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Masks
Students examine traditional masks from Southwest Indian groups and create their own mask based on Internet research. They share their mask with the members of their class.
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Multiple Perspectives: Newspaper Stories and Editorials
Newspapers are the perfect medium through which to explore different perspectives in informational text. After researching the fur trade and resultant colonization, groups write a newspaper, including an editorial page, selecting one of...
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Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
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From Brainstorm to Published Paper
Students investigate a topic through research, observation, and experimentation. They prepare a short science report and publish it online. Students reflect on the role of science reports in the larger scientific community.
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Monster Descriptions
Monsters take center stage! Elementary schoolers are assigned to write a descriptive paragraph by a toy company to help in designing a new monster for their toy line. One student composes the paragraph, another uses that to create a...
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Sly Book Channel
Create a commercial for a favorite book and broadcast this pitch on the Sly Book Channel! Learners practice retelling, summarizing, comparing/contrasting, and evaluation skills as they prepare their scripts. The approved scripts are then...
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Primary Sources and Personal Artifacts
Connect historical text to primary sources. Researchers observe and discuss primary sources. Then, historians bring in their own personal artifacts and connect them back to their history.
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Presidential Trading Cards
Students use the internet to gather information about Presidents of the United States and create a trading card for one of them. They create a brochure with the president's information and accomplishments.
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Great North
Students view a video about the Arctic Circle, North Pole and Northern Europe. They locate areas using a map. They create a drawing of the countries where the Inuit live.
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Ge-Oh Boy, Oh Boy
Students listen to the book, Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt and discuss the art of quilting. They examine various symmetrical sewing designs, and identify reflection pieces, slides, and flips.
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What's So Bad or Good About Conflict?
Students investigate how conflict can be positive or negative. They discuss the concept of conflict while making a class web of their ideas. They design a class bulletin board that includes a thought written by each student after the...
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The Building Blocks of the Nation
Students research, document, use the Internet, and employ varied computer skills, along with oral communication skills to discover people who have "made history" in Michigan, women in the United States, people who contributed to our...
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The African American Inventor
Students study various African American inventors and their contributions. They select their favorite invention and work in groups to research a specific African American inventor. After conducting their research, they share their...
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Nonprofit and Profit Careers
Students examine the difference between profit and nonprofit organizations. They identify careers that are available in each sector as well. They develop their own questions and interview people who are in those careers.
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Differences Between Frogs and Toads
Students use the Internet to research the differences between frogs and toads.
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Buffalo Hide
Students research the traditional Lakota tipi (teepee) and compare types of homes used in the past with those used today. They design and construct an accurate model of a tipi.
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Be a Paleontologist
Students search for fossils in a simulated archeology site and explore how paleontologists mark out a dig site.
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Be That As It Maya
Creative projects are a great way to engage your class and can be a fun way to assess mastery! Learners create brochures and postcards that might have been created by and for travelers to ancient Mayan cities. They read and discuss the...
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Inspire the Imagination with a Poet Study of Shel Silverstein
Captivating prose opens wondrous doors to critical thinking and language development.
Roald Dahl
Matilda - The Reader of Books
The titular Matilda from Roald Dahl's famous novel adored books above all things. Discuss why it is important to read stories from across cultures and around the world using the first chapter from the ever-loved story Matilda.
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Looking for Local Public Art
Young scholars explore artwork in the local community. They increase their knowledge about their community. They create a slide show presentation with sounds, text and transitions.
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Searching Specialized Databases: The Invisible Web
Young scholars examine the useful information to be found on the "invisible web." They find the best sources of relevant information.
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The World's Ten Greatest Inventions
Students review a list of important inventions from the last century and a half. They order the top ten inventions with an explanation accompanying their choices and then write a report on a selected invention.