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Ancient Egypt: Connecting Literature and Geography
Students brainstorm prior knowledge of Ancient Egypt, locate Egypt on map of Africa and on world map, watch King Tut film, discuss term biography, and map geographical information mentioned in stories and documentaries about Ancient Egypt.
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Grandma Tells A Story
Students read a story with the teacher to reflect upon their own family history. The application of the story is when children create their own family tree and complete the questionaire.
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The Task of the Mask
Students discover historical value and use of different African masks through research and literature. Students also relate different customs and traditions of ethnic groups to the masks.
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Zora Hurston Teacher's Guide
Learners explore American culture by reading classic literature in class. In this African-American history lesson, students read the story Zora Hurston and the Chinaberry Tree while identifying the work and contributions of the real life...
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Honoring the Past
Learners explore the beginnings of the United States and the freedoms we enjoy. They discover important events, people, monuments in Washington, D.C., and its history. Students investigate ways to honor and remember important people and...
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Learning from Letters and Other Mail
Pupils explore the history of our mail system. In this postal lesson plan, students evaluate mail as a means of communication, create a mail system in their classroom where they can send and receive mail. Once the pupils receive their...
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Chrysanthemum At Home Extension
In this literature follow-up instructional activity, students complete an assignment at home after reading the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Students or parents fill out a form and answer why the child's name was chosen and why the...
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Reading Primary Source Documents: Historical Content
Why do we read primary source documents? What can they give us that other writings cannot? Provide your learners with any of the primary sources attached here (there are seven), and have them complete the graphic organizer (which opens...
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Langston Hughes Was a Dreamer Too
Encourage your pupils to imagine their own dreams for the future. After studying three poems by Langston Hughes and listening to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech, young poets craft their own dream stanza.
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Objectivity
Help young readers examine historic artifacts to determine if they were designed to help people survive or to create enjoyment. They identify objects that were designed to help people to survive and to enjoy themselves. Then compare and...
Whitewater Valley Railroad
Teaching and Learning with The Polar Express
Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take...
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Technology-commected Folklife Lesson Plan: Fables
Students discuss ways the stories were alike and different. The teacher demonstrate how to draw a Venn diagram using Microsoft Word. They label the two circles and enter the likenesses and differences on the diagram.
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Little Cloud
Students create "little clouds" after reading the story "The Little Cloud" by Eric Carle in this cross-curricular Art and Language Arts lesson for the early-elementary classroom. The author suggests using this with a "Raindrop Picture"...
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If All The World Were Paper
Students investigate the reading of a rhyme and then practice learning it through drilling and repetition. They are introduced to the vocabulary with the help of a poster. Students draw from prior knowledge to set the context for further...
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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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Hoosier Artists
Young scholars examine the paintings of various Indiana artists. Using the internet, they relate the landscapes shown to the history of the state and how it affected Native Americans. Using the information they gathered, they write story...
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Animals in Art
Students look at how animals are shown in literature and art as representing emotions, telling a story, or sending a message in this elementary school Language Arts and Visual Arts lesson.
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Language Arts, Social Studies, African Americans, The Blues, To Kill A Mockingbird
African American history during the Jim Crow era includes encounters with poverty, racism, disrespect, and protest. Harper Lee develops all four of these themes in her famous 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. To help students understand...
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If At First You don't Succeed Try, Try Core Knowledge!
Students relate phrases and sayings to their life experiences. In this phrases and sayings lesson, students participate in activities and listen to stories to understand the meanings of each saying. One day is devoted to each saying.
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Story Starters
Students orally tell different types of stories using the assistance of props. For more advanced students, stories may be told according to a specific genre, or the story may have to include a given condition, setting, situation or theme.
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Smells Like Christmas, Exploring the Nose
Students discover that the sense of smell helps us to enjoy life and explore unsafe conditions. They smell Christmas by making gingerbread ornaments.
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Discovering Peace
Students explore vocabulary related to peace. In this peace lesson, students define the word "peace" and create a poem about peace. Students create a "peace quilt" as a follow-up activity.
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November - Poetry
First graders respond to poetry through a group activity. They interact with rhythm and tempo in poetry through an oral presentation. They experiment with choral speaking. They discuss Thanksgiving family traditions.
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What Can We Discover About Colorado?
Young scholars locate Colorado and its neighbors on a map (either in a book or on the Internet). They create a graphic that illustrates what they know and want to know about the state (KWL); finally, they draw and label Louisiana maps.