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Whittling Out Haiku
Inspired by magazine photos, your young writers hone word choices to create a meaningful haiku. Charged with brainstorming 100 words associated with a photo of their choosing, they whittle their list to the top 10%, make three sentences...
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Test Your Speaking & Listening Skills: Lucky Dip 3
Group your English language learners for this fun trivia exercise. There are 20 questions for each group to discuss. They must name different animals that live in water, recall basic vocabulary terms, recall the capital of Russia, etc....
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Test Your Speaking & Listening Skills: Lucky Dip 2
Sometimes your English language learners don't need structured speaking practice to build oral fluency. This fun trivia worksheet provides them several opportunities to talk. In groups, they must list three countries in Asia, three...
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Test Your Speaking & Listening Skills: Lucky Dip 1
Get your English language learners talking with this fun trivia worksheet! They'll name three cities in Europe, complete basic math problems, recall the name of Britain's Prime Minister, etc. A fun way to get everyone talking!
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Test Your Speaking & Listening Skills: How To Give a Small Group Or Individual Presentation
How do you structure oral presentations? Guide your orators with this plan. Groups of English language learners will practice presenting their opinion in response to the question "Do you think the death penalty is justified for some...
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People Behind the Parks
Explore U.S. geography with your class by viewing a documentary. Show a portion of the Ken Burns documentary "The National Parks," and identify the individuals responsible for keeping the parks in order. Elementary and middle schoolers...
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Summarizing - Squirrel Rehabilitation
Young scholars watch a video of how squirrels are rehabilitated back into nature and summarize it. They watch the video twice, paying close attention to detail. Before summarizing, they check their notes for important details and fill...
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Individuality vs. Conformity
Have your middle schoolers participate in numerous activities designed to spark their awareness of literature. They express ideas and concerns clearly and respectfully in conversations and group discussions. Next, they view a music...
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The Noughties
Take a look back at a decade your class will actually remember: the noughties. Guide discussion about events your class recalls from those years, and then have them analyze an article (included). Although not specified, learners need to...
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Analyzing a Plot Conflict
Sixth graders analyze plot conflict with science fiction and TV programs. After discussing the conflict, they identify solutions for the programs selected. They examine Only You Can Save Mankind for conflict, and consider ways the...
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Character Wheel
Explore a story's character by using this character wheel. Kids will love this graphic organizer. It's easy to use, and there are spaces to write character traits and textual evidence that supports those traits. This is a great middle...
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A Soldier's View of the American Civil War
Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...
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MountainQuest!
Your scientists are employed by NASA! They have to evaluate five potential sites around the world and decide which location would serve the scientists best. There are comprehensive lesson plans for this electronic field trip, and your...
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The Writing Process Continues
Middle schoolers write a nonfiction animal book. They research an animal to write about and use the templates provided to gather all sorts of information on their animal. Consider making a model book so your class has an idea of what it...
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Around the World in 180 Days
Where did I come from? How did I come to be in this classroom? Using curriculum from Kidspiration, class members research the homelands of their ancestors, as well as the journeys that began from many parts of the world and ended with...
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Draft Dilemmas
Consider the possibility of a new U.S. draft with this lesson, which encourages class debate and persuasive arguments. Middle and high schoolers discuss how such a draft might be enacted and how they would feel about it. They write...
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Improving Sentences 1
Explore editing and revising writing with this presentation. Learners discuss ways to improve a sentence. They discuss how to revise a sentence by adding adjectives, descriptive verbs, and more. While the presentation itself isn't...
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The Personal Narrative
After writing a personal narrative, learners edit their work and that of their classmates. Using the imbedded link, pupils edit their paper. They form small groups and check each other's papers for spelling, grammar usage, sentence...
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Get the Message?
Remember Morse Code? High schoolers investigate ways in which people communicate and assess which communication methods are appropriate and effective in different situations. They evaluate how constant changes in the world of technology...
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Star Reading
Learners of all ages discover the importance of reading fluently by viewing celebrities reading children books and telling about their personal paths to fluency. They participate in a fluency reading routine that connects them with a...
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On the Dots
If you want your class to practice reading informational texts and answering related questions, this short exercise from The New York Times' "Learning Network" might be helpful. It includes an article on Dippin' Dots and uses...
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Literature Circles
Literature circles can be so enjoyable and enlightening, but it's tough to make it around to each group in a short amount of time. This lesson suggests that each group records their discussion, and a different reading strategy is used...
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Information Problem Solving
Students present information about an author of young adult literature using a HyperStudio stack.
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Europe
In order to review language skills, students in both upper elementary and higher grades can benefit from this activity providing an exploration of information related to Europe. This 12 question activity provides a reading passage,...