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Encyclopedia Expertise
Fourth graders, in groups, practice using the encyclopedia as a reference tool. They research animals today using the encyclopedia. Their job be to find three or more strange but true facts about the animal listed on their card.
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Let Me Tell You About My State
Fifth graders research one of the 50 U.S. States that they were unfamiliar with. In this U.S. Geography lesson plan, 5th graders utilize encyclopedias as well as the Internet to research a chosen U.S. State in order to write a report....
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The War of the Words
“Who’s This Guy Dylan Who’s Borrowing Lines From Henry Timrod?” The basic question in this lesson from the New York Time’s Learning Network is whether artists and authors who use the words of others are stealing from that artist or...
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A Pill with a View
Learners brainstorm a list of potential uses for micro-video technologies. After reading an article, they analyze the development of a new pill-sized camera. In groups, they create a children's book that shows them the various systems of...
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Analyzing Primary Sources
Analyzing primary and secondary sources is a necessary skill for students to attain, and can be learned through interesting activities.
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TE Activity: Pollution Politics
Learners examine how a bill becomes a law in the US Congress. They investigate legislation about global warming. They determine the role of engineers as they educate Congress, the public and other government institutions about global...
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5 Mother's Day Lessons and Activities
Students complete a craft project. In this Mother's Day lesson plan, students learn about Mother's Day around the world, write an essay about their mother, create a Mother's Day card, create coupons for meaningful time with their...
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Activism of Terrorism
Students research animal rights issues and controversies and determine whether they believe extreme tactics are justified. They practice debate and rhetoric skills by successfully arguing both sides of the issue.
Library of Congress
George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
Does the lens of history portray George Washington as a good leader? A three-lesson unit looks at Washington's early military career as the commander of the Virginia Regiment, his role in the fight for independence from England, and his...
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Where in the World is Mr. Fultz?
Students use maps and other geographic resources to learn about their world while problem solving. They read clues each day and use classroom resources to narrow down where the prize is located.
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Current Events
Students explore different countries, their locations, and their cultures. Using an encyclopedia, they locate the information, then write a report. Ultimately, they create a paper doll to represent their chosen country.
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Happy Birthday!: Internet Research and Historic Events
Talk about intrinsic motivation! Begin where your learners' natural interests lie -- with themselves -- and launch a variety of projects with this activity. Class members research important events that took place on their birthdays....
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THE CELL: DESIGN AND FUNCTION
After studying the structure and functions of living cells using textbooks, internet or encyclopedias, students prepare a PowerPoint presentation on cell structure and present it to the class.
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Pre-Reading Preparation
Students research the English Renaissance era. In this research lesson, students complete this activity before reading the story The Prince and the Pauper to learn about the history. They pick topics and work in groups to research them.
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Calories in Sports
This 4-page worksheet includes information on caloric intake and output, an activity/calorie chart, and a form for calculating the amount of calories in various foods. A good introduction to calories.
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Cite Your Sites!
The New York Times article “Lessons in Internet Plagiarism,” launches a look at how the Internet has increased the prevalence of plagiarism. The richly detailed lesson includes warm-up and wrap-up activities, discussion questions,...
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American Government
Challenge your students with this activity on American government! Learners discuss the three branches of government and its responsilbities, and then go on to more complex critical-thinking activities. Students interview members of the...
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Down for the Count?
The New York Times article “Supreme Court, Split 5-4, Halts Florida Count in Blow to Gore” provides the opening to an assessment of the United States Supreme Court decision in the case of the 2000 presidential election. Assuming the...
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Undercover-ed
Have your class engage in critical-thinking activities using this resource. Learners discuss a variety of topics they think get too much, or too little, attention from the press. They analyze why these topics are over or underrated....
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Deal Me In
Middle schoolers study the components of a deck of cards and conduct an initial experiment in the probability of drawing various types of cards from a deck. They play two rounds of poker to discover the probability of drawing several...
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The Titanic 3
Can survival rates on the Titanic be explained by the "women and children first" policy or did rescue procedures favor the wealthy? Use actual historical data to explore conditional probability and independent events with your class....
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You Can Depend On me
Discover the natural beauty of California. With a conservation bent, this activity delves into some of the attributes that make this state unique. Learners discuss Yosemite and the forest habitat. They focus on the things plants and...
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Where Will You Go?
Fifth graders research and plan an imaginary vacation. In this travel planning lesson plan, 5th graders work in pairs to use an atlas, calendar, review airplane schedules, encyclopedias, magazines, and the Internet to research...
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Arthur's Thanksgiving
Students investigate Thanksgiving by reading a children's book. For this holiday lesson, students read Arthur's Thanksgiving by Marc Brown and create a turkey fact book after reading an electronic encyclopedia. Students bring in...