Curated OER
Getting To Know You
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes ten lessons from the American Literature series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response activities are included for each...
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Homophones and Vivid Verbs
Students define and practice using synonyms, antonyms, homonyms, and homophones in complete sentences, paragraphs and essays. They include "vivid verbs" in their writing with the aid of a dictionary or thesaurus.
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Greek Origins and Character Development
Seventh graders examine words of Greek origin and discuss character development in fiction. They read a list of Greek word parts and create words on a worksheet. Students then read and discuss an informational handout about character...
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Mending Walls: Barriers in Communications
Students explore a literal and figurative wall. In this communication lesson, students examine and discuss barriers in communication as they analyze Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and Robert Frost's "Mending Wall".
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Dramatic Dilemmas
Students read The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost, and develop skits that deal with projecting possible long-term impacts of decisions, and taking risks.
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Human Rights/Civil Rights
Learners connect their examination of the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry to a historical and contemporary study of the issue of human rights and civil rights by creating a HyperStudio stack.
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American Literature, The Earliest Days
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes eleven lessons from the American Literature, The Earliest Days: Prehistory to 1750 each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response...
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World Literature From Africa
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes twenty-four lessons from the World Literature series, each covering a different reading selection from Africa. Pre-reading and response activities are...
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A Little Mystery and Intrigue in Writing Short Detective Stories
Pupils read and analyze the twelve short stories in the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." They create their own detective that has to solve a new kind of crime, and write and edit a short story with their original detective as...
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Press Release
Seventh graders write and publish a press release. For this news writing lesson, 7th graders analyze press releases from various online sources. Students write a press release about a major event in their school.
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Write a Myth
Learners explore myths in ancient times. In this mythology lesson, students read or view a video production of a myth to determine specific characteristics of myths. Learners work in groups to write a myth that explains an...
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Know your Daemons
Students take a closer look at Pullman's The Golden Compass. In this current events lesson, students visit the film's interactive website and participate in a discussion about the nature of religion in the book and the film.
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Britney Allowed To Visit Her Children
Pupils read, analyze and discuss a newspaper article about the American singer Britney Spears and the courts giving her permission to see her children three times a week. They assess key vocabulary terms found in the article and then...
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Raise a New Torch
Students write their own poem about immigration. They are asked to write a kind of "welcome to America" update of Emma Lazarus's classic verse.
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A Look at Judith Leyster
Students consider the question, "How do I want people to see me?" as they examine the self-portrait of Judith Leyster. They develop and refine characterization of a subject through poetry writing
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Sonnets and Poetic Dialogue
Seventh graders read a piece of work by Shakespeare and then write a sonnet.
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Online Collaborative Writing Lesson Plan
Students write poetry and post it on the Internet for others to see.
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Words From the Heart
Students create poems using the same method as young poet Mattie J.T. Stepanek's mother use to help him write his early poems.
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ABBA - Lesson 3
Pupils develop a deeper understanding of the connection between improvisation and inspiration. They choose a partner and take out their original poems. With their partners, have them say the poem with a steady beat.
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When were you selfless today?
Students, after reading and analyzing the poem, Selflessness of Mind, by Joe Gurknecht, brainstorm and discuss specific recent student acts of selflessness. They develop strategies to tie those acts of selflessness to themselves and...
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A Poet's New Post
Students investigate the genre of poetry and focus upon its purpose while participating in class discussion. They read about the life and writings of Charles Simic and use it for the context of creating poetry that is similar in style.
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Nevermore
Learners research and record on a timeline the biography of a chosen poet correlating the poetry of the bard with those events which shaped his or her life. The events of the poet's life are examined to contrive meaning of the writings...
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Words And the Images They Create
Middle schoolers explore how the written languages of China and Japan evolved, creating representations of Chinese and Japanese Poetry. Emphasis is placed on small, cooperative learning groups.
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The Autobiography of a Middle School
Young scholars use digital cameras to document school experiences. Afterwards, they use computer software to manipulate their photos and write poetry, essays or biographies to compliment the pictures. Finally, students create an...