Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Reading Literature - The Ruin
Cross-comparison, the technique of focusing on two different texts with the same themes, motifs, events, etc., is employed in an exercise that asks groups to examine two different translations of “The Ruin,” a poem, written in Old...
Curated OER
Search Warranted?
Young readers work on evaluating claims in a piece of informational text with the article "In New York, It's Open Bag or Find Exits" from the New York Times. They analyze current search procedures implemented to fight terrorism...
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Introduction to the Visual Thesaurus
Pupils examine the basic functions of the online Visual Thesaurus, exploring how simple words may sometimes have multiple meanings. In small groups they select words and explore the Visual Thesaurus, and write a short play using the...
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A Moment in Time
Eighth graders study poems to see how punctuation, line length, rhythm and word choice can be used to create a memorable moment. They read and discuss poems by Shel Silverstein.
National Endowment for the Humanities
From Courage to Freedom: The Reality behind the Song
Young scholars study how Frederick Douglass uses language to describe a realistic picture of slavery in his writings which are primary source documents. They examine his use of word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical appeals and use...
Curated OER
Catalog Display for the Novel : The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Carlson
Fourth graders explain the novel through creative descriptions, learn importance of word choice in descriptive writing, and implement technology skills of searching the Internet, typing, cutting and pasting, graphic designs, and...
Curated OER
Exploring Descriptive Language With Different Parts of Speech
Students practice experiencing writing with appropriate language and incorporating the eight parts of speech. They assess that many words have multiple functions when used in different contexts. Each student free writes in response to a...
Curated OER
Character Traits: Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear
Lensey Namioka’s Yang the Youngest and His Terrible Ear provides an opportunity for young readers to observe how writers bring their characters to life. Each class member selects a character to trace through the novel, recording...
Curated OER
Personify This
Eighth graders study personification in published works of poetry, then create their own through the use of diamante or cinquain poetry. They read and discuss poetry by Shel Silverstein, William Jay Smith, and Elinor Wylie.
Curated OER
Paul Revere's Ride
Third graders read and discuss the selection "Paul Revere's Ride" (included with the lesson plan). Students imagine they live in one of the villages that Paul Revere stopped. They are awakened by his knock on the door. Students write an...
Curated OER
I Just Want to Say
Eighth graders study poetic devices included in conversation poems and explore their eloquent messages. They read and discuss poems by Langston Hughes and Don Marquis.
Curated OER
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Learners define from a word list for a literary selection. Using the literary selection, they read the vocabulary in context. They determine the definition of the word as used in context and create a crossword puzzle using the...
Curated OER
Walk on the Wild Side
Have your class practice alliteration using this instructional activity. Learners listen to stories with alliterative elements and create their own sentences illustrating this technique. The instructional activity is incomplete, but...
Curated OER
Snow Day
Third graders examine the effects of a snow day on various people in the community. They listen to the book "Snow Day" by Betsy Maestro, complete a graphic organizer of people affected by the snow day, and write a story from the point of...
Curated OER
Lizards
Fourth graders recall lizards from the text and report their important traits. The teacher adds the information to the map. They watch the map expand while it organizes all of the lizards and their characteristics.
Curated OER
PowerPoint Presentation of Fudge Comic Strips
Fourth graders create comic strips for presentation to the class. They make drawings, record them digitally, transfer them to a KidPix program and then arrange them in a PowerPoint presentation in a comic strip format.
Curated OER
Timely Tolerance
Eighth graders examine issues of prejudice and intolerance in the context of historical and comtemporary events. They discover the structure and tools necessary to plan, write, and create a museum exhibit.
Curated OER
Color, Play, Podcast
Students encounter the format of a podcast and plan what content they will include. They work in small groups or with the whole class to develop an outline. Students practice reading their scripts to other students.
Curated OER
Character Comparison: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
Fourth graders compare and contrast Fudge and Peter, two main characters from "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing". They use a software template to analyze and compare the characters in a rough draft, edit their work and then produce a...
Curated OER
Commercials
Students observe as the teacher demonstrates how to use a digital video camera. They experiment with the camera to get to know its features. Finally they create a video commercial and edit it, inserting sounds, titles and other graphics.
Curated OER
There's a Writer Waiting Inside Me
Eighth graders are introduced to the concept, What Makes Good Poetry? They are asked to explore the writer within.
Curated OER
Community Brochures
Second graders research facets of their community in order to create an informational brochure. After brainstorming ideas of what could be included in the brochure, student groups get information from the internet, the library or a...
Curated OER
Pictorial Portfolio
Learners develop a pictorial portfolio of important assignments, projects and activities through their high school years. They use a camera and decide what makes a good photograph. Students organize their photographs into a portfolio...
Utah Education Network
Uen: I'm So Bright! I Wear My Shades Indoors!
This lesson engages students in learning about light through multiple sources. Students will learn how light is produced, reflected, refracted, and separated. Students will communicate their findings through an independent project that...