National Humanities Center
Teaching Emily Dickinson: A Common Core Close Reading Seminar
Three of Emily Dickinson's poems, "I like to see it," "Because I could not stop for Death," and "We grow accustomed to the Dark," provide instructors with an opportunity to model for class members how to use close reading strategies to...
Curated OER
Preposition Man
Students practice using prepositions by writing on the tracing of a human. In this parts of speech lesson, students create a giant poster using the tracing of a classmate's body and fill in the outline using prepositions in places where...
Scholastic
Noun Hunt
Put your pupils on the search for those sometimes elusive nouns. Learners answer clues to build a list of nouns that they then find in the word search.
West Virginia Department of Education
The Debate - John Brown: Martyr or Madman?
Did he die for a cause, or was he crazy? Although the resource discusses John Brown and West Virginia history, many historical figures have the same reputation. Teach learners about different perspectives and highlight the importance of...
Curated OER
Just One Is Right! (Common Idioms)
In this idioms worksheet, students examine 7 pictures and read the first half of sentences about them. students read the 4 choices of common idioms and select the one that best completes the sentence. Example: Before exams students (burn...
Curated OER
ESL Picture/Idiom Matching Worksheet
In this ESL picture to idiom matching worksheet, students examine 7 small clip art images before matching them to the idioms they best represent. They work with idioms such as "blood is thicker than water," and "as you make your bed, so...
Curated OER
J'ai mal à la tête! (I have a headache!) -- Health Expressions in French
Oh, no! Everyone is getting sick! Young French speakers use French expressions regarding physical health, some of which are idioms. With the use of health expressions provided in the lesson plan, pairs work together to write stories that...
Curated OER
Denial on Trial
What is the "Faurisson Affair”? What is “Holocaust Revisionism”? What does freedom of speech entail? Do revisionists have a right to voice their ideas? Such questions are at the heart of a richly detailed, thought provoking lesson...
Curated OER
Peer Editing Worksheets
What kind of writing did your class just complete? Narrative writing? Process writing? Compare and contrast writing? Print this packet; there are 10 different peer-editing worksheets included here for a variety of writing. Teach your...
Curated OER
Poetry and PowerPoint
Third graders read and discuss the poem, "April Rain Song" by Langston Hughes. After brainstorming examples of vivid verbs, figures of speech, language patterns, and imagery used in the poem, 3rd graders write a poem on a topic of...
New York State Education Department
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 4
Why is it important to use precise language? Participants explore this question in the fourth activity in a series of 15 on effective instruction. Perfect for all content areas, the activity promotes appropriate language choice through...
Curated OER
Charles Darwin Meets John Paul II
If you teach AP English language and composition and are looking for a way to address the differences between written and spoken arguments, consider this instructional activity. Over the course of three days, class members research...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.2
What are diverse media formats? Have your class figure this out on their own through small-group brainstorming. The resource includes two related activities about different kinds of data that will help your class get a grasp of media...
Curated OER
Words In The News
A complete resource from BBC World Service provides informational text for English or ESL classes to teach vocabulary, grammar, and reading skills. Learners participate in small group work, whole class discussions, and role-plays to...
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
Live and Learn and Pass It On
What are some of life's most tried-and-true lessons? Pupils listen to examples from the book Live and Learn and Pass It On by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. They write down their own life lessons to later compile in a class booklet. As a bonus...
Curriculum Corner
7th Grade ELA Common Core Checklists
Track your class's progress on all of the ELA Common Core standards with these handy charts. Along the left side, each seventh grade identifier is listed along with the full text of the standard. As you teach, reteach, assess, and...
Curated OER
Postcards in Time
Students write and send postcards to and from famous historical figures.
Curated OER
Idioms
In this writing with idioms instructional activity, students read 10 sentences and explain what the idiom (in bold) in each sentence means in their own words.
Curated OER
The World of Idioms (1)
In this idioms online worksheet, students use drop down menus add the correct word to 10 idioms. They submit their answers using the "Done" button.
Curated OER
Country Sayings Exercise
In this idioms worksheet, students read 12 country expressions or colloquial expressions and then match each with its correct meaning, Students then write down 3 colloquial expressions or idioms from their language and record the meanings.
Curated OER
Ageless Idioms
Students translate and define idioms between English and Spanish. For this ageless idioms lesson, students discuss elements of expression and how a language's vernacular does not always make sense. Students illustrate a variety of...
Curated OER
Idioms Quiz: Mixed 7
In this online/interactive idiom usage worksheet, students read idiom phrases and sentences using them and then choose the phrases that best explain the idioms. Students choose 10 multiple choice answers and click the "Click for answer"...
Curated OER
Railroad Idioms Art Lesson Plan
Sixth graders research railroad idioms. In this idiom lesson plan, 6th graders read through a glossary of different railroad idioms and their meanings. They illustrate a chosen idiom.
Curated OER
Original Line or Familiar Find?
Students examine a primary source document from 1684 that includes many of the same lines found in Romeo's speech to Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Students compare the texts and discuss authorship during the sixteenth and...