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Seeking Shakespeare in Local Communities
Students explore where Shakespeare exists in local community plays. In this Shakespeare lesson, students create a documentary to define the existence of Shakespeare in their community drama activities. Students participate in community...
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Maquilapolis: Examining Incentives in a Market Economy
Students discuss the factors that influenced them to purchase a particular item. They work together to read and identify incentives of a character. They view a video on the topic as well.
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Literacy through Photography
Students photograph scenes from their lives and use the images to become a catalyst for related writing exercises. They explore the themes such as self portrait, family, community, visual storytelling, and dreams to encourage them to...
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Making Good Decisions
Students explore the consequences of their actions. In this personal choices lesson, students practice balancing different interests involved in compromise. This lesson includes downloadable materials and 2 extension activities.
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Children Around the World: Child Labor
Students research the history of child labor and the child labor that still exists in the world today.
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African-American Civil War Soldiers Lesson Plan
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...
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Colors of Gray
Students view a film about theatres in Chicago. They discover how performing arts can be enjoyed by all ages and how one becomes involved in performing in theatre. They answer questions and discuss to end the lesson.
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Student Viewing Guide: "The Alternative Fix"
Students discuss the merits of and problems with alternative medicines after watching a documentary entitled "The Alternative Fix." They discuss the documentary after completing the viewing guides.
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Video Biographies
Who was Alexander The Great? How did Abraham Lincoln’s early life influence his political life? Learners select a historical figure to use for video biography. After developing research questions and collecting information, pupils search...
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The Role of Television in Social Justice
Students will read and evaluate another student's culminating project rough draft. Students will make written comments on the evaluation sheet provided by the teacher with regard to relevance to topic of Media and Social Justice,...
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Antonio's Story
Eleventh graders put a human face on the refugee experience to help them empathize. They are given an "virtual" introduction to Antonio, which gives students insights into the life of refugees in Canada and around the world. Pupils...
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The Invasion of Iraq
Students explore the war in Iraq. They use videos, newspapers, and other media to examine the circumstances leading up to the invasion, the war's major battles, and the post-war situation on the ground. Students read letters from Iraq...
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Alexander Graham Bell: Voice of Invention
Students watch a Biography episode about Alexander Graham Bell -- his remarkable inventions, family life, and the individuals who influenced his work.
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In Search of Al Qaeda
Students view a PBS Frontline video online entitled, "In Search of Al Qaeda." They complete pre-viewing activities in which they examine the use of primary sources. They look at the key groups and individuals and the history of...
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Sources of Information
Students review information from a previous instructional activity about JFK and his assassination. As a class, they identify sources they believe historians use and describe the difference between a primary and secondary source. In...
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UN's Millennium Goals
Whose responsibility is it to improve schools in developing countries? How does quality education affect my neighborhood? Questions of responsibility, whether global or local, form the heart of this lesson. Using the UN’s Millennium...
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African Americans Seen Through the Eyes of the Newsreel Cameraman
Fifth graders become familiar with the role of African Americans during WWII. In this WWII lesson, 5th graders watch a newsreel and discuss its use as a primary source. Students answer questions about the newsreel.
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What Happens When Invasive Species Are Introduced
Helping students understand the dangers of nonnative species is an important part of ecology and environmental science lessons.
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Kids With Cameras Make a Difference
Students use cameras to take pictures of their community and create an exhibit to raise money. In this cameras lesson plan, students learn basic photography techniques and send their money to the "kids with cameras" project.
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Family
Learners investigate the purpose, needs, and behaviors of a variety of configurations of families. The benefits of good communication skills among family members are emphasized in this lesson.
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Housing Problems
Students comprehend why slum clearance occurred. They consider the benefits and longer-term problems caused by high-rise housing blocks. Students view the "Housing Problems" which shows the shift from old slums to new housing estates...
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Chicago Rhythms, Chicago Roots
Students view a video about different types of music. They examine the history of jazz, big band and rock back to the city of Chicago. They discover Chicago's music scene today and compare it to the past.
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Jazz and Math: The Beat Goes On
Students collect real data through listening, counting and timing jazz pieces.They use ratios, rates, and proportions to report collected data and demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of rhythm and tempo in music.