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Guest Readers
Young readers explore reading comprehension by creating a class presentation. For this storytelling lesson, puils read an assigned text in class and analyze the characters, settings and story. They create an illustrated presentation in...
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Native Americans
Students are introduced to the culture of a variety of Native American tribes through literature and related activities.
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Writing Crazy Crayons
Second graders observe the workings of an assembly line. They classify old crayon pieces by color, melt them in candy molds, package them, and produce advertising literature to sell the product. Students share their work with the class.
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The Middle Ages
Students read books about the Middle Ages. They discuss characteristics of the Middle Ages. In groups, students construct a castle and draw a map to scale. Pupils create a Venn diagram comparing rules in different countries in the...
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Read On
Students consider the question "Why do we read?" through creating and sharing individual timelines of their own histories as readers. They then choose a book on which to write a personal essay.
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Writing to Photography/Photography to Writing
Students improve their' writing by incorporating photography into descriptive and narrative writing exercises. They write descriptions of various professional photographic collections. Later they use their own and other classmates'.
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Life in Letters
Students explore the relationship between an author's life and their work. Students research the historical and personal events surrounding a Nobel Prize winning author and how they are reflected in the author's writing. They create a...
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Transforming Negatives to Positives
Students write diamonte poems that correspond to the double-exposed photograph they created. For this poetry and multimedia artwork lesson, students use the photographic process to create a double-exposed photo then create a diamonte...
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Where the Sidewalk Transcends
Young scholars use titles of Shel Silverstein poems to generate their own poetry for Students. Each student then compares his or her poem to the Shel Silverstein poem of the same title.
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Legends in Their Own Times
Students learn folk tales from many different cultures and retell them using the medium of their choice. They write about the cultural indications found in these tales.
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Show Me the Story
Students examine the elements of a story, read a review of Chris Rock's new sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris" and create original sitcom episodes based on their own lives.
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A Critical Role
Young scholars read a New York Times review of the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. They discuss the roles and responsibilities of a cultural critic, and prepare for a visit to a local museum in order to write their own...
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Behind the Cover
Students develop questions they would have liked to ask an author about their written works. They read an article about their forefathers and research a back story to a written work of their choice. They create posters to illustrate the...
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Radical Reads
Students recreate an "American Idol" contest in which they present their favorite books to their classmates using arguments for and excerpts from the books. Following the presentation, students will be polled and the least popular books...
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Journey Home: The Active Learner
Learners discuss focus questions prior to reading and preview the book, "Journey Home." In this language arts lesson, small groups present vocabulary words. Students complete after-reading discussion questions and choose writing...
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Making Up is Hard to Do
Learners examine the art of makeup. Students work in pairs to create a costume and make-up that will evoke a chosen literary character. They perform a short scene for the class, revealing the character's unique qualities.
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Folktales around the World (Middle, Reading/Writing)
Students analyze, synthesize, and use the elements of various US cultural folk tales to describe the elements of fiction in general and in folk tales specifically.
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Little Engine That Could Lesson Plan
Learners retell the story The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. In this early childhood lesson plan, students identify the various trains featured in the story, focusing on the descriptive words. Learners then create their own...
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Book Party
Students compile a list of titles and authors worthy of having their own festivals, then research and write proposals outlining the activities for a specific book festival. They write analytical letters from the perspective of the author...
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The Little House
First graders read the story "The Little House" and discuss changing patterns and then create a seasonal mandala using a paper plate and crayons.
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fourth graders research and write an author report on Roald Dahl, including books written by him, birthplace, family life, and other information on his writing. Students read aloud chapters in the book. Students create a newspaper...
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Anne Carson
Students read poetry and a biography of poet Anne Carson as part of a creative writing lesson. For this poetry analysis lesson, students read about the poet, read her poetry, and analyze a photograph to then write a poem. Students write...
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Deshawn's Days
Students read about a boy while exploring poetry. In this poetry lesson, students discuss how Deshawn's neighborhood and family are described.
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Because of Winn-Dixie
Students make connections with the book Because of Winn-Dixie through writing. In this writing lesson, students pretend to be the main character and write a letter to her mother, using very descriptive language. Students also write...