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If I Were President...
Students practice their critical thinking skills by examining current issues in the campaign. They write an essay stating what they would to do solve problems if they were president. They share their solutions with the class.
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Electoral Versus Popular Vote
Students gain an understanding of how the winner of the popular vote might not be the winner of the electoral vote by voting on a snack. They be divided into groups with a representative.
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Change Over Time
Students write a personal narrative that is designed to help them reflect on the nature and meaning of change in their lives.
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Mosaics
Sixth graders discuss and identify shapes, spaces, colors, patterns, or tesserae in mosaics and compare them to cultural symbols of the Roman Empire. They design and create mosaics using paper.
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Editing and Revision Made Easy
Fifth graders use computer to correct mistakes in written sentences.
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"The Science Times"
Students create their own newspaper after gathering information at the Museum of Natural History's Hall of Biodiversity.
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Proofreading and Revising Articles for a Class Newsletter
Students submit their newsletter articles and a newsletter team proofreads them. Revisions are suggested. Writers revise their articles. Using a template from a word processing program, articles are typed in final form.
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"Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt" by Deborah Hopkinson
Pupils create paper quilts of their own using the isometric grid that tessellates the plane or the fraction quilt square.
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Famous African Americans ABC Book
Students create an ABC book with short biographies of famous African Americans in history. They utilize teacher-selected and/or student-researched library sources about African Americans in history.
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Texas Native Plants
Students track the growth of their "adopted" plants in the nature habitat. They write a one page article about their plant.
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Growth and Development
Young scholars read the folktale, "The Magical Stone", and discuss questions imbedded in the instructional activity.
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The Personal Touch: a Lesson in Expository Writing
Shake hands with all of your class members, sending a different verbal message as you go along. Give them practice in expository writing by having them describe the handshake and how it makes them feel. This is an exploration of...
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Cooking a Few of my Favorite Things
Second graders publish a class cookbook of their own recipes. They explore the nutritional value of foods, calculate the measurements, and prepare a healthy recipe for the class.
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What a Difference a Year Makes: Billy's Letter
Seventh graders read, "Where the Red Fern Grows" and write a RAFT letter from the point of view of the character Billy to his grandpa reflecting on the death of his dog and his adjustment to life in town.
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Exposing Expository Text Structure in a Rainforest Setting
Young scholars create a thematic booklet containing examples of different types of expository text structures. They explore a variety of expository text structures.
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Could You Elaborate on That?
Fourth graders engage in a lesson which teaches the parts of an expository essay and how to organize and write an expository piece from a given topic. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan which...
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The Merchant of Venice
Students read parts of Shakespeare's play The Merchant of Venice. Using primary sources, they gain a glimpse into the early modern period's negative perceptions and stereotypes of human beings of African descent.
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Research PowerPoint Presentations
Second graders create a PowerPoint presentation about an animal they chose to research.
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Would I Want Me For a Friend?
Third graders examine the process of making and keeping friends. They identify and discuss the characteristics of a good friend, and complete a handout in small groups.
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My Study Habits
Fourth graders evaluate their study habits and what works best for them when studying.
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Should Voting in the United States be Mandatory? Research Activity
Eighth graders research how many voters actually vote in the U.S. and nine other nations. They create a spreadsheet using this information and write a persuasive essay.
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Say What?
Students explore the literal and figurative meanings of twenty-nine phrases and sayings. This unit of nine lessons integrates written expression and convention to demonstrate the value of idioms to the language.
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The "State" of ABC's
Fifth graders apply the ABC format to write books about various states. They identify important people, places, and events and include title. copyright, and dedication pages. They have items for all letters and createcovers and "about...
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Reading the Movies: Another Approach To Teaching Critical Thinking Skills And Writing
Students explore the elements of film to analyze character, action, and the themes in the movie, "Quiz Show." The lesson encourages students to make personal connections and real life applications as they view the movie, critically.