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Help Wanted: President of the United States
Students consider qualities and United States president should have. In this government lesson, students research the responsibilities of the president and use that information to create an advertisement that describes the job 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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Research, Writing, and the 'Isms'
Students research an art style. They create an original short story, poem, or personal essay and illustrate the written work with the style of art they researched.
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Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents
Arranged into small groups, learners read a paragraph of the news story "Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents." As one reads, others mark the text (underlining important information and writing notes in the margin of the story). After...
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Descriptive Writing-The Hobbit
Young readers write a descriptive paper on the fantasy characters in The Hobbit. They take notes as they read the novel in order to provide descriptions of the character traits of hobbits, dwarfs, trolls, wizards, and goblins. They pay...
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Paragraph Construction
What is a paragraph? This question drives the PowerPoint. Viewers discuss important elements of a solid paragraph, transitions between paragraphs, and strategies for editing. Show this presentation and then look at an example paragraph...
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Two Sides, Same Coin: How Political Beliefs Influence Language Use
Learners read several magazine articles on the same topic written from different political perspectives, paying particular attention to the diction, syntax, and arguments presented in support the point of view expressed. They then select...
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Annotated Bibliographies
What is an annotated bibliography? While not usually required until college, introducing your juniors and seniors to this type of document will prepare them for their collegiate careers. The term is defined, and the three elements of an...
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You Call That Art? - Activity 1
Learners formulate a definition of art in the introductory lesson for a unit on various art forms. The learning emphasis is placed on Oregonian artist Duff Severe and reflective writing. Students compose an essay describing various art...
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Research Techniques: Gathering Credible Sources
How can you spot a credible source? What even makes a resource reliable in the first place? Answer some of these questions with this presentation. Although intended for higher education, this PowerPoint could be modified for middle...
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Figurative Language
I have a pair of ducks; one can’t swim. Viewers are introduced to several literary terms (paradox, oxymoron, pun, irony, etc.) that are defined and illustrated with examples. Then they are asked to identify the figurative language used...
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Cross-referencing: Using MLA Format
The purposes of documentation, the uses of parenthetical citations, and the necessity of a Works Cited page are the focus of a presentation designed for the beginning of a research unit. A script for the instructor accompanies the slides.
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Integrating Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries Effectively
Integrating quotations, paraphrases, and summaries into a paper can be a challenge. After the terms are defined and the difference among them illustrated, viewers are shown correct and incorrect inclusions of quotations. Preview the...
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Poetry: Basic Elements of a Poem
People who pen poetry positively need to know basic tenets and terms of poetry, like alliteration and consonance, for example. These and other terms are define and illustrated. Then viewers are given an object and asked to craft a...
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Ellipses: a Mini Lesson
“Use ellipses to show omitted material from a quoted passage . . . and to maintain good grammar . . . .” Everything learners need to know about ellipses and how to uses them is included in colorful presentation that is rich with...
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Activity 3: Composing Personal Narratives
What was your most (exciting, maddening, nervous, thrilling, etc.) experience in school? A part of a unit on narrative writing, in this lesson class members review the elements of the form and then choose an event when they learned a...
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Friendly Letters: Interactive Writing Project
Students practice writing friendly letters. In this friendly letters lesson, students take a field trip and then write a friendly thank you letter for the experience. Students follow the three given steps to complete the lesson.
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Fiction Stories
Students complete writing activities for fiction. In this fiction writing lesson, students complete four sets of activities in a writer's workshop format to practice reading and writing in a fiction style. Students develop plot outlines,...
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Controlling the Pandemic: Public Health Focus
Young scholars examine global issues centered around HIV and AIDS. In this health science lesson, students compare and analyze public health measures and factors that affect the treatment of HIV/AIDS. They examine the role of...
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The Price of Happiness: On Advertising, Image, and Self Esteem
Are your students aware of the effect advertising can have on their self-image, self-esteem, and happiness? This lesson from the Media Awareness Network is aimed at increasing that awareness and mitigating any negative effects it might...
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Quoting, Citing, and Paraphrasing
Beware! (not only the Ides of March). Warn your researchers of the dangers of plagiarism! After defining the term, viewers are introduced to the consequences of and forms of plagiarism, as well as tips on how to avoid plagiarism....
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Women and Korean Literature
Learners read a text about women in Korean and their role in Korean literature. For this Korean literature lesson, students read a text by Helen Koh to learn about women writers in Korea.
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Cinquain Syllables
Students identify and analyze various forms of poetry, then use information gathered from research to write their own cinquain poems. They then identify each syllable of their cinquain with a small icon that reflects the theme of their...
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Transitions
Give examples of transitions and why they are necessary in writing. A bit verbose, this handout is very thorough and provides many examples. The second page lists plenty of transitional phrases in a convenient chart.