ReadWriteThink
Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Narrative Structure
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a comic strip combines both images and words for the ultimate narrative effect. After reading The Three Little Pigs and deciphering the plot elements, elementary readers work through four...
Curated OER
Fun With Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Learners read the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and listen to the musical tape. Then they make their own coconut trees, adding their own letters. They express and record their favorite parts. All are displayed on a bulletin board.
Curated OER
Character Traits
Using a three-column chart labeled "Character," "Action," and "Trait," pupils analyze the traits of several characters from a short story. The lesson is designed for a SMART board, but a teacher could easily do the lesson without the...
Curated OER
Folk Tales for ESL Students
Using the folk tale "The Man, The Boy, and The Donkey" (linked in the lesson) and a SMART board, teachers can help pupils access multiple skills. Reading the story allows learners to create a timeline of the sequence of events based on...
Curated OER
Character Traits
Sixth graders explore details from a story to develop ideas and opinions about character traits. Using a Smart Board, 6th graders create a chart explaining the character's action and traits. In groups, students discuss and describe...
Curated OER
Friendship
Gather your first graders and read Franklin's New Friend. First, show the book's cover and title. What can your youngsters infer from these along? Then read through the comprehension questions you created and start reading the...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: I Hate To Be Sick
Engaged in a read aloud, kids use the story to define new vocabulary words, raising their hands when they hear new words in the story. Additionally, individuals refer to the text to show how the word was used in context....
Curated OER
Goldilocks and the Coordinate Grids
Where this lesson idea is lacking in materials, it makes up for with creativity! Using "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" as the background, mathematicians plot points on a coordinate grid to create props for the story. The polygons all...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Peter's Chair (Keats)
A new baby means a lot of changes for Peter! Ezra Jack Keats presents this common childhood experience in his story Peter's Chair, the context of a detailed vocabulary study. Before you read, introduce the three new words scholars...
Curated OER
Ivan the Fool: Lesson 3
Learners read and analyze the Eastern European folktale of 'Ivan the Fool.' They discuss the term 'quest,' identify quests in their own lives, and in small groups design a board game that illustrates the czar's quest to find good wives...
Curated OER
Compare and Contrast: Literary Analysis
Seventh graders are able to use active listening skills, take notes and identify literary elements of a short story. They use/create graphic organizer, compare/contrast literary elements from various stories and compare and contrast traits.
Curated OER
Modeling Integer Multiplication
Pupils multiply positive and negative integers. They represent word expressions with both positive and negative integers and then multiply them. They also create multiplication problems to solve as a class. They create a rhyme, a story,...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: A Taste of Honey (Wallace)
A Taste of Honey offers 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. Pre-teach the words and have...
Curated OER
Gingerbread Baby's Point of View #8
Read the story Gingerbread Baby and use these various activities to connect to grammar, art, and point of view. In one activity, learners create character masks. They practice writing verbs on the back of the masks to tell what each...
Curated OER
Aboriginal-Style "Bark" Painting
Aboriginal art is full of symbolism, nature, and original style. Kids use natural symbols, paint, sticks, and cardboard to create a piece inspired by traditional Aboriginal bark painting. Tip: This resource is lacking examples and back...
Curated OER
Fact V. Opinion
Students use statements out of newpapers to distinguish between facts and opinions. They discuss these differences as well.
Curated OER
The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
Second graders use literature journals and discussion groups to summarize and improve their reading comprehension. In this reading skills lesson, 2nd graders discuss animals they've loved and read the story The Girl Who Loved Wild...
Curated OER
Elementary Economics:Making Smart Choices
Pupils understand what good and bad choices are in regards to money and review and reinforce the value of each coin. They identify parts of a story as well as the sequencing. They then create their own sequence of events in words and/or...
Curated OER
Prequel to Antigone
Trying to find a way to begin your Antigone unit? Use this lesson to introduce your class to the background of Oedipus and Antigone, as well as the historical context. They view a PowerPoint presentation about Oedipus and the story...
Curated OER
Amelia the Pigeon: Lesson 1
Pupils listen to the story, Amelia the Pigeon, predicting Amelia's story and creating their own stories of Amelia's flight using pictures of New York City. They build views of their neighborhood by pulling together drawings from the class.
Curated OER
Flat Stanley Travels to U.S. Regions
Fourth Graders read the book Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. In the story a bulletin board flattens the main character. He is then sent in an envelope to a friend in California. During a fantasy genre language arts unit, groups of students...
Curated OER
Yo! Conventions!
Learners get in groups, take a list of words, put them into story form, and punctuate them. They present their story to the class and consider how punctuation changes meaning. Great excercise.
Curated OER
Subtracting With the Hundreds Place And Regrouping
Learners solve math problems involving subtracting with regrouping. They practice the steps for subtracting in the hundreds place with regrouping, through teacher guided practice. Independently, pupils complete story problems involving...
Curated OER
Tolerance: Words that Hurt/Words that Heal
Students "role-play" the part of a person who says unkind things and are photographed while doing so. They then act out a story about making friends. They practice saying kind things and are photographed. Word bubbles are added...