National Endowment for the Humanities
Practical Criticism
As an introduction to literary criticism, class members recreate I.A. Richards' close reading experiment. Individuals select a poem, paraphrase the story, focus on the imagery used, consider what the imagery adds to the tale, and...
Moorea Coral Reef Long-Term Ecological Research Program
Paper Plate Fishes
Tropical fish make great art projects! Use paper plates to design, color, and assemble round and oval-shaped fish based on photographs of actual fish found along the Moorea Coral Reef. Kids learn about different fins- including the...
Nebraska Department of Education
Curriculum For Careers
Learners explore potential learning, earning, and living goals that align with their personal goals and interests in a comprehensive unit that includes complete lesson plans, interactive notebooks, worksheets, overheads, rubrics,...
Curated OER
Unlikely Diary keepers Using Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin
Put your class in the shoes of someone - or something - else with this lesson, which encourages writers to keep a diary from the perspective of a living creature or an abstraction. Use Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm and the Six Trait...
Curated OER
Moby Dick Puppetry
Such an ambitious lesson! Third graders with special needs listen to an audio recording of the novel, Moby Dick. They stop often to discuss each of the main characters and analyze their actions in the story. They then make puppets of one...
Pulitzer Center
China's Rising Labor Movement
Young historians will explore the complex causes and effects of industrialization in China by perusing the numerous articles included in this webpage. Throughout the resource, there are many writing and discussion prompts to help direct...
Curated OER
How to Write a Biography
Looking for a great lesson on how to write a biography? Here, middle schoolers draw from magazine articles, novels, historical figures, and current events to choose a person, or character to write about in a biography. They follow a...
Museum of Tolerance
Family Role Model Activity
What does is take to be a role model? Through grand conversation, and the use of books and a graphic organizer, scholars find out and apply the requirements to identify a role model within their family. They then journey through the...
Noyce Foundation
Cubism
If cubism were a religion, would you follow it? Lower-level tasks focus primarily on counting the number cubes in a structure and relating the number to surface area. As learners progress to higher-level tasks, isometric drawings and...
Missouri Department of Elementary
To Give In or Not to Give In—That Is the Question!
No! A very simple word that can be very hard to say. Seventh graders have an opportunity to practice this difficult skill as they engage in a series of role-playing scenarios. As an exit ticket, 7th graders write a reflection on the...
Mascil Project
Design a Parking Garage
Parking structures don't build themselves. Investigate the process of designing and planning the construction of a parking garage. After considering the factors that must go into the design, scholars create their own models from a...
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
Curated OER
Word Search
Students practice creating and formating a new word document. They add tables with specific rows and columns. They also include design elements in their document.
Curated OER
Wahta (Maple) Project
Young scholars increase their knowledge base of the maple syrup process and increase their skills of organization, technology, research, teamwork-cooperation, and oral presentation. Students use a team approach to choose a topic...
Curated OER
Bryant Creek Watershed Project - Making a Karst Dictionary
Students explore the definitions relevant to Karst topography. They develop a Bryant Watershed Dictionary of the special words and terms that are used to talk about the topography and hydrology of the area they live in.
Curated OER
Big Book Project
The "Big Book Project" provides special-needs learners with the opportunity to develop, write, and publish "Big Books" for Kindergarten-Grade 3 classrooms. Students also go to classrooms and read the book they wrote to the younger students.
Curated OER
Underground Railroad Research Report
Fourth graders complete a research paper on the Underground Railroad. They use internet and traditional resources to gather information from a list provided by the instructor. They use their information to write their paper. Students...
Curated OER
Choral Speaking: The Frog on the Log
Students recite the poem, "The Frog on the Log" paying particular attention to precise diction, pacing, projection, inflection, volume and rhythm.
Curated OER
Ocean Grazers Conclusion
Students research an ocean species. In this science lesson, students create a research presentation as a conclusion to the ocean grazers unit. Students present their projects to the class and complete a self-reflection paper.
Curated OER
The "Write" Stuff: Third Grade Strategies and Conventions
Students analyze the writing process through the ten lessons of this unit. The expository lessons address topic and detail sentences, paragraph organization and development, note taking, reports and letter writing.
Curated OER
Verb - Adverb Agreement
In this verb - adverb agreement worksheet, students choose the correct words to complete the sentences. Students complete 16 sentences.
Curated OER
Fourth of July Lesson Plan-Studying Flags
Students examine different flags from a variety of countries, describing what they see and writing about it. For this descriptive writing lesson, students use detailed writing to show what the flag looks like using only...
Curated OER
Citing Sources - Preparing a Bibliography
Young scholars examine the need to cite sources and respect intellectual property. They determine the need to use their own ideas and words.
Curated OER
Creating Found Poetry From Picture Books
Middle schoolers use picture books to identify poetic elements and word choice. They create a "found poem".