Curriculum Corner
May Writing Ideas
From Cinco de Mayo to Endangered Species day to National Hamburger Month, May is full of ideas to write about. Give young writers prompts that have everything to do with the month of May. Topics include writing a story, conducting...
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Graham's Appalachian Spring: A Study
Young scholars explore choreographic narrative. In this choreography lesson, students explore the elements of Appalachian Spring as they develop a series of written responses to assignments that challenge them to investigate the...
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Daylight Savings Time
An entomologist named Geroge Vernon Hudson is credited with proposing Daylight Saving Time (DST) so he could better study his insects. Using the informative website, scholars read a brief introduction to the topic and then explore the...
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Childhood Lost: Child Labor in the United States, 1830-1930
Working in groups, middle and high schoolers describe and discuss photographs depicting working conditions experienced by child laborers in the 19th century. They then write a persuasive paragraph supporting an amendment to regulate the...
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Changing Seasons
Explore expository writing and using precise language in this descriptive paragraph writing lesson. Learners brainstorm prior knowledge about the changing seasons in Ohio. They describe seasonal items, view seasonal pictures from...
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Children's Health on the Decline
Demonstrate the importance of children's health with this cross-curricular lesson, which includes elements from health and science as well as expository writing. Middle schoolers develop realistic and obtainable one week health and...
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A "Fresh" Approach to the District's 6+1 Traits Writing Assessment
One way to assess improvement in writing is to conduct a district-wide assessment program. This resource details the Wisconsin Dells approach to assessing freshmen 6+1 Traits writing. The format could be adapted to any district or used...
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Spring-Aloud Read
Learners study the season of spring and create stories about the season. In this spring season instructional activity, students read books about spring and discuss the season. Learners then color and create a mini-book about Spring.
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How Do You Define Spring?
Students conduct surveys to determine when spring occurs in the minds of people in their area. They organize and interpret their data.
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Kindergarten Writing: Narrative Prompt
What is special about summer (fall, winter, or spring)? Using a bag filled with season-related items (for summer items like sunglasses, a swimming suit, etc.) the class take turns taking out one item. A discussion of how each item might...
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The Life And Times Of The Apple
Students engage in a study about the biology of apples that includes growth and reproduction. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students write a description of an apple brought to class by answering several questions....
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Dante's Peak Movie Review
Middle or high school volcanologists watch the 1997 film, Dante's Peak. They make observations as they watch and then write a movie review, focusing on what was accurately represented. They also point out what facts were stretched by...
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Wild Horses of the Outer Banks
Students explore animal habitats. For this cross curriculum animal survival and writing lesson, students view a website about wild horses on Shackelford Island and discuss ways in which the horses have changed to this...
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Social Movements in American Politics
Learners explore American social movements. For this writing skills lesson, students read Orwell's "Politics and the English." Learners then apply the rules for writing that are included in the piece. Students follow-up by completing a...
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Creative Writing
Students criticially read an unfinished creative writing piece, answer factual questions concerning the piece, and then finish the story or create their own story about their own neigborhood and possible environmental issues.
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Spring into Poetry
How many different types of poetry are there? Let me count them; list poems, haiku, and makes-me-think poems are only a few. Learners create their own poems accompanied by artistic projects such as haiku poems written on kites.
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Follow Spring's Journey North Recording Highlights of the Season
Students scan headlines on the Journey North News Updates each day to track the changes that spring brings as it comes to different areas of the United States.
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Confronting Two Challenges--One Physical, One Intellectual
Students examine the challenges of a new language and culture. In this cultural lesson plan, student read Running by Peter Hessler and discuss obstacles faced, including the language barrier. Students write an essay about a time they...
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Double-Entry Journal Writing
Introduce your learners to the concept of a double-entry journal. Talk about how to connect with the text and model an example for them. Using whatever literature you are working with, have scholars choose a quote and make their own...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "The Shapes of Leaves" by Arthur Sze
Arthur Sze's poem, "The Shapes of Leaves," encourages young scholars to notice and speak for others who "do not speak." The lesson begins with pupils writing about a tree that they really like. The class then examines an image of...
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Learning About Hurricanes
Learners write a research paper on hurricanes. For this weather lesson, students use a science text book to write down facts about hurricanes on note cards and then outline their essay. Learners use the outline to create an organized essay.
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Predicting the Greening of Spring With Red Emperor Tulips
Students examine seasonal changes by watching tulip plant growth across the continent utilizing the Journey North website. They develop hypotheses as to why the plants emerge and grow where they do.
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Mouse Mess
Scholars practice rhyming and phonemic awareness using trade books and poetry. They will listen to the book Mouse Mess several times throughout the week, identifying rhyming words, and matching words that begin with the same sound. Then...
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Spring Harvest
Students engage in a lesson that is interested in the foods related to the season of Spring. They conduct research using a variety of resources while creating menus to match the regions of The United States. Students create food items...