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Writing Myths I
Explain a natural phenomenon in an original myth. After researching the phenomenon they have chosen, young readers use factual information to include in their myth. They find synonyms and new phrases to create vivid images as they...
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Color My World Grey and Blue
Can colors help to convey a mood in writing? Explore this question with your class using the songs "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell. After analyzing the effect of the color words in these songs...
Institute for Humane Education
Not So Fair and Balanced: Analyzing Bias in the Media
Life is not always fair. Who's heard that before? This same concept moves to a larger scale using prejudice and bias. Pupils discuss where prejudice attitudes derive and how they develop throughout life. Reading comprehension...
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Dictionary Details
This clever lesson has students practice finding a variety of types of information in a dictionary by playing a "Dictionary Scavenger Hunt" game. Students must use the guide words at the top of a dictionary page, determine what part of...
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Nonsense Dictionary
Third graders explore various media. They identify the characteristics of various sources and use that material effectively. Students identify the characteristics of Dr. Seuss' work and the characteristics of a dictionary. They create a...
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Vocabulary Development
By utilizing a graphic organizer called a bubble map, young readers work toward developing their vocabulary. After reading a story, a word that has something to do with the story is put in the middle circle. Then, other words that have...
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Food Dictionary - Harvest Festival
Young scholars explore healthy foods and dictionary organization. Students create a list of healthy foods. They construct their own food dictionary, with illustrations. Young scholars model how a dictionary page should be filled with...
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Parts of speech and "grammar rock": English
Sixth graders use the video of "Grammar Rock", class discussion, worksheets and group work to explore grammar and parts of speech. They produce a film strip displaying their understanding of parts of speech in English.
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Spelling Lesson Plan
Review basic spelling rules with your elementary schoolers. Focus in on the spelling of words with a specific prefix. In this spelling lesson, learners use an interactive whiteboard lesson to learn prefixes such as de, sub, re, and pre....
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Making a Family Newsletter: Using a Word Template
Students create a one-page family newsletter about a selected person in their family. They bring in a photo or use a digital camera to take a picture of their selected family member, and use a newsletter template to write and publish...
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Using Information Resources
Eighth graders engage in a lesson that is intended to develop the skills of research to find the proper resources needed to find information. The lesson includes dialogue boxes that is intended for the teacher to use for direct...
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Word Walls
Students participate in creating a word wall using words important to them and design other organized displays to entice memory and assist in teaching. As a class, they clap out letters of words and solve mystery words from given clues....
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Poems and Translation (from Spanish to English)
Young scholars read and are read various poems in their native language of Spanish. In groups or individually, they translate the poems into English and practice speaking English by reading them to the class. They answer comprehension...
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Reference Resources: Being a Good Detective
Students explore a variety of reference resources while seeking information. atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and online search engines as well as library card catalogs are utilized in this lesson.
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Sound It Out
Unfortunately, the worksheet that is the focus of this lesson is not functioning properly. You can, however, use the Scholastic Children's Dictionary page attached to explore the dictionary with your elementary and middle schoolers. Talk...
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Lesson Exchange: Is This A Real Word? (Elementary, Reading/Writing)
Young readers practice looking words up in the dictionary. This lesson describes a simple, yet engaging, game that can be played as a whole-class activity.
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"Newsinary"
Here is a good way to use newspapers in the classroom and build a functional vocabulary. Learners are given 26 cards, they write one letter of the alphabet on each. They search the paper to find a name, place, or word for each letter,...
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Dictionary Disorder #7: Antonyms and Synonyms
In this synonym and antonym worksheet, students use dictionaries to discover synonyms and antonyms for twenty words. Students circle antonyms and underline synonyms.
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Compounding the Problem
Pupils sharpen their dictionary skills and their understanding of compound words in this plan. Tailor it to the grade level you teach by honing in on specific skills. For older learners, the plan suggests providing a word and having them...
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Mini Beasts and Dialect
Discover the differences in dialect. Inquisitive minds read poems and discuss how words or phrases are different in standard English and other dialects. Using a dictionary, class members locate the definition of each word, find...
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Sk8er Boi (Skater Boy)
Students listen to and analyze the lyrics for Avril Lavigne's song, Sk8er Boi. They discuss and interpret the vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and various grammar structures used in the lyrics.
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Olympic Shadow Boxes
What a cool way to incorporate art and use reference materials. Learners use classroom reference materials such as almanacs, encyclopedias, and dictionaries to answer one of four questions, and then they use the information to create a...
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Introduction to the Dictionary
First graders explore how to use a dictionary. They discuss how the dictionary is organized and how to locate words in the dictionary and students use the dictionary to locate words.
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Dictionary Skills
Second graders use resources such as dictionaries and glossaries correctly to build word meaning and to practice all uses of their references; students also practice alphabetical order while locating information.