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Romeo and Juliet
Learners survey the characters in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet. Using Inspiration software, students create individual character webs for both Romeo and Juliet. Learners describe the two main characters.
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Romeo and Juliet
Use this SMART board activity to review the familial relationships in Romeo and Juliet. Review the characters from the play using descriptions first, then in the context of the other characters. The SMART board file (included) guides...
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Arthur and His Pals
Arthur, the main character in Marc Brown’s books, is the star of this lesson plan. Pairs of researchers select one character from the Arthur series and use the internet to access Brown’s web site and learn more about their chosen...
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An Author Study on Kevin Henkes
To better understand how the author Kevin Henkes uses the theme of friendship throughout his books, learners engage in several compare and contrast activities. The class reads several Henkes titles and discusses the similarities in...
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Help Me Learn About the Holocaust
Young readers select a book from a provided list to use as the basis for an intensive class study of Holocaust novels. After completing their novels, groups create a multimedia presentation highlighting the elements of literature...
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fourth graders research and write an author report on Roald Dahl, including books written by him, birthplace, family life, and other information on his writing. Students read aloud chapters in the book. Students create a newspaper...
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The Diary of Anne Frank-Clash of the Clans
Students read selected passages from The Diary of Anne Frank. They, in groups, discuss the television / movie characters and create character webs involving these characters and those in the Anne Frank book.
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The Birchbark House Internet Activity
In this "The Birchbark House" Internet activity learning exercise, students, after reading the novel, use links to web resources to answer 12 questions about the story and native American culture. This page has numerous links to web...
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Using Inspiration Software to Explore Characters In Stories
Students identify characters, their qualities, and examples of their qualities and use Inspiration to organize them in a clear and understandable format. After a lecture/demo, students use the program on the next story by themselves.
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Hairy Monster Stories
Students work together to create a hairy monster. They discuss the elements of a character sketch. They use a rubric to guide them as they write a sketch of their hairy monster.
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Bunnicula
Young scholars create a dictionary of vocabulary after reading a story. Individually, they create a story web making sure to include all of the basic story elements. They also create a timeline and write a book report of all important...
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Soap Operas
Students examine American culture through research on various soap opera websites. They access a soap opera website, participate in a chat group, evaluate the contents of the website, and write a summary of a character and plot.
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PICTURE READING - PARAGRAPH WRITING
Students investigate the elements found in a media image. The image is used to compose a descriptive paragraph. They exchange papers to discuss the writing and make changes using constructive criticism. Students also make connections...
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Everyday Heroes
Pupils research how Ernie Pyle's descriptive narratives and "every man's" perspective of the war allow them to examine personal traits such as courage and heroism. The lesson can be extended to include more examples to teach character...
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Collaborative Book Club Groups
Students participate in book club forums where they write descriptive, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, or inference essays. They take on the role of a character in their bok and publish a web page.
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Dr. Teeth and Dr. Gums To The Rescue
Second graders role play as dentists researching teeth and their care. They create a slide show showing how a character, Bear, can take care of this teeth explaining habitats, diets and teeth.
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Clown or Comedian
Students discover how to compare and contrast the differences between a clown and a comedian. They use dictionaries to expand their vocabulary.
Museum of Tolerance
Family Role Model Activity
What does is take to be a role model? Through grand conversation, and the use of books and a graphic organizer, scholars find out and apply the requirements to identify a role model within their family. They then journey through the...
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Linking Writing to Creativity
In a GATE classroom, the key to producing creative writing is tapping into students' innate storytelling abilities.
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American Literature, The Earliest Days
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes eleven lessons from the American Literature, The Earliest Days: Prehistory to 1750 each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response...
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Getting the Word Out
Discuss and generate blogs in this technology instructional activity. Middle and high schoolers explore examples of blogs and create their own blogs. Use this instructional activity throughout the year to reinforce concepts from your...
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Using Primary Sources: Letters from the Presidents
Students find out about the minds and thoughts of presidents through reading their actual letters. They explore the personal lives of presidents. They answer questions about a primary source. They write essays.
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Medieval Madness
Learners complete a critical reading of the novel "The Midwife's Apprentice." During their reading, students create several journal responses to the character's situation and transformation. Working with computers, learners complete...
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PowerPoint Short Story Report
Students make a Microsoft PowerPoint report from a short story read in class. They summarize and paraphrase a short story identifying the six story elements: characters, setting, plot, conflict, solution, tone/mood.