr. and Mrs. Twit?" The lesson uses mind maps and group discussion to help answer...
National History Day
Leland Linman’s War: A Look at Soldiers’ Daily Lives in World War I
Hunkering down in the trenches of World War I, Leland Linman decided to write a journal about his experiences. By reading Linman's entries in the fourth installment of an eight-part lesson series, scholars get a firsthand look at life in...
Reed Novel Studies
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy: Novel Study
What do wizards smell like? A novel study for Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy walks readers through chapter one to help them answer the question. Scholars also practice vocabulary from the chapter and invent original similes.
Curated OER
Outline of a Legend/Folk Tale
Students create outlines of folk tales and legends. They read a folk tale or legend in the target language. They complete an outline of the key events of the story including the main characters, plot, story elements and theme or moral.
Curated OER
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears
Second graders study folktales and their characteristics. After brainstorming what they know about Africa, 2nd graders read a book about mosquitoes. In groups, students develop a graphic organizer about the characteristics of the...
Curated OER
News Magazine: Special Issue on Iran. (It's about Perspective)
Pupils take on the role of journalists. In this Iran lesson, students explore the condition of the country at this point in history and collaborate to create a news magazine that features current events and cultural issues pertaining to...
Curated OER
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: A Sequencing Lesson
Students listen to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and summarize to story to demonstrate comprehension. They review the days of the week and create their own book.
Curated OER
Animal Diaries
Young scholars read Diary of a Worm by Foreen Cronin. In this journal writing lesson, students research an animal and write a diary by their animal. Young scholars apply the research they've completed in their writings. Students share...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Stories? Information? What's the Difference?
Students listen to a power point presentation to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction text. In this what's the difference lesson plan, students identify fact from opinion within a text. Students listen critically and respond to text.
Curated OER
Reviewing Literary Elements
Learners identify the elements of fiction, and work on compare and contrast skills.. In this comprehension lesson plan, students read different versions of Cinderella. Learners use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the literary...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Using Literary Elements to Compare Fiction Texts
Students explore language arts by reading and reflecting on literary examples. In this fiction writing lesson, students read several different cultural versions of the story "Cinderella" and discuss their interaction with the story and...
Curated OER
Establishing a Point of View in Narratives
Fourth graders investigate the concept and take the opportunity to both identify and to construct point of view in narratives. Additionally, 4th graders practice identifying and sequencing main events.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Analyzing Literary Elements in Literary Nonfiction
Fourth graders identify the literary elements of a nonfiction text. In this literary elements lesson plan, 4th graders read the text Piano Starts Here--The Young Art Tatum and fill in a chart that includes the events from the book....
Curated OER
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Students comprehend written text by teaching them how to think about the events in a story as they read. They make storyboards of their own. They need to make sure they put the events on the storyboard in the proper order.
Curated OER
Robert Smalls: Warrior and Peacemaker
Students research the events that led to the Civil War and the Reconstruction. In this Civil War history lesson, students study images of Robert Smalls and research his role in the Civil War. Students review the South Carolina...
Curated OER
The Three Little Pigs
Students listen two versions of the story of The Three Little Pigs in order to clarify the concept of point of view. They complete a Venn diagram and write a postcard to one of the book's characters using their point of view.