Albert Shanker Institute
Dream Under Development
As part of their study of the 1963 March on Washington, class members do a side-by-side comparison of the original text of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" with a transcript of the speech he delivered. The take away from the...
Queen's Printer for Ontario
Composers in Music History
What do Johann Sebastian Bach and Miles Davis have in common? Much more than class members might imagine. The comparison of these two famous composers is just one lesson in a unit that investigates many facets of the music industry...
Curated OER
Word Roots 5: NAT, TRACT, SEQU Intermediate Puzzle 1, 2, & 3
Build vocabulary with this resource. This online activity breaks up a list of words into words that have common roots. Learners are given the definition of each word as well as the word root and are asked to fill in the rest of the...
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Idea-Noun Definition: Source Searching
A great idea for showing language arts pupils the universality of themes, even in the real world! Have class members choose an idea-noun (peace, justice, war, love, etc.) at the beginning of the year or semester. They complete weekly...
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One Story, Many Tales
Students compare and contrast various versions of the fairytale Cinderella. In this folktale lesson plan, students read The Korean Cinderella and The Egyptian Cinderella and analyze the differences between the two stories. Students...
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Fighting the War in Your Head
Young scholars analyze the experiences of a fictional soldier in a war and create a mental health profile for that individual. They emulate psychiatrists and propose treatment strategies for their particular soldier's post-traumatic...
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Autobiographies: A Jigsaw Puzzle
Learners read The Autobiography of Ben Franklin. Using construction paper, they cut out five jigsaw puzzle pieces in different shapes using the entire sheet of paper. They write events from their own lives on the puzzle pieces, thus...
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The March Continues
Students explore the Civil Rights Memorial. In this character development and U.S. History activity, students employ reading comprehension strategies while reading a news article about the Civil Rights Memorial. Students work in groups...
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Revolutionary Boston
Students annotate core maps to explain either the political or the military situation in the British North American colonies, using Boston as a case study. They explain the British military strategy for suppressing the rebellion in Boston.
ReadWriteThink
Analyzing Famous Speeches as Arguments
A speaker, a message, an audience. After analyzing these elements in Queen Elizabeth's speech to the troops at Tilbury, groups analyze how other speakers use an awareness of events, and their audience to craft their arguments....
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Macbeth Madness
Students analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth by completing the creative activities. For this Macbeth lesson, students discuss the timeline for William Shakespeare and identify the characters for Macbeth. Students read Act One, Scenes i-v of...
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Macbeth Madness
Students analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth in a variety of creative activities. In this Macbeth lesson, students read Act Two, Scene IV and Act Three, Scene I-VI. Students then complete the text given at the link.
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Renaissance Realities
Students analyze passages by Niccolo Machiavelli and Francis Bacon as an analysis of Renaissance ideas in contemporary situations. In this Renaissance writings lesson, students read excerpts from Machiavelli's The Prince and multiple...
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Day Eight Lesson- The Whale Rider
Young scholars examine cultural differences through the reading of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. In this language arts lesson, students work in groups to analyze chapters 11 and 12 of the novel; these chapters highlight cultural...
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Pinckney Benedict's "The Sutton Pie Safe" from Town Smokes
Students read Pinckney Benedict's "The Sutton Pie Safe" to learn about family symbols and social commentary. In this close reading activity, students read four journal prompts for the story and answer the listed questions for each section.
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Fusion: Calligraphy of Thought
Young scholars read about Calligraphy of Thought, a collection of poetry linking Islam to the West. In this art and poetry lesson, students read about the poetry collection and complete a culture flower.
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Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Students complete close reading and analysis activities for Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In this literature analysis instructional activity, students complete multiple close reading and analysis activities to evaluate the 19th century...
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Dispel Myths, Save Lives
Students explore the reality of underage drinking. In this underage drinking lesson plan, students read the USA Today article titled 'Dispel Myths, Save Lives,' respond to discussion questions regarding the article, and complete an...
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Dr. King and His Advice for Dreams Deferred
Students analyze Dr. King's public addresses and Langston Hughes' poetry as a study of the Civil Rights' nonviolent approach to making an impact. In this protesting lesson, students read poetry of Hughes and speeches by Dr. King as a...
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Hamilton and Burr : Compare and Contrast
Who were Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton? High schoolers examine the character traits of these historical figures and watch the video, The Duel. Hamilton vs. Burr: An Event that Changed History (available from PBS), to gain an...
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Macbeth Madness
Students analyze Shakespeare's Macbeth. In this Macbeth lesson, students read Act Two Scene iv and Act Three Scenes i-vi in the play and complete the test from the given link.
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Editing Emily's Way: An Exercise in Diction and Its Implications
Students examine the poetry of Emily Dickinson and the diction in her poetry. In this poetry analysis lesson, students read Dickinson poetry and analyze the diction in the poems. Students journal about the poetry and rewrite their own...
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SAT Preparation
The verbal and quantitative sections of the SAT can be a challenge for even the most erudite logophile. Prepare your test takers for the vocabulary they will encounter on standardized exams by providing them with a helpful list of roots,...
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Writing with Writers
Students participate in Writing with Writer's, a step-by-step set of directions aimed at improving different genres of student writing. They identify the characteristics of different genres and follow a specified writing process to...