Curated OER
Autobiographical Writing About Memories
Learners reflect on fall memories in preparation for creating an autobiographical composition. In this composition instructional activity, students explore how many writers use the changing seasons, fall in particular, to describe a...
Curated OER
Seedfolks Journal Entry Choices
Keep your class thinking about Seedfolks after they read each chapter by requiring them to keep a journal about the story. Hand out these journal entry prompts at the beginning of the story so that your learners know what to expect. For...
Curated OER
Building Original Narratives
Fourth graders act out and write original narratives. In this theater meets writing lesson, 4th graders work in groups to create original narratives; after students act out their story, they write it down as a narrative.
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What is a Fable?
Students read a variety of electronic Aesop's fables to define fable and moral, and write and illustrate an original fable. They then publish their fable using PowerPoint.
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Plot and Conflict in W.W. Jacob's "The Monkey's Paw"
Tenth graders analyze the use of literary elements in W.W. Jacob's "The Monkey's Paw." Literary analysis is accomplished by a review of the plot and order of events in the story. Learners work in pairs to match the events from the story...
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Dramatic Structure
As part of an lesson involving literature or writing, have your learners watch and discuss this presentation on plot development. In a series of slides, viewers engage in an activity to explore dramatic structure, including plot...
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...
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Pendemonium: The Great African Surfari
Young scholars discover the importance of matching verbs to their subjects through a discussion of a whimsical video on verb agreement and a read aloud of the book, "To Root, To Toot To Parachute". They practice verb agreement in...
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Grammar-Active and Passive Voice
Use this activity to reinforce the effect of passive and active voice in writing. First, middle schoolers write several sentences, and then use the attached worksheet to identify whether the sentences are written in active or passive voice.
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Graphic Organizer: Story Pyramid
In this graphic organizer: story pyramid worksheet, students analyze 6 components of the story (exposition, conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution) and write the details in the boxes.
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Exploring Nature: Powerful Forces
Students observe samples of artwork which use line, shape, and form to show movement and depict natural forces of nature. They create their own piece of artwork that shows a natural force and movement and then write a descriptive...
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Stories of Hope: Dragonfly and Mosquito
Young scholars identify and interpret the value of the dragonfly as a predator of the mosquito. They create their own folktales using the dragonfly or a creature of their choice to solve the malaria problem or another issue. Students...
Curated OER
Plot Development
Students identify the elements of plot and write a script with a strong plot. In this plot lesson, students identify elements of plot in examples by completing a chart and a graphic organizer. Students then create plots from given...
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Plot Diagram
In this plot diagram worksheet, students fill in a diagram: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action and resolution. Worksheet is designed to be used with an interactive whiteboard.
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Number The Stars: Character Sketch
For this literacy worksheet, students create a graphic organizer for the character of Anne Marie from Number The Stars. Then they write a description of her.
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A Different Drummer
Eighth graders investigate philosophy and meditation techniques by discussing Emerson and Thoreau. In this philosophical traditions lesson, 8th graders identify the men Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, their work, and their...
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Plot and Conflict
Students review the literary elements of plot and conflict. In this plot and conflict lesson, students read a story and answer questions about the plot and conflict within. Students create a concept map for the novel to identify the...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Conservation, Preservation, and the National Parks
Going green? Scholars investigate the creation of the US National Park program. Through diary entries as well as expert testimony, they synthesize information and analyze the need for conservation and preservation. Finally, they display...
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Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions
Second graders make several inferences based on the reading of Shel Silverstein poems. They write their own poetry and complete an assessment in which they differentiate between sentences that are stated or inferred.
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Byzantine Civilization: The Missing Link
Students connect their study of the Roman Empire to their study of the Byzantine Civilization. In this ancient history lesson, students study the time period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine.
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BBC Learning English: Working Abroad - Listening (Relationships)
In this ESL listening comprehension activity, students listen to a program on the BBC, though it is not specified which program. The activity contains 12 sentences and students write the numbers 1-12 next to them according to the order...
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Miniature Water Cycles
Fourth graders create a biome of their choosing in a terrarium. Terrariums are observed and results recorded daily for 2 weeks. They observe/record changes in the water within their terrarium and use the data to write sentences...
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Rocking the Boat
Students work together to discover the concepts of stability and equilibrium. They examine how equilibrium is related to an item's center of mass. They create their own action scene in a literacy activity.
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AIDS
Learners in an ESL classroom examine the effect of HIV/AIDS on the continent of Africa. As a class, they identify the concerns of the Treatment Action Campaign to determine if they are justifiable or not. They must identify the main...