Students read and analyze fairy tales, identifying their common elements. They then write their own "fractured" fairy tales by changing one of the literary elements found in the original.
Once Upon a Time Rethought: Writing Fractured Fairy Tales
Grades
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Opening the Door for Reading: Sharing Favorite Texts to Build Community
3 - 6
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
In this lesson, students build classroom community by exploring environmental print and a teacher-created display that focuses on a favorite book. They then create and share their own presentations.
Grades
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How Does My Garden Grow? Writing in Science Field Journals
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students plant a garden and study its growth using the inquiry process of questioning and exploring. As they research and study, students record their observations in a field journal.
Grades
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Literature as a Jumping Off Point for Nonfiction Inquiry
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Unit
Students use text sets to research a topic inspired by a fiction book they have read. A text set is a collection of multiple text genres with a single focus.
Grades
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Our Community: Creating ABC Books as Assessment
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students create alphabet books, which are used as an integrated assessment with science, health, social studies, and any other content area. This lesson plans looks at the theme of community.
Grades
|
Looking at Landmarks: Using a Picture Book to Guide Research
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
This lesson uses Ben's Dream by Chris Van Allsburg to highlight ten major landmarks of the world. Students research the landmarks and present their findings to the class.
Grades
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Question and Answer Books--From Genre Study to Report Writing
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Unit
After exploring several question and answer books on a variety of topics, students research a topic and create their own class question and answer book.
Grades
|
A Bear of a Poem: Composing and Performing Found Poetry
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Children find favorite words, phrases, and sentences from familiar stories. Working together, they combine their words and phrases to create a poem. The poem is then shared as performance poetry.
Grades
|
As Slippery as an Eel: An Ocean Unit Exploring Simile and Metaphor
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students play with simile and metaphor as they study the ocean and use figurative language to write a class book about it.
Grades
|
Ferocious Fighting Fish: An Ocean Unit Exploring Beginning Word Sounds
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Focus students' attention on alliteration in this ocean-themed unit. Students explore alliteration in framing texts then compose their own class book to explore figurative language in their own writing.
Grades
|
Completing the Circle: The Craft of Circular Plot Structure
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students identify, explore and apply the elements of circle plot structures to their own stories by using graphic organizers, reading and writing stories, and using checklists to assess their work.
Grades
|
Bridging Literature and Mathematics by Visualizing Mathematical Concepts
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
During interactive read-aloud sessions, students identify how an author conveys mathematical information about animals' sizes and abilities. They then conduct research projects focusing on the same mathematical concepts.
Grades
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Talking, Writing, and Reasoning: Making Thinking Visible with Math Journals
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students explore how their problem-solving strategies work by writing in math journals as they work in small groups to solve a math puzzle with multiple solutions.
Grades
|
Exploring Sets through Math-Related Book Pairs
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
After reading two math-related books, students investigate their home and school environments to find examples of objects that come in sets and then create their own books on sets.
Grades
|
What If We Changed the Book? Problem-Posing with Sixteen Cows
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
After reading a piece of math-related children's literature aloud, students pose and solve new problems by asking what-if questions about the events in the story.
Grades
|
Using Picture Books to Teach Plot Development and Conflict Resolution
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students read picture books to explore the concepts of plot development and conflict resolution. They first learn about the connections between reading and writing, and then revise their own writing.
Grades
|
Examining Plot Conflict through a Comparison/Contrast Essay
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Unit
Students explore picture books to identify the characteristics of four types of conflict. They then write about a conflict they have experienced and compare it to a conflict from literature.
Grades
|
Improving Fluency through Group Literary Performance
K - 2
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students participate in shared reading, choral reading, and readers theater, using books by Bill Martin, Jr. Repeated readings and literary performances help students with their reading accuracy, expression, and rate.
Grades
|
Weather Detectives: Questioning the Fact and Folklore of Weather Sayings
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students adopt a skeptical stance and become weather detectives who ask "Why?" and "Why not?" as they investigate the history and validity of some common weather sayings.
Grades
|
Using Snowflake Bentley as a Framing Text for Multigenre Writing
3 - 5
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Using Snowflake Bentley as a model, students create a working definition of multigenre text and then use that definition to create their own multigenre piece about winter or another theme.