Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Writing Across the Curriculum Lesson: This I Believe: History
This writing assignments asks learners to assume the voice of a person from history they have researched. Focusing on a topic or belief the person showed passion about as history unfolded, the students write an essay modeled after NPR's...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: A r.a.f.t. Writing Prompt: This I Believe
This writing assignments asks students to assume the voice of a character from a novel they are reading. Focusing on a topic or belief the character shows passion about in the novel, the students write an essay modeled after NPR's "This...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Poetry Lesson: Things I Love Poems and Songs
This lesson and prompt encourages students to show information about themselves as they set the things that they love to the music of Tom T. Hall's, "I Love." Students will be further inspired after hearing Brigitte Minne's book, I Love,...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Bucket List Poetry
Using the song "Live Like You Were Dying" by Tim McGraw from the soundtrack for The Bucket List as a model, students will take a look at their values and the things they would like to accomplish in their lives before they run out of...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
In this lesson, students will use the song "The 3 R's" by Jack Johnson to develop ideas about how to "green" up their own classrooms; they will learn two songs (written to the tune of old classics) that will inspire them to brainstorm...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Teaching Character Traits
Inspired by the music "Free to Be. . . You and Me" by Marlo Thomas, this lesson, which will take several days, asks students to compose stories that teach character traits that will be shared with elementary school children. They will...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Summertime Inspired Memoirs
By listening and then responding to multiple versions of the song "Summertime," students will understand how songs can convey various moods. Writing about a personal summertime memory, students will try to mimic a mood from one of the...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Poetry Lesson: Paradox Poetry
Jack Johnson's "Inaudible Melodies" creates an interesting paradox of how society perceives itself versus the reality of how society really behaves. After listening to a second song using paradox in order to further understand the...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: "Where Is the Love?"
Using the song "Where Is the Love" by the Black-Eyed Peas and "Excuse Me, Mr." by Ben Harper, students will begin to think about injustices that exist in our world. Ultimately, student writers will compose an essay based on a persuasive...
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Writing Fix:i Pod Inspired Writing Lesson:linear & Exponential Growth Poetry
This is a writing activity perfect for a math class, it's designed to help students see the differences between linear (arithmetic, adding) and exponential (geometric, multiplying) growth. Students explore the ideas of linear and...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Itsy Bitsy Math Songs
This is a great writing lesson for math teachers. The picture book Take Me Out of the Bathtub by Alan Katz demonstrates his love of familiar songs and nursery rhymes by writing new lyrics that can be sung to them. For this assignment,...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Boogie Woogie With a B
Using a famous World War II propaganda song, students will explore alliteration by changing the lyrics to create a new version of the song. After discussing what alliteration is and why this particular song was used and enjoyed by the...
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Writing Fix: I Pod Inspired Writing Lessons: I Say to You Today I Have a Dream!
Inspired by MLK's passionate "I Have a Dream Speech," the mentor text "Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.", by Doreen Rappaport, and U2's Pride (In the Name of Love)", students will write speeches that detail...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Dancing With the Math Stars
This is a great math writing assignment. First, learners learn about the patterns and shapes of polynomial equations and their inverses by making their bodies imitate mathematical concepts, using popular disco & 80's dance moves....
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Podcasting Science
Using "Science Times" at NewYorkTimes.com, students will listen to podcasts to learn about and share science ideas that are currently in the news. By organizing and summarizing science thoughts, students will be able to effectively share...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: What Skin Are You In?
Using two songs by India Arie as well as an excerpt out of Sharon Flake's The Skin I'm In, students will explore their own self image. After analyzing the qualities that each student feels that they embody, they will compare these to the...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: How Will You Be Remembered?
In this lesson, students will be exploring self image. They will be analyzing how they would like to ultimately be remembered by writing a eulogy, inspired by Sarah McLachlan's "I Will Remember You." They will then explore a change that...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Poetry Lesson: Favorite Things Poetry
Using the song "My Favorite Things" from the musical, The Sound of Music, as inspiration, students will create their own song or poem (to the same tune) that lists their favorite things. Each verse will focus on their favorite things...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: A Call for Change
The world is an ever changing place, and through this lesson young scholars will have a chance to send a call out for change. Using Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" as an inspiration and a model, students will brainstorm...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: Oh, the Places You'll Go!
After listening to Van Morrison's "Days Like This" and Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance " and reading Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go! learners will consider their choices in life. After asking students, "Who decides your lives are...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Writing Lesson: The American Dream
Using music, video and readings, young scholars will explore their views of the American Dream, and use this information to create "Animoto" videos that express a personal opinion or take on the dream. Students will develop and support...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Poetry Lesson: "Ain't Gonna Rain No More"
Students will study the rhythm of the old campfire song, "It Ain't Gonna Rain No More," and they will study how Karen Beaumont borrows the rhythm for her book I Ain't Gonna Paint No More! Students will create their own lyrics that can be...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Poetry Lesson: Poems vs Lyrics
After listening and analyzing song lyrics and, subsequently, doing the same analysis with poems, students will discover how similar song writing and poetry writing can be. Students will get their own chance to write a small version of...
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Writing Fix: An I Pod Inspired Poetry Lesson: Song Parodies About School
After celebrating (and singing) some of the delightful songs from Alan Katz's "Take Me out of the Bathtub" and listening to songs by Weird Al Yankovic, like "Eat It," students will discuss the concept of parody. To practice writing a...