Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Strong Descriptive Writing: James and the Giant Peach

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Support your writers! Clear procedures and appropriate support make this a superb resource for elementary writing instruction. Ready your class to compose original descriptive paragraphs inspired by the episode in Roald Dahl's James and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

DESCRIPTIVE WORDS

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students examine descriptive language. In a worksheet activity, they practice writing a one-page description of an event, trying to use descriptive words. They also describe a noun, e.g. rabbit, using descriptive language.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Imagining China through Words

For Teachers 6th - 8th
When Europeans first came back with tales of China, they provided vivid written accounts and minimal visual imput. This resulted in art rendered mostly from descriptive language. Learners explore this phenomena by listening to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What’s in a Word?

For Teachers K - 5th
A black raku tea bowl inspires a lesson on descriptive writing and the power of choosing words carefully to become stronger writers. The class inspects several images of a Japanese tea bowl, and then they use their imaginations to think...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Responding Syllables: Reading and Music

For Teachers 1st - 2nd Standards
Shell Silverstein’s “Sick” provides an opportunity for kids to demonstrate their understanding of syllables and phonemes. The class creates a list of descriptive words used in the poem that have more than one syllable, and brainstorm how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Dinopals with WordArt

For Teachers 1st - 5th Standards
Elementary schoolers use the writing process steps to write a descriptive paragraph about a fictional dinosaur. Using a tech tool lesson, they create a graphic title for the paragraph. A nice blending of technology with "old-fashioned"...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Musical Mystery Words

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students study the letter names for the treble clef and create words using the letters that represent the lines and spaces on the staff.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create an Illuminated Alphabet Word Book

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students create a class alphabet book. In this letter recognition lesson, students use line and color to draw an object whose name begins with a specific letter. Students use adjectives to create a sentence describing the object or...
Lesson Plan
University of Chicago

Using Artifacts for Clues About Identity

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vibrant Animals: Using an Actor's Body for Character Attributes

For Teachers K
Students identify and portray specific character attributes through uprigth movement, creating a portrayal of an animal. They use vibrant, upright movement to convey the characteristics and temperament of specific animals. Finally,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Writing Like an Artist Paints Using "Chasing Vermeer"

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars use artistic words when writing about an object moving quickly past a character who is standing still. In this writing and art lesson plan, students read the passage Chasing Vermeer and base their writing off of it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Descriptive Writing Assessment

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore language arts by undergoing a writing assignment. In this descriptive writing instructional activity, 1st graders identify the skills necessary to write in depth about a subject which they must do based upon a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reaching for the Sky

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider features of skyscraper using descriptive words, reflect on notion of skyscraper as orientation point in a city, and explore New York Times Building in Manhattan by reading and discussing article, "Pride and Nostalgia...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Word Pairs

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders practice the trait of word choice and create a narrative writing with appropriate word choices. They work in pairs to write a story using as many word pairs from their imaginations as they can.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Adjectives - Describing Words

For Students 2nd - 3rd
For this adjectives worksheet, students review the definition and examples of adjectives. Students study the 4 pictures and then describe them with adjectives using their 5 senses.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Songs in the Foreign Language Classroom

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students focus on their required lessons in Spanish by integrating music and songs as they complete their assignments. They assess the vocabulary, grammar patterns and culture associated with music and various different songs. Each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Mad Lib Leigh!

For Teachers K - 5th
A fun and quirky painting is analyzed for details in an art/literacy lesson plan. Youngsters look for colors, shadows, and details and then describe them using vivid language. They use the words from discussion to complete a fun Mad...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Harry Hears!

For Teachers K
Students explore ear anatomy and the sense of hearing. In this hearing lesson, students discuss the five senses and view a model of an ear. Students place cotton balls in their ears to simulate loss of hearing. Students use descriptive...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dream Bed

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners design and write descriptions of imaginary beds. In this interior design lesson, students use various art materials such as paint, fabric, boxes, and string to create a model of a bed. Learners use descriptive words to write a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Creative Presentation

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Bring writing to life with this lesson in which elementary and middle schoolers create a display of the imagery they identify in a series of Gary Paulsen books. They read the suggested materials, identify imagery and descriptive...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picture This

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Give your littlest learners the opportunity to learn how to discuss, observe, and visualize. First, they determine if the image they are looking at is a photograph or a painting. Then they work together to brainstorm words that describe...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Critical Listening: Music Vocabulary

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The school band or orchestra analyzes their own performance after exploring musical terminology. They listen to a classical piece and describe it using only words. They look up musical terminology and then use those words to compare and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Reflections in Songwriting and Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Learners analyze, discuss and compare sources of inspiration, use of words and imagery, and other differences in writing styles between two featured songwriters. This is an introductory instructional activity to a creative project unit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Strong Verb Image Makers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students use description language to clarify ideas and create vivid images in an essay focusing of strong verbs. They discuss weak verbs and explore that the better image the words create, the better the reader understands the text.