Standard Course of Study :: English Language Arts

Aligned lesson plans

The taste of relevance: Students will learn the importance of selecting relevant details by picking the right toppings for an ice cream sundae. This activity gives the students a concrete visual memory of what good details are.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Synonym word bags: The purpose of Word Bags is to give students a resource for finding synonyms for overused words that they use in their writing on a daily basis. Students will fill Word Bags with synonyms for frequently used words.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Stretch it out: Good writers stretch out the important scenes in a story to make them more interesting to their readers. In this lesson, students will learn to stretch out a scene by adding things that they see, hear, think, and say to others.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Story surgery: As early as first grade, children can begin to revise their stories using "Story Surgery." In this lesson, students learn how to use scissors to perform "story surgery" by cutting their stories apart at the point where more information can be added.; Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Spider legs: This strategy for peer conferencing helps students learn to use "Spider Legs" to answer revision questions, and then insert the revised information into their drafts.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

"So what?" details: Students will learn that adding details to a piece of writing doesn't make it better if the details are "So What?" details. Details and elaboration should be related to the main idea and should move the story along in an interesting manner.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Slow motion replay: Students will learn to use slow motion replay of a moment in a narrative to make it easier for the reader to feel that he or she is actually experiencing the event.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Show, don't tell: Using action words: To strengthen their writing and make it livelier, students will learn to use action words to show how their characters feel.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Sentence elaboration with prepositional phrases: This lesson is designed for students who write short choppy sentences. In this lesson, students will learn how to write more elaborated, complex sentences by adding prepositional phrases and clauses.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Sentence combining: This lesson is designed for students who write short choppy sentences. Students will learn to combine short choppy sentences that develop their ideas and involve the reader in the action of the story.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Sentence carousel: Adjectives, adverbs, and precise language help construct descriptive sentences. In this lesson, students will learn to construct more elaborate sentences that will enliven their writing; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Search for synonyms: A thesaurus lesson: Students will expand their vocabulary and learn the advantages of using a thesaurus. Students will edit and enrich personal writing samples using both print and online thesauri.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By Erin Bradfeldt and Joan Milliken.

Plain Polly: Adding relevant details: This instructional technique creates a lasting visual image of how relevant details help develop a character and a focus. Students learn to add only details that are related to the main idea of a “Plain Polly” stick figure. These mascots serve as reminders to students to be selective with the details they use to support their main idea.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Narrative writing: Using exact words: The learner will recognize exact verbs in literature and then use more exact verbs when writing a narrative.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By Georgette Rush.

More vivid word choices: Said is dead: The students will expand their vocabulary and learn synonyms for overused words. By using the story Chicken Little by Stephen Kellogg, students will see how an acclaimed author uses many different words for "said."; Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 English Language Arts); By Linda Justice.

Jazzy sentences: This is an interesting activity to help students jazz up or make their sentences more interesting by adding adjectives, adverbs, more vibrant verbs, and descriptive nouns.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By Helen Potts.

"I Spy": Using adjectives and descriptive phrases: Students will review definitions for adjectives, learn and practice sensory adjectives and imagery, and use adjectives and descriptive phrases in writing a paragraph and/or story.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By Elizabeth Hutchens.

First draft/final draft: Students will compare paragraphs with and without elaboration and descriptive details. They will learn how to revise their own writing by adding descriptive details such as adjectives, adverbs, concrete nouns, and precise verbs.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts); By DPI Writing Strategies.

Exciting narrative endings: This lesson emphasizes the importance of a strong ending for a narrative essay and teaches students specific items to include in their endings.; Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts); By Ann Jolly.

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.