Curated OER
Short O and Digraph SH
First graders practice the short o and sh sound. In this phonics lesson, 1st graders listen to the stories Hot Pot: The Sound of Short O by Alice K. Flanagan and Shoes: The Sound of SH by Peg Ballard. They create word webs with examples...
Curated OER
A Picture's Worth 500-700 Words
Students write a narrative or short story of 500-700 words based on an assigned work of art.
Curated OER
Bambara's The Lesson
Twelfth graders read the short story The Lesson. They research the socio-economic and cultural context of the story and author. They examine the author's point of view. They analyze the first person narration in the story. They rewrite...
Curated OER
Convince that Jury (Inspired by Roald Dahl's
What happened to a murder case when the police eat the murder weapon? After reading Roald Dahl's dark and ironic short story "Lamb to the Slaughter," students write a persuasive essay to convince a jury that the wife who killed her...
ReadWriteThink
Teaching Point of View With Two Bad Ants
What better way to explain the concept of point of view than from an ant's perspective! After reading Two Bad Ants, pupils identify the point of view of the ants by studying the text and pictures. Then, they fill out a chart that...
Curated OER
Screen Play
High schoolers examine the New York Times review of the film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and explore the elements of scriptwriting. They read the article about the film adaptation screenplay and examine a sample...
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...
School Specialty
The Tortoise and the Hare - Drawing Conclusions/Predictions Outcomes
Does the fastest one always win the race? Look deeper into The Tortoise and the Hare with a set of discussion questions for before, during, and after reading the story.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Problem Solvers: English Language Development Lessons (Theme 4)
How can you teach a text to a group of readers who struggling with the language? The second in a set of three ESL lessons related to Theme 4: Problem Solvers engages English language learners by introducing vocabulary and grammar...
Curated OER
Inventions Group Creative Writing
For this writing worksheet, students write a short story in groups using inventions vocabulary. Students have 9 words to use and 25 minutes to write.
Curated OER
Adding Sound to a Story
Students read a short story about the rain forest. They listen to a recording of rain forest sounds and break into several smaller groups to create a soundtrack to the rainforest story.
Curated OER
Dual Existence
Read an excerpt from Sonia Mycak's short story A Dual Existence in a Seemingly Singular Country and consider the emotional and social implications of not being able to speak English in Australia. This would be a great lesson for EFL...
Curated OER
Elements of a Short Story
Young scholars analyze elements of a short story by working together. In this literature lesson plan, students analyze short stories. They use the TI Navigator Application to write their findings.
All for KIDZ
Giraffes Can’t Dance Concepts: Giraffes Can't Dance
Teach young children that with a little perseverance and the help of a good friend, anything is possible. This two-part lesson series based on the book Giraffe's Can't Dance starts with a shared reading about Gerald and his attempts to...
All About Reading
Pirate Dictionary
Shiver me timbers, this here resource is a great way to teach young landlubbers to speak the language of the briny deep. Including over 30 different words and phrases, complete with definitions and guide words, this dictionary will have...
National Park Service
A Natural Resource Called Peace
Get your pupils outside and teach them about peace at the same time! Scholars create a list describing peace, hike outside, add to that list, and later create poems. The exercises support differentiation for your individual classes as...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Edgar Allan Poe's Journey Through Life and Literature
How was Edgar Allan Poe able to create "intriguing, memorable, and lasting literature"? To answer this question, learners analyze the syntax, diction, and characterizations in Poe's poems and short stories and compare the impact of these...
Curated OER
Creative Ways To Teach Characterization Lessons
Teaching characterization can be a creative, engaging experience for students.
Curated OER
Picture It: Teaching Descriptive Writing
There are many fun and effective ways to teach students to write descriptively.
Curated OER
Show Me the Story
Students examine the elements of a story, read a review of Chris Rock's new sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris" and create original sitcom episodes based on their own lives.
Curated OER
Teaching Students to Support Their Opinions with Appropriate Details
Teaching students to support their opinions in the language arts classroom.
Curated OER
Story Element Lesson Ideas Keeps Learning Interesting
There are some fun and interesting ways to make sure that students understand story elements.
Teach-nology
The Skating Moose
What would you do if you saw an ice-skating moose? Kids read a short, entertaining passage and use a word bank to fill in the blanks using context clues.
Curated OER
Writing the Mystery with a Purpose
Students present the outline of the mystery story they are writing while working in reciprocal teaching groups. They respond to group members writing before they continue to finish revisions.