Lesson Plan
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The Mighty Elements: Using the Visual Thesaurus to Investigate Chemical Elements

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Pupils create trading cards for elements in the Periodic Table. Initially, they are introduced to the Periodic Table of Elements and the concept of elements in the world around us. After dividing into groups, learners use the Visual...
Lesson Plan
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Word Association Poetry with Visual Thesaurus (or Not)

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young poets get inspiration and guidance for making word association poems with the Visual Thesaurus. Your class could complete this project with nothing more than a pencil and paper as well. A nice one-off for a substitute during your...
Lesson Plan
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Thesaurus Forage

For Teachers 5th
Looking for a game that teaches students about how to use a thesaurus, and reinforces the concept of synonyms? Each player will have the opportunity to use their "tools" in this engaging lesson. They will use their thesauruses in order...
Activity
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Writing Portfolio: An Autobiography Assignment

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
An extensive portfolio project encourages your kids to reflect on their personalities with multiple writing assignments. From activities on extended metaphors to writing about an important day in their lives, kids explore the way they...
Lesson Plan
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Rooting One's Way to Meaning

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Discover the Virtual Thesaurus with your class. They use the Virtual Thesaurus to assist them in an inquiry-based approach to discovering the meanings of some common Latin and Greek roots. Each child then teaches a particular root and...
Lesson Plan
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When You Reeeaaallly Want to Say Something

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Kids paraphrase an entry from The Elements of Style, and then revise a sentence. They use the Visual Thesaurus and find synonyms for the phrase very pretty, brainstorm a list of intensifiers (as alternatives to really and very),...
Lesson Plan
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Degrees Of Meaning

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Introduce the idea of a word and its synonyms having different degrees of meaning. Each individual chooses a word that he or she wants to work with and fills out the included worksheet using a thesaurus. Consider having a word bank of...
Lesson Plan
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Mapping Your Identity: A Back-To-School Ice Breaker

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Identify the unique personal attributes of your class members. Begin by viewing the Visual Thesaurus and discussing displayed attributes associated with famous American leaders. Using these identity maps as models, pupils generate nouns...
Lesson Plan
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The Secret School

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders make predictions and go over vocabulary for the story The Secret School. In this reading lesson plan, 4th graders use comprehension skills as they read the story and have to read to them.
Lesson Plan
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The Power of Words in "Charlotte's Web"

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students analyze the text in Charlotte's Web. In this language arts lesson, students dissect the passages from Charlotte's Web, specifically the adjectives Charlotte used to describe Wilbur. Finally, students play a game using "word...
Lesson Plan
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Color My World Grey and Blue

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Can colors help to convey a mood in writing? Explore this question with your class using the songs "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell. After analyzing the effect of the color words in these songs...
Lesson Plan
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Boston Women: The Struggle for Freedom 1760 -1850

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the lives and various accomplishments of selected women of Boston.In this famous women writing lesson, 5th graders research biographical information. Students discuss the achievements of these women using...
Lesson Plan
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“Home on the Range”

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders analyze the song "Home on the Range" and identify its meaning and setting.  For this timeline and retelling lesson, 4th graders use dictionaries to find definitions of unfamiliar words, create a timeline and retell...
Lesson Plan
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ICT Activity 18

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study the 'Rime of the Ancient Mariner.' They study the ballad and explore style and technique. Students use the internet and search previously identified news sites for current items of interest. They use images copied...
Lesson Plan
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Communicating about Our World through Informal Writing

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders review their writing for repetition of words at the beginning of the sentence.  In this informal writing lesson, 5th graders share examples of sentence beginnings.  Students use a thesaurus to find antonyms and...
Lesson Plan
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First Class Mail

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers read The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and write a friendly letter to Elizabeth George Speare, the author, discussing their points of interest in the novel with her.
Lesson Plan
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Transforming Negatives to Positives

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students write diamonte poems that correspond to the double-exposed photograph they created.  In this poetry and multimedia artwork lesson, students use the photographic process to create a double-exposed photo then create...
Lesson Plan
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Poetry Pop-Up

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders, after exploring the process of writing poetry through imagery words that go beyond pen and paper, create a Poetry Pop-Up Book. They incorporate the use of the Thesaurus and clip-art/digital photography to assist them in...
Lesson Plan
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The Price is Right - Advertisements

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders design written advertisements using cut out items from catalogs or newspapers in order to persuade consumers.
Lesson Plan
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The Social Skill of Communication

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore communication by analyzing manners. In this social skills lesson plan, 5th graders review the different forms of communication and how to present yourself in a phone conversation, face to face meeting, e-mail, etc....
Lesson Plan
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Synonym Trees

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders create synonym trees by writing their main word on the tree trunk and gluing synonym words to represent the leaves. In this synonyms lesson plan, 5th graders play a class game where they must find a partner who has a...
Lesson Plan
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Acronym Names

For Teachers K - 12th
Students create an acronym out of their name. They use a thesaurus and the computer to create it. They also add pictures to make it more creative.
Lesson Plan
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Homophone Cartoons

For Teachers 5th - 7th
A terrific lesson on homophones awaits your youngsters. First, pupils access a website that contains lists of homophones. Then, it's time to get creative! Everyone gets a piece of poster board and they create a homophone cartoon -...
Lesson Plan
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Dragonwings: Evaluate Chapters 10-12

For Teachers 6th - 8th
As your class finishes the novel Dragonwings, use these culminating projects. A vocabulary list is given for chapters eleven and twelve and either an epitaph or letter activity concludes the book. The final project consists of creating a...