Missouri Department of Elementary
My Conflict Shield
As an exercise in self-awareness and improvement, class members create a Conflict Shield listing 12 skills they believe are the most useful in conflict resolution. They then color the ones they have mastered while leaving uncolored those...
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My Conflict Shield
Eighth graders discuss conflict. Working in pairs, they create lists of skills they have used in conflicts, skills they have seen used successfully but not used themselves, and skills they wish to develop. From their lists they identify...
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Storybook Character Graph
First graders dress as their favorite storybook character. They draw a self-portrait, then place the drawing on a graph.
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Love, American Style
Students examine the cultural diffusion of American popular culture around the world and create collages of visual representations of this phenomenon. Causes and effects of the cultural diffusion of American popular culture around the...
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Elements of a Mystery
Students write mystery stories. In this writing lesson, students review the definition and components of a mystery. They look at a photo and write a mystery to explain the picture.
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Reading Restaurant
Third graders complete book reports. They are given the following jobs; chef, who organizes them into genres; maître d', who calls students to share the menu; and waiters/waitresses, who take orders for books from customers, pass out...
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Tall Tales Today
Young scholars explore the attributes of American tall tales. In this folklore lesson, students read several tall tales, describe the elements of tall tales, and then use hyperbole to write their own tall tales.
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What is a Tangram?
Students identify a tangram. In this geometry lesson, students read Grandfather Tang's Story and retell each story using the tangrams on a flannel board. Students use tangrams to complete an included worksheet.
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My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...
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Finding Our Bonds: King Day
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students experience literature and participate in a simulation that examines discrimination, prejudice, and stereotypes.
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The Lore o' the Irish
Students examine the importance of folklore in Ireland and how that folklore reflects Irish culture. They first interpret various Irish folk tales, focusing on what about Irish culture can be better understood from these stories.
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Was Goldilocks Innocent or Guilty?
Fourth graders act out a mock fairy tale trial. They use a fairy tale like "The Three Little Pigs", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Hansel and Grete"l, and/or "Little Red Riding Hood".
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The Jungle and Readers Response
Students identify the conditions that many workers faced during the Industrial Revolution. They work collaboratively to explain and identify key elements from Chapter 14 of The Jungle.
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The Great China Chase: Adjectives
Stories are created, by students, using a variety of adjectives. 3-5th graders will learn about adjectives and use their new knowledge to create ad-lib stories to share with the class demonstrating their mastery of adjectives, indefinite...
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Twelve Angry Men
Students assess their understanding of Twelve Angry Men. They create flashcards for vocabulary terms, summarize one of the acts, construct a diorama and complete character wheels. They choose from other activities including creating...
Orange County Department of Education
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Fifth graders read Dear Mr. Henshaw and identify the character trait of self-respect as exhibited by Leigh throughout the story. They evaluate the author's use of letters to tell the story and discuss how the story would be different if...
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Legends and Lore
Students begin the instructional activity by responding in their journals regarding questions about their favorite fairy tales. They listen to a folk tale and answer questions based on the folk tale genre and then brainstorm aphorisms...
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Dragonwings
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the literature study of Dragonwings. They write about the story from the perspective of a reader that is well informed towards the last chapters. Students also find target vocabulary and...
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Comic and Film Strip Writing
Students write a funny story and illustrate it in a comic strip. In this comic strip lesson, students study comic strips and determine the plot of each story. Students then write a short story and illustrate it using a comic strip...
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Garbage: A Puppet's Paradise
Students make puppets from recycled materials. In this puppetry and recycling lesson plan, students investigate different types of puppets and their uses. They make puppets using mostly recycled materials such as old socks, CD's, dry...
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Counterterrorism 101
Students discuss the roles that morality and pragmatism play in war, and then create a timeline documenting Israel's evolving response to terrorism since 1948.
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Let's Watch a Story
Fourth graders watch a silent movie and identify the elements of a story. They complete a worksheet attached to the lesson and discuss their answers.
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Reading Puzzle
Twelfth graders examine the elements of literature. They each read a chapter of a novel, sequentially list the main ideas, present a summary of the chapter to the class, sequence the events, and review the novel by summarizing the timeline.
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Crazy Critters Creative Writing
Young scholars brainstorm animals with unusual characteristics such as a giraffe with a short neck or a zebra without stripes. They write paragraphs about their animals and work in peer editing groups to refine their stories.