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Lesson Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Alexander Graham Bell

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Study the features of nonfiction text with a set of comprehension and analysis materials. Readers learn about Alexander Graham Bell with questions about the text, writing prompts, and proofreading activities.
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Lesson Plan
Apple State University

Friendly Letter Mini-Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
This mini-lesson plan about informal letter writing is packed with a lot of information about writing a friendly letter. Class members begin by working in pairs to answer questions after reviewing letter models. Then, take part in a...
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Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

Cultural Research Activity

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Class members explore cultural diversity through a variety of texts that showcase the importance of traditions. Then, they interview their family members to research their own cultural background and write their findings on quilt pieces....
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words: From Image to Detailed Narrative

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
A picture's worth a thousand words—and even more inspiration! A visual activity uses photographs to inspire writers. The process teaches aspects of narrative writing, such as point of view and characterization.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Editing Sentences and Creating Visual and Multimedia Displays for a Presentation

For Teachers 5th Standards
Let's get visual. Pupils plan visual displays to accompany their upcoming opinion speech presentations. Additionally, they practice editing sentences for clarity before revising their speech drafts.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Summarizing and Synthesizing: Planning for Writing an Apprentice Wanted Ad

For Teachers 4th Standards
In instructional activity 13 of this unit on colonial trade, young researchers learn about apprentices as they prepare to write help-wanted ads for the specific trade they have been researching. To begin, the class listens closely as the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Caves

For Teachers K - 4th
Explore caves with your class! Your scholars will participate in scientific observation, research, inference and deduction, reading, vocabulary, and writing activities about caves with this lesson plan. This resource contains five...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge: The Dinka Tribe (“Loss of Culturally Vital Cattle Leaves Dinka Tribe Adrift in Refugee Camps” Excerpt 1)

For Teachers 7th Standards
Text annotations help readers track essential ideas. Pupils continue reading and annotating an informational article about Sudanese tribes, connecting it with A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. They also begin writing about their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Gathering Textual Evidence for the Two-Voice Poem (Author’s Note)

For Teachers 7th Standards
Writers take a look at how to gather evidence from the information text in the unit that connects to Salva and Nya’s story. They complete a Gathering Evidence from Informational Texts sheet to guide their work. Pupils then use the...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Thomas Jefferson and Monticello: An Introduction to Writing Historical Fiction

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Thomas Jefferson is one of the most recognized names and faces in America—but is there more to the third president of the United States? Upper elementary and middle schoolers conduct research on Jefferson, his famous home at Monticello,...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part One: First Draft of Analysis Essay

For Teachers 8th Standards
How do writers use evidence from literary texts to support analysis and reflection? With instructional activity 17 of 20 from the Grade 8 ELA Module 1, Unit 2 series, learners gather resources to prepare for an end-of-unit assessment....
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing the Features of a Newspaper Article

For Teachers 6th Standards
There's more to newspaper articles than meets the eye. Scholars learn the different features of a newspaper article, including headline, byline, subheadings, etc. Pupils circle the features in an article as the teacher discusses their...
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Lesson Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

Essential Elements Cards

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Use essential elements cards to help lesson plan! Each card contains an informational text common core standard for grade levels six through eight and suggestions for activities and supports. Cards address skills such as citing textual...
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Lesson Plan
Ohio Literacy Resource Center

Compare & Contrast Essay

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Comparing two texts can build a greater understanding of the texts and themes of the works. Take some time to follow the steps here to guide your pupils through the process of composing compare-and-contrast essays.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hamlet's State of Mind

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Analyze various excerpts from Hamlet and read articles to develop an argument about his sanity. Middle and high schoolers write an argument essay defending whether or not they believe Hamlet is insane. You could modify this assignment...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Talking Heads

For Teachers 6th - 8th
After processing notes from research or an interview, middle schoolers turn the information into a script or dialogue for narrative, persuasive, or expository text. Use this instructional activity in any writing unit to reinforce proper...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flipped: Anticipation Guide Instructions

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Encourage text-to-self connections with a prereading strategy designed for Flipped. Clear steps are included, and the actual anticipation guide is the final page of the three-page packet. Ten statements are provided, and class members...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Final Analysis: Cause and Effect, Fact and Opinion

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Middle schoolers read and review informational texts, analyze cause and effect, and distinguish fact from opinion. They assess a "one-minute mystery" you read aloud for cause and effect relationships. Resource includes complete set of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Synonyms and Antonyms

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Mix up your writing lessons by having kids look at recent newspaper articles instead of their own work. They work in pairs and rewrite sports news articles using synonyms and antonyms for a set number of words. Then they share their work...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A New Point of View

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Analyze point of view and how it affects a literary work with this lesson. Middle schoolers create a written piece that focuses on point of view. They review the literary term "point of view," and explore examples of the term in text....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Readings in Hudson River Natural History

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Reading and understanding informational text is a key element to understanding every discipline. Elementary learners read three different articles focused on various animals and habitats in the Hudson River. They answer comprehension...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alphabet Poems

For Teachers K - 1st
Develop fluency with a variety of works. Help kindergartners use multiple strategies to understand text and decoding. They will create an alphabet poem book on Kid Works 2 to illustrate and write their own poem. In the end, they will...
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Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Benjamin Franklin and Learning a Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Examine stories with a moral in a character development instructional activity. The class reads a short story written by Benjamin Franklin in which he pays too much for a toy whistle. Individuals then make text-to-self connections and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduce Vocabulary: An Earthworm's Life (Himmelman)

For Teachers K - 3rd
Explore some tier-two vocabulary using John Himmelman's informational text An Earthworm's Life. Recommended words for this slimy text are: bulge, burrow, journey, soil, and underground. After introducing these words, help kids utilize...