Energy for Keeps
The Energy Times
Extra! Extra! Read all about past and present energy use in a classroom-made historical newspaper. Useful as a cross-curricular assignment between science, history, and language arts, the project is sure to get young journalists...
Curated OER
Potter Book Review
Students describe the plot of the latest Harry Potter novel and comment on the highlights and weak points. They then evaluate the novel and understand the layout of a book review.
Curated OER
Read 'n' Give -- Planning Our Book Drive
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students design and implement a book drive to benefit their community.
Curated OER
Book Club Discussion: Things Fall Apart
Learners read and discuss Chinua Achebe's novel Things Fall Apart. Students are guided to analyze the text through consideration of the author's use of 6 literary devices. Learners also evaluate the text according to their personal...
Curated OER
Animals of the Arctic
Sixth graders research an Arctic animal. They survey the questions in the Animal Report in order to conduct their research. They investigate their chosen animal by using the Internet, library books and reference books.
Curated OER
Very Hungry Caterpillar
Students explore the life cycle of a butterfly. For this life cycle lesson, students read the book the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Students use this book throughout the year to create a year round bulletin board showing the stages of the...
Aquarium of the Pacific
Lego Molecules
Young scientists construct an understanding of molecular compounds in this hands-on science lesson. Using LEGO® to model the atoms of different elements, young scholars build molecules based on the chemical formulas of common compounds.
Curated OER
Abercrombie & Fitch Catalogue: Is it Pornographic?
Students research the legal definition of pornography from a law textbook, reference books available in class or online. Students view the Abercrombie and Fitch home page. A selection of resources related to this topic is linked....
Novelinks
Sense and Sensibility: Anticipation Guide Reading Strategy
Begin your discussion about Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility before you even open the book. Kids fill in a worksheet that lists five statements about the literary themes of the novel, and then discuss their opinions as a group. Once...
Curated OER
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Questioning Strategy
Asking questions about the text is a great way for kids to become self-sufficient readers. Use the question-and-response strategy (QAR) to get them thinking about John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. After they read select...
ReadWriteThink
Alliteration in Headline Poems
Poetry is everywhere you look! Create found poems using headlines from newspapers and magazines. Young poetry focus on creating alliterative phrases with words they find in headlines, tying their poems to a central theme.
Curated OER
Which reference book helps most?
Fourth graders utilize various reference materials to find specific types of information. In this library research activity, 4th graders choose the best source of information from the library's reference collection to answer questions.
Curated OER
Food Webs in the Barnegat Bay
Young scholars investigate the food webs in the Barnegat Bay. In this organisms lesson, students use a graphic organizer to illustrate the types of consumers in the bay. Young scholars use reference books to continue to research the...
Curated OER
Not Just Books
Students consider uses of a library and explore the collections at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City, and create proposals for exhibits of various artifacts.
Curated OER
Using The Anatomy and Physiology Place
In this health worksheet, students register for the use of a website that accompanies a textbook for the class of Anatomy and Physiology.
Curated OER
Using Personal Pronouns Correctly
Complete personal pronoun practice activities. Pupils use correct personal pronoun form in sentences the teacher writes on the board. They review the function of a pronoun and the various cases and practice placing personal pronouns by...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
From Ben’s Pen to Our Lives
What would Ben do? Jumping off from the pseudonymous letters Ben Franklin fooled his older brother into publishing when he was still a teenager, young literary lovers dive into acting, writing, and addressing a local issue with wit and...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Amigo (Baylor)
Amigo by Byrd Baylor gives learners a chance to practice with unknown words and context clues. Choose several vocabulary words to focus on as you read the picture book, or use the ones provided here (the book is in English despite the...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner (Schwartz)
Give beginning readers a chance to practice with unknown words and context clues using the pictuer book Annabelle Swift, Kindergartner. Choose several vocabulary words to focus on as you read the picture book, or use the ones provided...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Clap Your Hands (Cauley)
Lorinda Cauley's book Clap Your Hands is a fun way to expand budding readers' vocabulary in context (although you could use any book for this strategy). To prepare kids, introduce the following terms before reading: dare, flap, frown,...
EngageNY
Introducing the Narrative Arc: The Last Day of Slavery
Fix your mistakes. Scholars look over their end-of-unit assessments while the teacher focuses on common mistakes made among the class. Learners then make predictions about their next text, Frederick Douglass: The Last Day of Slavery, by...
Curated OER
India and Pakistan: Rivals from Birth
Seventh graders, after being divided into two groups, are assigned either Pakistan or India. They conduct research using the Internet, reference books, and magazines. The class compares and contrasts the two countries to find sources of...
Virginia Department of Education
Identifying the Main Idea in Fiction
Discovering the main idea in fiction is like uncovering buried treasure; one must persevere to locate it, and the reward is priceless. Scholars delve deep into leveled stories using three questions to aid in identifying the main idea.
EngageNY
Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research Task: Comparing and Contrasting Texts
It's the half-way mark! Pupils demonstrate understanding of unit standards by completing a mid-unit assessment. After reading an informational article about water management strategies, scholars complete a graphic organizer to identify...