Curated OER
"Sunday in the Park" Reader's Response
After reading Bel Kaufman's "Sunday in the Park," give your class the opportunity to react to the short story through writing. First they write a brief summary paragraph, and then they react to any events or characters' actions in a...
Curated OER
My Favorite Book
Class members select a favorite book and write and present a book review. They view and discuss a sample PowerPoint presentation, then write a rough draft for their own slide show book review. They create a six-slide presentation to...
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Roger the Rock
Here is a creative way to assess your geologists' grasp of the rock cycle: have them write and illustrate a children's book in which the main character journeys though his life, i.e. the rock cycle! A brief student instruction sheet and...
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Concluding Activities for an Author Study of Marc Brown and His Arthur Books
Everyone loves Arthur, the friendly aardvark! Emerging readers explore Arthur books by Marc Brown. They use the Internet to research Marc Brown and share information with their class. They work independently to conduct research and then...
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Sports and Exercise
Use prepositions to explain what the people in the picture are doing. For example, the man is swimming in the pool, and the woman is sitting on the edge of the pool. Learners write seven sentences.
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The Popular Bully
Fifth graders investigate bullying and nonviolent ways to deal with bullies. In this conflict management lesson, 5th graders discover the definition for the word ahimsa and examine ways to incorporate that philosophy into their social...
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Word Match
In this word matching activity, students fill in the blanks with the correct word given and write the word on the line. Students complete 8 problems.
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Can You Get the Signal?
What is a signal word? Recognizing these words is an important step in both reading and writing formal text. Review a list of signal words (provided and organized into specific categories), and then have your class play a game to...
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Traveling Community Journal Project
Learners create an online "community journal". In this communities instructional activity, students use a writing template to send e-mail to various people to learn more about their community. The journal is passed from person to person.
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Pirate Messages
Students research the actual history of pirates and pirating. They draw and write directions on an imaginary map in the historical style of a treasure map. To make their map look well and used, they tear around the edges, fold and refold...
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Using a Compass Rose
Second graders explore geography by completing a mapping activity in class. In this directional lesson, 2nd graders examine a map in class and utilize a compass rose to identify their location and destination. Students write directions...
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Descriptive Writing
Learners practice descriptive writing. In this unique writing lesson, students hear a story about a mitten. Then three grade levels come together to first, create a mitten on KidPix; second, describe the designed mitten; and third, try...
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Follow the Directions
In this shape recognition worksheet, students follow the directions and color in each shape with a specific color. Students then write their name on the dotted line.
Novelinks
The Hobbit: Biopoem
As part of their reading of The Hobbit, readers create a biopoem for one of Tolkien's characters.
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Out of the Dust: Narrative Essay
To conclude their study of Out of the Dust, the 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel, individuals craft a narrative essay based on one of the themes in Karen Hesse's novel.
Poetry Class
Eccentricity and Sound
What do Lady Gaga and Dame Edith Sitwell have in common? As they examine Sitwell's poetry, class members learn that the similarities are far more than their unique appearance.
Curated OER
Poetry Assignment
As the culminating activity in a unit study of poetry, class members demonstrate what they have learned about poetry by creating a notebook containing original poems they have written, published poems they enjoy, and analyses of these...
Poetry Society
Simile and Metaphor
Young poets use word cards to prompt a metaphor poem comparing to very dissimilar items.
Poetry Society
Imaginary Words
Oh, what fun! Young logophiles and neologists create a dictionary-sounding definition for imaginary words and try to fool their classmates.
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Gingerbread Houses
Third graders listen to literature about the North Pole, bakeries, Mrs. Santa Claus, ginger bread and follow directions to assemble a gingerbread house out of icing, graham crackers and candy. They write directions for making a...
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A Famous Canadian: Follow the Instructions Puzzle
In this solving a puzzle by reading and following directions, students start with the phrase "A Famous Canadian", and delete, switch, move, add, double and reverse letters of the alphabet to solve. Students write 11 answers to solve.
Curated OER
The Verb Do Worksheet 1
In this grammar instructional activity, students write direct questions, following the instructions given in twelve sentences. Students share their responses with their classmates.
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Dear Abby: A Direct and Indirect Characterization Lesson Plan
Students practice identifying and creating examples of characterization based on comprehension. They assess direct and indirect characterization and use conflict in a plot to generate a piece of writing. Each student selects accurate...
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Writing
Students work together in groups to brainstorm ideas on writing topics. After being read stories, they watch a demonstration of webbing and how to connect related ideas. They write their story and are graded based on a rubric.