Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Those Tear-Me-Apart, Put-Me-Back-Together, Never-Be-the-Same-Again Blues

For Teachers K - 6th
Students discuss what it might be like to be the new person in a group, choose the correct words for an apology, learn a vivid instructional activity about how unking words can hurt others, and write a paragraph to explain what they...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Worksheet 4/7 on Verb Openers

For Students 3rd - 4th
For this recognizing verb openers worksheet, students match the beginning verb phrases with their sentence endings and write the complete sentences. Students write 12 answers.
Lesson Plan
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Oh, Let the Rain Fall Down

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explain the three phases of the water cycle in a narraive paragraph where they describe the journey of a single raindrop. They are introduced to five science vocabulary words and personfication.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Yummy Adjectives

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders recognize and brainstorm descriptive adjectives to use in their writing. They work in pairs to take a taste and touch test and record their adjectives used to describe the food and knick-knacks on handout. This is a great...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newsworthy Fairy Tales

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders review common fairy tales and work in teams to rewrite the fairy tales as news articles. They answer questions using the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why). Student articles include eye-catching headlines.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I'm Convinced!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine persuasive techniques used to sell products, and create and write an advertisement for peanut butter.
Lesson Plan
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Animal Poems

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students create their own acrostic poems. In this poetry lesson, students read poetry book to view examples of acrostic poems. Students then write an acrostic poem using their name.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brainstorming Time

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students brainstorm a list of possible topics for their essay. As a class, they review the characteristics of anecdotal writing and the form they take in newspapers or autobiographies. To end the lesson, they decide on their topic for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry for the Common Good

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students identify examples of philanthropy in poetry or song. In this philanthropy activity, students examine several poems such as Give by Carrie A. Thomas and identify concepts of philanthropy in the poem. Students construct their own...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lively Read of the Tale of Despereaux

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students create a character map of the main characters in The Tale of Despereaux. After reading the text, students create a character chart based on information they gleaned from the story. They use this information to write a letter...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Uncommon Heroes of Today

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students create a photo-biography of someone they consider a real life hero.  In this character sketch lesson, students define a hero and identify heroic characteristics in short stories.  Students use descriptive words to...
Lesson Plan
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Boston Spies' Report on the Redcoats

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students collect information about British actions in Boston and send it by secret message to leaders in Philadelphia.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sleuthing a Writer's Skills

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine the author's lively text to determine how she achieved her many literary effects. They discover the author's techniques in describing people and events, in setting tone, and in establishing pace. They reflect about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why the Whales Came

For Teachers 6th - 7th
In this Why the Whales Came worksheet, students answer questions about each chapter in the story for twelve chapters. Students answer five to ten questions about plot per chapter and complete a writing assignment for each chapter.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Animating Poetry: Reading Poems about the Natural World

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Learners complete poetry analysis activities. In this poetry analysis instructional activity, students consider the use of imagery and sound devices in poetry. Learners translate poetry into another art, read a diverse selection of...
Lesson Plan
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A Sense of Place

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars identify and describe one or two places significant to them using vivid language. They describe one of those important places in accurate, evocative language showing an original perspective.
Worksheet
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Verbs To Explain What People Or Things Are Doing

For Students 4th - 5th
In this verbs learning exercise, students analyze a detailed picture of 15 children who are playing in a tree. Students write a sentence with a vivid verb to describe what each child in the picture is doing.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry and PowerPoint

For Teachers 3rd
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Children's Playthings And Books

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students categorize studenT toys by intelligence types. They review toy safety and function and identify the appropriate play age of various toys. They read and evaluate studenT books and write one of their own.
Lesson Plan
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Descriptive Words

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Learners use descriptive words in writing. In this descriptive words lesson, students learn to show instead of tell. Learners enter into a discussion of adjectives and adverbs, then add descriptive words to sentences to make vivid word...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Menus

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students explore different styles of writing. In this writing lesson, students look at menus to get an idea of how many different types of writing there are. Students create their own menus and add border and clip art.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Narrative Literature Response Letters

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders write endings to a story that has already been written. They offer alternative endings in their version. The instructional activity includes a rubric that is to be given to the students in order that they know the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's A Blue, Blue Monday

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students create images that convey how the weather makes them feel. As a class, students discuss the way weather can effect their mood. After reading several passages describing the weather, students use vivid descriptions and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Heroes and Character Sketches

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars write a character sketch and present it in first person.  In this historical heroes and character sketches lesson, students "meet" Harriet Tubman (played by their teacher) and discuss her...