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Where No Student Has Gone Before
Students create a story about an unknown planet invaded by humans as a pre-reading activity for the novel, A Wrinkle In Time. They discuss good versus evil, and identify examples of the theme good vs. evil in books, film, and their own...
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Responding To Literature
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes nineteen lessons, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response activities are included for each lesson as well as extension and...
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When I Set My Hat at a Certain Angle: Trying on Zora Neale Hurston's Voice to Dress-up Prose
After reading and evaluating examples of prose nonfiction by Zora Neale Hurston and other authors, high schoolers write a personal reflective essay rich in figurative language. By incorporating this strategy, they utilize voice within...
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Nonfiction Text Features
Identify features of a nonfiction article in this language arts instructional activity. Middle schoolers apply comprehension strategies as they read the parts of the article, and analyze the author's key points. Additionally, they...
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Irony in Poetry and Prose (Fiction and Non-fiction Texts)
Middle and high schoolers examine the impact of irony in poetry and prose. For this figurative language lesson, they read instructor-selected literature and identify uses of irony. Then they discuss how irony enhances literature.
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Reading/English Language Arts/ Instructional Strategies
Students are given a line drawing that only that students sees. They are asked to describe the drawings to the reset of the class to see if they can draw it as the teacher describes it. Students work with a partner, and they are given a...
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Edgar Allen Poe And The Art Of Composition
High schoolers evaluate several works by Edgar Allen Poe based on the criteria in his essay, "The Philosophy of Composotion" Their analysis is documented using a graphic organizer. Learners begin the pre-writing process for their own...
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Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar
Upper graders write word problems and research the uses of multiplication. They start off by taking a pre-test on multiplication and then read the book, Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar. They make up word problems to go with their...
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Analyzing Persuasion
A reading of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech launches a study of rhetorical devices such as hyperbole, allusion, metaphor, simile, personification, connotative language and parallel structure. Class members then...
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Persuasive Elements
Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...
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Was the Wolf Really Guilty?
Students read plays, short stories, or novels which revolve around trials, and write essays explaining or defending the assigned role in a mock fairy tale trial.
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Industrialization
Eleventh graders examine government regulations. In this industrialization activity, 11th graders look into what was going on inside American factories during the era. Students read excerpts of The Jungle and watch selected video clips...
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Salvaged Pages: Writing as a Response to Literature
Students discuss the topic of the Holocaust. Before reading and discussing Elie Wiesel's "Night", they complete an activity giving them a different perspective on the event. They read diaries and journal entries of children and write a...
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Metric Meals
Sixth graders investigate metric measurements. In this metric measurement lesson, 6th graders explore mass, capacity, and length. Students examine graduated cylinders and balance scales to obtain measurements. Resources are provided.
Teaching for Change
A Documents-Based Lesson on the Voting Rights Act
How did the Voting Rights Act affect the daily lives of American citizens? A document-based lesson developed by the Student Non-Violent Coordinating committee (SNCC) presents a case study of the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on...
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Olympics (Grade 4)
Students research information about the current Olympic research. In this Olympic research lesson, students take a pre-test to determine their knowledge about the current Summer Olympics. They choose one of three areas to research and...
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School Newspaper
Fifth graders run a school newspaper on a school website and discover how to use various literary forms as they relate to the writing process. In this school newspaper instructional activity, 5th graders synthesize information from...
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Genre Study - Grade Three
Third graders learn to identify different types of literature genres. In this genre instructional activity, 3rd graders complete pre and post- assessment, conduct a genre research activity, and complete the associated worksheets.
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Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs
Second graders explore weather. In this weather lesson, 2nd graders read Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and participate in four supplemental science activities. Students participate in Internet research, create weather maps,...
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Novel Creation
Students create an alternate ending with digital animations to illustrate their text. In this novel creation lesson, students read a novel and analyze the plot in small groups. Students collaborate on an alternate ending and create a...
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World Without Oil
Students discover the world of fossil fuels and oil shortages. In this world economy lesson, students read articles on the Internet discussing the world's dependence on oil and the possibility of an extended oil shortage. Students...
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Creating a Universally Designed Lesson Plan
Young scholars investigate plant cells. In this multiple intelligences lesson, students engage in a variety of activities to foster an understanding of plant cells and how they work. Young scholars read, write, observe, and role-play...
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Tattercoats
Students read the English folktale, "Tattercoats," identify basic literary terms, and respond to writing prompts. They compare and contrast with another Cinderella story version and create a graphic response to the story.
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The Twelve Months: A Slavic Cinderella Variant
Students locate Slavic countries and identify a few characteristics of those countries. They read and/or listen to the Slavic tale, "The Twelve Months," and compare this version with another Cinderella story.