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for English Language Development
- A “defining moment” in editorial writing
- Students will be introduced to the definition mode of writing. Students will learn to define a particular subject by responding in an editorial format. Students will first compose an editorial graphic organizer, which will aid in composing a completed editorial using the writing process. This lesson includes modifications for a Novice Low Limited English student.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Susan Brooks and Carrie Mabry.
- The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
- This lesson plan focuses on a English Language Arts objectives: similarity and difference. Students compare the story The Three Little Pigs and The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas. Students will work collaboratively in small heterogeneous groups to apply strategies for comprehension and vocabulary.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Betty Coleman-Canty and Michelle Swain.
- Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens
- Students read, discuss, and write about Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens by Spencer Johnson, M.D., a parable about life's changes, and how best to benefit from them. By reading the parable, students will learn ways to react positively to inevitable change, and gain insight into their personal decision-making processes regarding changes in their lives, now and in the future. This lesson plan is modified for Advanced English Language Learners in the 9th and 10th grades. It is written for 45 minute class periods, but can be modified for 90 minute block classes.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Ann Gerber.
- A'planting we will go
- This lesson is based on the book, The Tiny Seed, by Eric Carle. This story will be used to introduce the children to the concept that seeds change and grow into plants when conditions in the environment including temperature, light, water and soil are appropriate. Children will learn that plants produce seeds that can become new plants. Through extended activities, the children will experience first-hand the germination of seeds. They will become familiar with the parts of a plant and learn how each part works to produce a healthy plant.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Science)
- By Karol Schriber.
- The American Dream
- In conjunction with a unit on Puritanism, students will define and illustrate their personal definition of the American Dream or their concept of the dream in general.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Becky Ackert and Deborah Belknap.
- Anatomy of the heart
- Students develop their knowledge of the circulatory system by studying the structure and function of the heart and its vessels.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Development and Science)
- By Daniel Isenberg and Sharon Mcdonald.
- Animal adaptation
- This lesson focuses on the adaptations, body structures, and behavior of animals. The students will explore animal growth and adaptations of animals. This lesson is designed to be taught during the reading of Stone Fox.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Development and Science)
- By Jennifer Fessler and Karen Wright.
- Animal adjectives
- Students will describe animals as they review nouns and verbs associated with these animals. They will learn to use adjectives as they describe the animals. They will use this knowledge to write their stories about animals.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 1 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Anita Baldwin, Ann Loftis, and Genevieve Kiser.
- Awesome action words
- Good writers use precise verbs to make stories interesting and vivid. In this lesson, students will learn to replace boring, redundant, generic verbs with more precise “Awesome Action Words.”
- Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By DPI Writing Strategies.
- Birds of a feather, an interdisciplinary unit: Language Arts wing
- This lesson, which features Mark Twain's “Jim Baker's Blue-jay Yarn,” is part of an interdisciplinary unit on birds that contains math/science and language arts components. In the language arts wing, students will explore dialects and personification through this very entertaining tall tale full of the antics of talking blue-jays.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Janet Fore.
- Bubba: A Cinderella story
- This lesson focuses on the whimsical interpretation of the Cinderella story. Students explore the story Bubba, the Cowboy Prince, through rich text and interpretations of the story.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Jennifer Fessler and Karen Wright.
- Calico watercolor cats
- This two-class lesson focuses on students learning how to draw a cat using geometric shapes, learning and applying wet-on-wet technique of watercolor painting, and using crayon to create area surrounding cats. The final art product will be a mixed media painting of one cat and one kitten in an indoor or outdoor environment. Students will orally present their completed artwork using prepositions and nouns to describe the location of their cats.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 1 Visual Arts Education and English Language Development)
- By Barbara Zimmerman and Heidi Summers.
- "The Cask of Amontillado"
- The short story "The Cask of Amontillado," by Edgar Allan Poe is an effective venue for teaching English I literary terms. The following lesson plan is designed to engage the reader in a deeper than superficial reading of the text. It is also designed to elicit discussion and written critical-thinking responses. This lesson assumes that the literary terms have already been introduced. However, if they have not, the teacher may use this lesson to introduce these terms in the context of the literature.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Guy Hill and Crystal Brown.
- Classification of matter
- Students are introduced to the concept of different kinds of matter. Students create models of different substances to learn to identify the differences between elements, compounds, and mixtures. This lesson is developed so that teachers can use it with English as a Second Language students.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Development and Science)
- By Anya Childs and Rhonda Garrett.
- Colors and symbols of stigmatization
- This lesson is an introduction to the reading of Night by Elie Wiesel, which students will read independently. The students will do research to discover the different colors and symbols used to symbolize the Nazi party's list of undesirable people. The students will gain an understanding of how other people can arbitrarily judge other people as inferior.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Sandra Hurd and Wilma Gale.
- Comparative anatomy: A continuum
- In groups, students will design a presentation that will trace the development of an organ system through the major phyla of the animal kingdom looking for the relationships between structure and function by documenting adaptations.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Development, Information Skills, and Science)
- By Joan Warner and Melissa Thibault.
- Comparing governments - International
- This lesson focuses on comparing and contrasting national governments in North America and/or Central America. It is the second in a sequence, the first being "Comparing Governments - Local, State, and National" by Tami Weaver and Wendy Pineda, also on the Learn NC website. This plan could be easily adapted for eighth grade or high school ESL students.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Social Studies)
- By Tami Weaver and Wendy Pineda.
- Comparing governments - Local, State, and National
- This lesson on comparing governments will focus on looking at the similarities and differences between local, state, and federal governments in North Carolina and the United States. It is suggested that this lesson be followed by Comparing governments - International. This plan could be easily adapted for eighth grade or high school ESL students.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Development and Social Studies)
- By Tami Weaver and Wendy Pineda.
- Creature creation: An elaboration writing activity
- This lesson will focus on the writing element of elaboration. It will also tap into higher order thinking skills with the creation of a Coastal Plain imaginary animal and a creative story about the creature. This lesson could be linked to 4th grade Science and Social Studies objectives. For more in-depth knowledge in those other subjects, go to the lesson entitled Researching the Coastal Plain
- Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and English Language Development)
- By Ana Sanders and Heather Ennis.
- Cultural Symbolism and Themes of The Old Man and the Sea
- Students will be able to recognize themes and cultural symbols in the novel. The novel's setting and Spanish cultural aspect will appeal to a large number of Hispanic background students.
- Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Development)
- By Sandra Hurd and Wilma Gale.
