Curated OER
I'm A Poet and Now I Know It
Eighth graders gather ideas generated from other poems and their own inspiration, to create original poetry. A celebration is included as students bind and submit poems for publication.
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A Moment in Time
Eighth graders study poems to see how punctuation, line length, rhythm and word choice can be used to create a memorable moment. They read and discuss poems by Shel Silverstein.
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I Just Want to Say
Eighth graders study poetic devices included in conversation poems and explore their eloquent messages. They read and discuss poems by Langston Hughes and Don Marquis.
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ACROSTIC POETRY
Learners use newspapers or magazines to create an acrostic poem where words are divided into parts of speech.
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You Can Count on Spelling
Here is a cross-curricular activity that is suitable for virtually any grade level! Learners calculate the mathematical value of their spelling words using the letter tiles from a Scrabble game and identify the spelling word with the...
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Mondrian - Primary/Secondary Color Study
Utilizing computer software, learners demonstrate the color spectrum. They investigate the life of the artist Piet Mondrian and define his style of artwork. Then they use Photoshop to recreate some of his designs while discovering the...
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Stir Up a Character Analysis Recipe
What ingredients make up a character? A cup of honesty, a dash of humor, a pinch of cynicism? Based on real cookbooks they review in class, learners at any grade level three and up write recipes to describe characters familiar to your...
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Student Opinion: What Teacher Do You Appreciate?
This online resource is composed of a writing sample about teacher appreciation and a writing prompt for learners. You could use this as an in-class journal activity or you could have class members post their responses on the New York...
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Reporting Live from the Twentieth Century
Young scholars create a news story on one of the top 100 news stories of the 20th century.choose one past news event. They write a news story about that event, and provide a continuation of the story based on their research.
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School Facilities: Setting the Mood for Education
Students watch the News Ohio video about Lincoln Junior High School. They write a reaction paper, explaining what effect the studying environment has on students. If the classroom was in a basement, perhaps a little dark and damp, would...
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Bringing the Line to Life
Students use different types and lengths of sentences. They write with an insight of the stylistic aspects of composition. Students use precise language including adjectives, adverbs, action verbs and specific details that convey the...
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Book Education, Work and Play in One Building
Students gain an understanding as to how the development of different institutions can differ and evolve with time. This lesson focuses on the development of Gary, Indiana's schools in the early 1900's.
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Building Vocabulary
Decode and acquire new vocabulary! Readers use new vocabulary in their writing and use synonyms to determine meanings. Visual learners label pictures and group words together to increase understanding.
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Exploring Contrasting Story Elements Through Tapestry and Poetry
Young thinkers view two narrative art tapestries and study the images included that tell a story about the Roman Emperor Constantine. As they examine the details of the tapestries, pupils use a Venn Diagram to record the similarities and...
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Who Wrote That?
Scholars creatively respond to writing prompts. They respond to writing prompts that reveal clues regarding their personalities and then use the prompts written in class to guess the prompts that belong to their classmates.
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The Three People I Would Like to Invite for Dinner
Students identify and research three figures that are their personal heroes based on their characteristics of a hero. In this research lesson plan, the hero categories are a historical figure, a contemporary figure, and a person the...
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Mythology Newspaper....The Trojan Times
Learners are assigned to a writing group: news stories, obituaries and births, classifieds, comics, gossip, sports and editorials. The newspaper covers mythological figures in history. This is a very clever, meaningful instructional...
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Graphic Novel/Comics with Josh Elder
Students read about graphic novels and complete related activities. In this graphic novels lesson, students read about the genre and author Josh Elder. Students complete novel analysis activities for the lesson.
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Campaign Day
Eighth graders groups will become the parties in an election. In this campaign day instructional activity, 8th graders will address students to try and get elected. Students will question the candidates.
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Personalized Poetry Portfolio
Eighth graders create their own poetry portfolio containing poems that relate to Students' lives and families. The portfolio consist of the following types of poems: acrostic, diamante`, haiku, cinquain, and free verse.
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What's the Story?
Students write a group continuation story after reading the novel, The Giver. They write a continuation of the story of Jonas' and Gabe's adventures in Elsewhere, then share their story with the class.
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Crazy Critters Teach Parts of Speech
Pupils create pieces of writing about a creature they have created. They examine the parts of speech and how they are used in their writing to see how they can write more specifically.
Scholastic
The Flight of Amelia Earhart Teaching Guide
Amelia Earhart's accomplishments and strength of character extend beyond her status as one of the first female aviators in America. Elementary and middle schoolers learn about Earhart's early life and the historical context surrounding...
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Women in History: Research for Expository Writing
After reading an excerpt from Amelia Earhart's autobiography, The Fun of It, learners explore various nonfiction resources about her life and write a short newspaper article on a specific event. They then develop a longer piece of...