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The Learning Network: Re-envisioning Classic Stories
Readers reflect on enjoyable stories they know, brainstorm criteria that make a story "good," analyze a New York Times article about innovative children's performances, re-envision classics on their own, and peer edit drafts. Use this as...
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Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan: Dress Codes
Students examine the pros and cons of the implementation of public policy matters and the specific issue of dress codes. They develop a list of pros and cons of a school dress code, examine and discuss a local editorial newspaper page,...
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A Colony is Born : Lesson 5 - Dear Mem
Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...
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Final Reports
Students write reports, including a summary of their research findings and their historical journal entries, to be shared with friends and families, and publish their reports.
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Art Reflecting Life
Have your young television viewers discuss popular shows among their peers. After choosing one show to analyze, middle and high schoolers read about the 2007-2008 network television lineup with the New York Times article "Gauging Viewer...
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Who Needs Friends?
Students discuss how to be a good friend to others. They create a list of characteristics to use in more future lessons. They reflect on they type of friend they are in journal writings.
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The Hatfield and McCoy Feud
Fourth graders investigate the Hatfield and McCoy feud. In this Hatfield and McCoy feud lesson, 4th graders examine factors that caused the feud. Students also locate on a map where the feud took place, make a timeline of the main events...
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Differences Between Resource Types
Google it! Like Kleenix, Google has genericized. But when beginning a project, young researchers need to go beyond search engines and become aware of the different types of research resources available. Introduce the options with a...
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Grade Expectations
Students explore how the ten percent plan and other education initiatives promote diversity, as well as about their practical effects on students from different types of educational and economic backgrounds. They discuss college...
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Comparing Colleges
Students begin process of selecting suitable colleges by exploring colleges in foreign countries and reflecting on a possible future life far from their native countries. They rank various criteria for selecting colleges, discuss...
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QUALITY OR QUANTITY
Students share opinions about the criteria they consider important in an online search engine. Using Google and Yahoo, they investigate various subjects and compare their search results. To synthesize their findings, students prepare...
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Literature Circles in Action
Learners form cooperative groups to read, discuss, and respond to a novel. They select a novel from offered choices or by criteria given by teacher and complete a culminating project on the novel from such choices as: creating a...
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Mad About Madagascar
Students read/discuss "On Madagascar, A Treasury of Fauna and Flora," examining the issues affecting the biodiversity of Madagascar. They present information on issues affecting Madagascar's ecology, and write policy statements on...
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Get Real!
Learners reach a consensus as to what makes a good reality-based TV show. They create their own scenarios for a new such show, and critique it, based on the criteria the class establishes.
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Louisiana's Legendary Musicians
Young scholars identify and interpret what legendary traditional musicians of Louisiana that allows them to hear new genres of traditional music. They also identify what it means to be a legendary artist and read, write, and create a...
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Still Life Painting: Arranging Nature
Young scholars display the two still-life paintings they created along with their artist’s statement, write a review of a peer’s work, and discuss all of the paintings in a group critique. In this still life art lesson, students view the...
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A Sure Bet!
Ninth graders analyze Chekhov's "The Bet". They repsond to a journal quesiton and use examples from the novel. In groups, they take on different roles analyzing the novel and then write one of my prompts to complete the lesson.
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Holes, by Louis Sachar
Young scholars use reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, written expression to write in journals as reading "Holes" by Louis Sachar. Some days are set aside for tests and/or food tasting.
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The Issues-Substance not Style
Students continue to develop criteria for evaluating candidates, consider personal qualities needed in the presidency, and compare candidate's qualifications for office. They write in their journals: "What issues get the most air time or...
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Veterans Day
First graders examine the history and significance of Veteran's Day. They discuss each of the military branches and how Veteran's Day was started, and write a thank you letter to a Veteran. Students copy the greeting and closing of the...
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Lobster Business Charts
Students research four Maine based businesses involved with lobster fishery as a career analysis. In this career exploration lesson, students research lobster fishery businesses and write a class book showing the progression of a lobster...
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Vivid Verbs
Fifth graders review action verbs by brainstorming a list of them as a class. Using magazines, they pick one picture and use a dictionary or thesaurus to identify verbs that describe the action taking place. Using the new verbs, they...
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Ceramics: A Vessel Into History
Students evaluate the work of their peers using the criteria for value and meaning they developed. In this ceramics instructional activity, students evaluate their peers’ vessels in their journals by responding to the given questions...
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Still-Life Painting: Arranging Nature
High schoolers display the two still-life paintings that they created in previous lessons, along with their artist's statements. They write a review of a peer's work and discuss all of the paintings in a group critique.