National Math + Science Initative
Reading an Informational Text: "It All Started with Sputnik"
Sputnik was one of the greatest scientific advancements of the 1950s, and this reading lesson does it justice. Pupils start off with pre-reading questions and a video. They then read an excerpt from an article, which is accompanied by...
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CDVs at Home and School
Students identify the rules they have at home and at school. They connect the values to the core democratic values and discuss whether all rules should connect to the core values. They create a mural showing students following the rules...
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Lesson 9: Would the Real Portia Please Stand Up?
Students explore the subtext of the two scenes in which Portia appears. They compare the language she uses with her husband Brutus in 2.1 with the language she uses with her boy servant Lucius in 2.4. Students use their analysis of...
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Can't Buy Me Love?
Students activity find the multiplicity of meanings buried within Shakespeare's language. They examine how the meanings of words differ in modern America and in Venice.
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Text Map: The Structure of Shakespearean Drama
Students identify the structure of Shakespearean Drama. For this Shakespearean drama lesson, students identify features common to Shakespearean drama and explain their purpose.
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Prospero: Turkey or Tyrant?
Students study characterization and the difference between subjective and objective points of view by creating tableaux to depict three interpretations of the story of Prospero's overthrow, each with a very different point of view. They...
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The Art of Chess
Young scholars discover the history of the most popular board game in the world, chess. In this model building lesson, students create their own chess pieces using a theme they have decided on and clay modeling pieces. Young scholars...
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Part of a Masterpiece, by John W. Healy
Students step into paintings. In this visual arts instructional activity, students imagine themselves walking through a famous piece of art. Students research the artwork and then use computer programs or artistic methods to literally...
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The Devilish Tinker Bell!
Twelfth graders examine how cultural context impacts interpretation and that there is more than one correct interpretation of text. Students compare Disney's version of Tinker Bell, from Peter Pan to James I's version of a fairy in...
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Introducing the Ghost: Asking Questions and Finding Answers
Students write words that describe the Ghost in Hamlet and act out scenes to grab the audience's attention. In this Hamlet lesson plan, students use language to interpret feeling and grab the audience's attention.
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Word Origins
Have you ever studied historical words and found that they were deeply rooted in racism or prejudice? Select a long list of these words to have your class examine. What familiar roots do they have? Do they know when this word originally...
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Lesson Exchange: Introduction to Research Papers (Senior, Literature)
Although unlikely in today's English classroom, this instructional activity focuses on introducing research papers to seniors in high school. It briefly reviews the parts of an essay, and mentions showing learners example essays, but no...
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Writing an Analytical Essay From a Supreme Court Case
Critical thinkers read a summary of a United States Supreme Court case, including important background information and the court's final decision. They form an opinion in agreement or disagreement regarding the case and then write an...
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Thesaurus Practice
Learners practice consulting a thesaurus to find synonyms for each of 14 words on a list. They circle one of three choices as a synonym to match the target word. The list features adjectives you might call esoteric.
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Demonstration Speech: How to Prepare to Give a Demonstration
Your class can practice public speaking by demonstrating an original recipe or how-to project. They must include images and speak for at least five to ten minutes. This is a very well outlined instructional activity that will be...
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Civic/Social Awareness
Develop spoken fluency, persuasive speaking skills, and confidence by having your class practice their public speaking skills. They compose and deliver persuasive speeches as they participate in five different speech tasks. A...
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Paradise Lost: Cloze Procedure
Readers participate in a cloze procedure of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. A detailed rationale of and directions for using the procedure are included with the passage template.
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The Impact of Civil War and Conflict on Identity
Students view and discuss Powerpoint presentation on Colombian Conflict, examine how civil war impacts the common person, review vocabulary, and complete critical thinking questions with classmates.
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How Does My Government Grow?
Middle schoolers identify the core democratic values. They explain how the values affect their life in America. They also relate the topic of philantrophy to the core values.
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Using Rhythm Instruments to Tell a Story
After watching a video of Peter and the Wolf, and identifying the instruments used to represent each character, class members use rhythm instruments to represent the actions in the song, "What Would I do."
PBS
Evolution of the Presidency: Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin D. Roosevelt
How much power should a president be allowed to exert? Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt exercised their power according to their interpretations of the United States Constitution, and these interpretations affected the...
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Coast-to-Coast Book Design-Part 4: Let's Create the Pages!
Pupils work in groups to share their lists of A-B-C ideas they came up with from the previous activity. They review page layouts taught during lesson two. Students complete a rough draft of their page. They create a colored illustration...
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Coast-to-Coast Book Design-Part 3: Brainstorming the Book
Young scholars examine the process of designing a book and identify the steps necessary to publish a book. In small groups they analyze ABC books, and discuss the similarities and differences between the books. Students then brainstorm...
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Neighborhood Rubrics
Students use a rubric to analyze their neighborhood and write a persuasive essay about changes that should be made. In this writing lesson, students use a rubric to grade their neighborhood and brainstorm improvements. Students write a...