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Is That a Bird in Your Hat?
Second graders imagine they find an injured bird. They create a clay bird and nest to stimulate creative writing. The lesson includes an integrated week-long art, science, and writing activity.
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United States Legends
Young scholars learn about legends in different states by communicating with students from different states. They exchange pictures and description through the Internet.
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The Civil War Era
Fifth graders explore both the causes of and the actual events of the Civil War. They write essays and descriptive paragraphs and explore a variety of websites. They create a series of skits highlighting the key points of the Civil War era.
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Poetry of Abraham Lincoln
Fourth graders analyze Abraham Lincoln's poems "The Bear Hunt" and "My Childhood's Home" for word choice and deeper inquiry into the vocabulary he uses to convey emotion. They identify rhyming words and patterns in these poems. ...
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Create An Insect
Students create a new species of insect. They create a list of insect characteristics and use this as a springboard to draw an insect of their own. Students write a brief descriptive paragraphs about their insect, giving particular...
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Earths Waters
Students research Everglades National Park, Three Gorges Dam, Hoover Dam, Roaring 40s, and Mariana Trench. After reviewing the sites, they choose one to illustrate a postcard with an image on one side and a description of the site on...
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Impact of Westward Expansion on Indigenous Populations
Students study the impact of westward expansion on Native American populations. They create a diorama of a Native American scene, write imaginary letters as a pioneer child reflecting on his/her experiences, and create story sticks that...
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Meet One Picky Bird
Students complete a research project In this endangered species lesson, students use the "Think, Puzzle, Explore" method to learn about endangered species. Students research and write a report on the red-cockaded woodpecker.
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Resolving Conflicts
Middle schoolers practice conflict resolution skills. In this personal health lesson, students share incidents of verbal harassment, exclusion, gossip, and unwanted physical contact. Middle schoolers discuss how to handle the situations...
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Woodland Animals and Their Habitat
Students explore the natural environment through a video and nature sounds tape. They keep journal's of the unit's activities and vocabulary terms. They play a web of interdependence game and compose a list of forest animals and write...
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Splish, Splash Poetry
Learners write weather shape poems and sing weather related songs. In this creative writing lesson plan, students read the book, It's Raining, It's Pouring and list weather words they heard in the story. Learners use the writing process...
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Power Totem
Students investigate the important symbols to Native cultures by writing a poem. In this animal totem lesson, students discuss animal spirits and their relation to the Native American lifestyle. Students write a cinquain poem about...
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Investigating Planetary Soils
Learners study soil characteristics and identify properties of soils from different parts of the solar system. In this soil lesson students divide into groups, read soil descriptions, test and record soil samples.
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Discovering Dickens
Students restate facts and details in text to inform and organize ideas and have a choice of four activities to enhance learning,
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Great Graphing
Students collect data, use a computer spreadsheet program to create various graphs, and compare the graphs. They state the findings of each graph in writing and decide which graph type best represents the data.
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Research a Severe Weather Pattern of Interest
Young scholars select a severe weather pattern of interest (tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, lightning, hail, and thunderstorms) and research these patterns to collect data for a report they write in the next lesson plan.
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Shakespeare Shows
Students study, interpret, perform, and present various Shakespearean works adapted for middle school Students. They choose a scene from one of the plays covered in this teaching unit to reenact with a group.
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Details and Observations IQ or the Eyes Have it
Fourth graders study Chaucer as a master of details. Then, they create a short story linking unrelated details into a logical plot with a clear setting and established characters. This lesson plan has some excellent worksheets attached!
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Animal Farm
Students read Animal Farm and examine how power corrupts. They role-play situations involving power and control. They investigate corruption and abuse of power in society. They write propaganda articles and hold panel discusssionsabout...
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Marine Biology Field Trips
Students visit a Marine Biology study area 2-3 times and write a report after the last visit. They participate in the Marine Biology field trips working with lab partners. They complete data sheets to write their primitive environmental...
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Insects
Students observe and identify insects in their local. They record their observations by drawing a picture of the insect and writing a description.
National First Ladies' Library
The Education of Abigail Adams
Students read the biography of Abigail Smith Adams from the First Ladies Library web site. They work in small groups to write a description of her education. Students discuss their findings, and extend this to the education of girls in...
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Graphing Data
In this graphing data learning exercise, students solve and complete 8 different word problems related to graphing data given. First, they determine the percent of people who do not believe in any of the phenomena described and explain....
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Geography: Caribbean
Students research and view a video on the geography of the Caribbean. In this Caribbean geography instructional activity, students go on an imaginary trip to the Caribbean and write postcards and letters telling of their trip. Students...