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Positively Respectful
Create a positive environment by teaching young scholars to show respect and share compliments. Students use drawing paper and create a self-portrait. Young scholars are encouraged to discuss things they like about themselves. As...
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National Turkey Off to Disneyland
Young scholars share their holiday traditions, then read about an American Thanksgiving custom. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the news article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, the...
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Show Me the Money
Students investigate the history of paper currency in the United States and consider anti-counterfeit strategies that are used by making their own paper.
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Romare Bearden-Style Collages
Young scholars create collages in the style of African American artist Romare Bearden. They define the word collage, study African American artist Romare Bearden, view examples of collages by Romare Bearden, and create a collage...
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The Gift Drawings of the Shakers
Learners create their own "gift drawings" that are inspired by the dreams and visions of the Shakers. In this gift drawings lesson plan, students learn the history of the Shakers, make their own drawing, and practice elements of design...
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Strange Encounters
Third graders examine a variety of Robert Harris' paintings. Using the characters in the art, they develop a conversation between them in a musical verse. In groups, they identify safety procedures to be used by those traveling in the...
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Texas Quarter Drawing
Students recognize the U.S. penny, nickel, dime, and
quarter by design and denomination and study the historical figures depicted on the coins. They study simple Texas symbols and choose
one to draw in a design for a Texas Quarter.
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Papunya Dot Paintings
Students create examples of Papunya Dot Paintings using brushes, tempera or acrylic paints, dowel rods, and paper in this Art lesson for any grade or ability level. Examples of Papunya Dot Paintings are included as resource links.
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Doll Making
Students discuss folktales and read Tiger and The Big Wind, listening for animal characters for later discussion. In this language arts lesson, students complete a T chart on characters and make a doll for one either chosen or assigned....
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The Hare and the Water: A Tanzanian Folk Tale
"The Hare and the Water," a Tanzanian folk tale, lends a global perspective to literary analysis. Learners spend the first two days reading and storyboarding. On day three, they examine folk tale elements (worksheet included), and design...
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An Autograph Book from Yesteryear
Students explore a school autograph book from the 1880s and create a contemporary version of it. They imitate the style of the autograph book entries as they write thoughtful text and rhymes.
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Everybody Is Unique: A Lesson in Respect for Others' Differences
Learners of all ages talk about the meaning of the word "unique," and draw a truly unique person, one part at a time. They create a totally unique person, with a head drawn by one student, a torso drawn by another student, and lower body...
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Traveler's in Time
Students analyze artifacts to become familiar with the Great Migration. In this migration lesson, students read an article and answer comprehension questions. Students role play a migration scenario using an artifact to help...
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Molded Clay Faces
Artists create clay masks using pre-formed molds, clay, glitter, feathers, gems, and paint. The expressive qualities of clay are perfect for creating many different types of face masks, from Mardi Gras glitter to Japanese Kabuki to...
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Kidding Around In The 1980s
Students examine pop culture of the 1980s. In this historical time period lesson plan, students view a Smurfs cartoon from the 1980s and discuss its similarities and differences to cartoons today. Students work in groups to...
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It's Not Conjecture, Look! It's Architecture!
Students examine how architecture reflects historical time periods. They conduct research on the History Detectives website, complete a fact sheet, sequence photographs of different architectural styles, and create an illustration of a...
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Creative Voices of Harlem
Young scholars explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history lesson, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Young scholars research and report on a famous Harlem...
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My Own Cultural Traditions
Students complete a worksheet on personal traditions. In this cultural traditions lesson, students discuss what a cultural tradition is and why they are important to the members of the culture. Students distinguish between cultural...
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Multiple Intelligences and The Illinois & Michigan Canal
Third graders engage in a wide variety of cross-curricular activities designed to give them a thorough understanding of the history of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. There are a very nice set of activities included in this plan!
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A Nation of Many Cultures
Students create a presentation about themselves to share with the class. They include information from their family and their heritage. They compare and contrast their culture to their classmates.
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Title of Segment: Balance of Trade
Students take a closer look at the balance of trade. In this current events instructional activity, students watch PBS video clips about American trade with China. Students research Chinese production and consumerism in order...
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Inspirational Mapping for the Corps of Discovery
Third graders use a computer software entitled, Inspiration, in order to create a map or web of what Lewis and Clark should have packed for their journey west. They are given the expectations of the teacher and a scoring guide is...
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Weather or Not!
Learners are introduced to the different climate regions of Canada. In groups, they discuss ways in which people are affected by the weather and how it limits their outdoor activities. They use artwork by Robert Harris to predict what...
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Good Citizen Posters
Third graders create a poster documenting the responsibilities of a good citizen. During group discussion, they develop a list of ways in which they can participate as responsible citizens in their society. Students use their list to...