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Let's Put It in a Nutshell
Students practice summarizing things they have read. After reviewing the steps for reading silently and summarization, they read a chapter in the book Tuck Everlasting. Working in groups, they summarize what they have read and present...
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Baby
Young scholars listen to chapters 1 and 2 in the book, Baby, then pick one character from the story looking for words or phrases that describe the character. They develop a character sketch making notes about their ideas and share with...
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"Julie of the Wolves"
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this lesson. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. They...
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Students read "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." After observing the illustrations and previewing chapter titles, students predict what will happen in the story. They research and contact chocolate companies to gather information on...
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"The Giver" by Lois Lowry
Learners read the novel, "The Giver", and test their comprehension through the game Jeopardy. Then students research individual rights of different cultures and write a summary of their findings. Learners develop a personal timeline of...
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Multimedia Book Reports
Pupils read a chapter book of 100-200 pages in length. They create a story map and multimedia book report. Pupils review the elements of a story map such as: characters, setting, problem, important events, solution, etc.) Students...
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Dogsong
Students read the Gary Paulsen novel, Dog song, about wilderness survival, and research information about the Iditarod dogsled race. Students follow the sled race online each day and complete an Alaska scavenger hunt.
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Ten Cents a Word
Students recognize the importance of summarizing in this lesson. They "sum up" an article about monarch butterflies. Students practice writing summaries of the article charging themselves 10 cents/word. They try to write the least...
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Letters from Rifka
Students read Karen Hesse's book "Letters from Rifka" and explore how it presents the experiences of a Russian immigrant to America. They research and write reports on the experiences of various immigrants from different cultures, keep...
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Sum It All Up
Students observe and demonstrate the process of summarizing text. They discuss the importance of summarizing, then listen to the teacher read a chapter from the book "Sarah Plain and Tall." Students observe the teacher write a summary...
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Star Summarizers
Students participate in a reading literacy instructional activity with the goal of improving reading fluency and comprehension. They work on the skill of summarization that helps to pick out important details of a reading.
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Hyper for Expository Writing!
Fifth graders use the internet to research a plant or animal they read about in "The Talking Earth". Using notes, they develop a graphic organizer and use the main topics to create a HyperStudio stack. Using all of this information,...
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Bridge to Terabithia
Students read Katherine Paterson's book, A Bridge to Terabithia, and select small groups to complete a project based on a chapter of the book. They create a story web for the chapter, summarize it, design a brochure or advertisement,...
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The Painting Ballerina
Students read one or two chapters from The Painting Ballerina, then pick a scene or idea from the story that is very vivid in their imagines and draw it. They display their finished works and talk about them as a class.
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The Painting Ballerina
Students read the book "The Painting Ballerina" by Gloria M. Buono, discuss the book, and use images from the story to create their own artistic paintings. Emphasis is placed upon literacy and creative exploration in this...
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Human Rights and Discrimination
Fifth graders create a KWL chart on discrimination and human rights. While reading different stories, they take notes on each character in the books. To end the lesson, they discuss the forms of discrimination today and how African...
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Anthony Burns
Students investigate the reading of the novel about Anthony Burns. They create a KWL chart to gather and organize information. The information that is provided is used to create a presentation. Students also use journals to keep track of...
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What Jamie Saw
Pupils listen as the teacher reads the book "What Jamie Saw." They write down the interesting sentences that are encountered. Students jot notes into their journals answering questions about the way Jamie/Patty are feeling. They receive...
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Presidents
Fifth graders locate a biography about their president. They skim the table of contents, index, and opening paragraphs of chapters for any pre-reading clues that correspond to web topics.
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Morning Girl
Fifth graders read the novel "Morning Girl" by Michael Dorris. Using the text, they compare and contrast the two cultures, Arawak and Taino in the novel and research the landing of Columbus in San Salvador. They create a family tree...
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Exploring the History of Canyon De Chelly: The Navajos
Students are introduced to the novel Sing Down The Moon written by Scott O'Dell. Throughout the book, after each chapter is read, class discussions and journal writing is incorporated into the unit.
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My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...
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The Life And Times Of The Apple
Students engage in a study about the biology of apples that includes growth and reproduction. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students write a description of an apple brought to class by answering several questions....
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Lyddie
Learners investigate the character trait of perseverance and how it is used to help a girl gain independence in a fictional story. The story also has them think about the value of relationships and then write reflectively about...