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The Life of a President
Students examine the life of President Gerald R. Ford. After reading an article, they discuss his legacy. They collect articles written during his time in office and examine the key issues of his presidency. They write an article about...
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AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY BEFORE EMANCIPATION
Explore poetry written by African-Americans before emancipation. 8th graders create collages, and explain why they chose specific stanzas. They display the collages on the class bulletin board that demonstrate an understanding of the...
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Stereotypes and Cross-Cultural Understanding
Students view headshots of people representing different ethnic groups, draw and color bodies and clothing they feel best represents each headshot, and observe drawings made by classmates.  Students then identify and discuss stereotypes,...
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Building a Trading Post: How to Choose a Site
Students brainstorm what kinds considerations might have to be made when building a trading post. They create an artistic representation of what their trading post would look like (two- or three- dimensional).
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Poetic Analysis
Students write a poetic analysis on a poem by Carl Sandburg. They take their previous knowledge of poetic devices and apply them to a piece of writing that displays their knowledge on a specific poem. They explain what they know about a...
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Brutal British
Learners read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...
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The Practice Interview
Students study the interview process by interviewing each other in pairs using a name game. They formulate and ask effective interview questions and practice interviewing skills. They invite a guest to their classroom or go outside the...
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Our Changing Community
Students investigate how communities grow and change.  In this communities activity, students discuss how their community has changed and construct a model of a community.
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19th Century Settlement Houses
Students will take notes on 19th century settlement houses using a four-door book of foldable notes. In this lesson on Settlement Houses, students will analyze the Hull House through a variety of primary sources, then create a list of...
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Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Tragedy
Young scholars research the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. In this labor reform lesson, students research the fire and write a newspaper article report from the perspective of the time. Young scholars evaluate the perspective of the workers...
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Retell the Story
Learners identify bias in books. In this character education lesson, students read a text and discuss any gender or racial bias which may be present. Learners retell and rewrite the story in a fair way.
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Poetry - Landscape, Comparison, and Critical Response
Students compare and evaluate landscape poetry. In this poetry lesson, students read poetry by Owen Sheers that describes place/landscapes. They read and compare two similar poems before looking at visual images related to the poems....
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Family Ties
Young scholars explore what life is like for immigrant women in the United States.  In this immigration lesson, students study about immigration through reading and watching a video, then share their thoughts and ideas by...
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The New Republic
Students research the Federalists and Anti-federalists. In the lesson plan on state legislature, students use primary sources to create a brochure and write an essay that illustrates federalist and anti-federalists viewpoints.
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Weather and the D-Day Invasion
Middle schoolers study the weather that occurred during the invasion of Normandy. They research using the Internet to locate information about the invasion and the meteorologists who helped during the war effort. They
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Do You Haiku?
After examining several Haiku and noting characteristics of the form, class members create five of their own poems. Use this resource for extra practice or review.
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The Gettysburg Address
Students explore the implications of the Gettysburg Address. In this Civil War lesson, students read a handout regarding Gettysburg Address, analyze an excerpt of the speech, and complete the provided worksheet activities.
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A Question of Style: Exploring the Nature of Shakespeare's Comedy
Students present scenes from As You Like It and critique presentations of their peers.  In this As You Like It lesson, students stage the opening scene, experimenting with different approaches to find the tone and style they think...
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The Cold War and Development of Post-War America
Young scholars view examples of political advertisements during the years of 1952 through 1964. After viewing, they discuss how the Cold War and the threat of Communism affected the development of the United States. They compare the Cold...
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A Treasure at our Doorstep
Learners write a descriptive essay about a historical landmark in their area, such as the Curtis Center in Philadelphia, PA. In this historical landmarks lesson, students use their senses to detail information about the chosen landmark,...
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Computer Graphing
Students research the Internet or create surveys to find graphable data. They collect, organize, analyze and interpret the data. Finally, they choose the appropriate type of graph to display the data and find the measures of central...
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A Tall Ship and a Star to Steer Her By
Students create a water transportation device powered by wind. In this wind power lesson, students research transportation concepts after reading the poem "Sea Fever" by John Masefield. Students design the fastest sailboat they can...
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Patriotism Reflected in Art and Literature (part A)
Young scholars explore pre-World War II Japanese art. In this patriotism lesson, students analyze Eternal Fuji and Red Sun by Yokoyama Taikan. Young scholars discuss the techniques used to create the painting as well as the symbolism...
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Picture This!
First graders watch the teacher model how to draw pictures and write words in a First, Next, Then, Last - 4 block graphic organizer. They write and draw in their own 4 block papers.