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Creating and Preserving a Tradition
Students explore folk art and tradition. They work in small groups and produce an essay about folk art or traditions practiced in their community. Students discuss the creation and preservation of a tradition. They discuss various...
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Tracing Genetic Ancestry Using DNA Microarrays
High school learners read and discuss an article about genetic ancestry and genetic ancestry testing. They complete a paper and pencil activity that mimics the function of a DNA microarray and consider the ethics of genetic testing in...
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Games Children Play
Help your middle schoolers recognize the similarities and differences between the games they play and those played by pioneer children. Using the Internet, they research a game of their choice and discover how it has evolved over time....
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Christmas Synonym Lesson
Second graders examine the use of synonyms. In this synonym lesson, 2nd graders listen to a read aloud of Splendiferous Christmas and ring a jingle bell each time a synonym is used for a word mentioned in the book. They write synonyms on...
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I Wear My Genes Inside Out: The Genetic Characteristics of Animals
Pupils create mixed breed dogs using paper illustrations of various breeds. They label dogs created by students using the Genetics Center and discuss the aspects of genetics that affect the outcome of the various projects.
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The "Science" of Racism
How can we keep racism out of our society? Analyze the factors that lead to racism today and research previous scientific findings that impacted social policy. Your high school students identify ways to prevent past mistakes from...
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Town Meeting - Direct Representation
Students answer the question, "Should the town of Twin Cheeks ban motorized rentals on Thome Lake?" They explore the political, personal, and economic issues involved in making this decision as they assume different roles in this...
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A Dog's Life
Students get a look into the life of dogs-from their origins and basic biology, through selective breeding, and into how dogs have become intricate parts of everyday life for many people worldwide.
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Members Only
Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of private communities and the lives led by their residents. They design ideal planned communities for people featured in other Class Matters articles.
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THE PEANUT WIZARD
Students read information about George Washington Carver and outline the information. They are given peanuts in the shell, students examine them and eat them. Students discuss the following questions: Why did George Washington Carver...
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Agriculture in Motion
Sixth graders research machines used in agriculture. In this agriculture lesson, 6th graders complete a variety of activities that involve farming and crops. Some examples include: answering questions, creating a storyboard, poetry, and...
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Who Were the Settlers?
Students examine why people move from one country or area to another. Using photographs, they analyze the culture and lifestyles of people pictured in the image. They research and explain the daily experiences of the settlers to...
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What did T. rex taste like?
Students examine the three domains of life and explain that all living things share a common ancestor. In this paleontology lesson students are introduced to the process of illustrating evolutionary relationships.
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Feudalism
Students have tournaments in teams after learning information about The Middle Ages. In this Middle Ages lesson plan, students learn that tournaments are mock battles, but that they will have these battles by answering questions in teams...
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George Washington: Founding Father
Students explore George Washington. Focusing on his personal life, it offers an examination of the man behind the towering symbol. Washington's stature as first president and founding father created a public persona. George
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Struggling To Survive: Life In Sarajevo
Students gain an understanding of the impact that wars have on society. They use Web sites to gain information about Sarajevo, create characters using what they learn from watching video clips and viewing news footage online and engage...
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Agriculture in Motion
Sixth graders write a poem and an essay about the machines they have learned about that are used in agriculture. In this machines lesson plan, 6th graders compare different kinds of machines and discuss the economic impact machines in...
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Agriculture in Motion
Students discuss agriculture. In this farming lesson, students compare farming practices from the past compared to when machines were introduced. They discuss this concept as a class and participate in multiple activities. This lesson...
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What Building Used to Be There?
Students examine how their city has changed and examine building preservation. For this building preservation lesson, students listen to a reading of Virginia Lee Burton's, The Little House, before making a time line of how their own...
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Birds of Wisconsin
First graders explore the job done by ornithologists. They role play identifying the characteristics that make a bird a bird. They discuss what makes each bird species unique. Students are introduced to Wisconsin's most common and rare...
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George Washington Birthplace National Monument
Students examine the importance of the George Washington Birthplace National Monument. As a class, they complete a K-W-L chart about George Washington and write about what they believe is going on in a picture they are shown. They are...
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Immigration
Fifth graders write a 2-3 page essay explaining the problems of refugees in the world today. They explain where in the world this is happening, why the refugees are leaving their homeland, where they are going, and what happens to them...
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Dealing with Growth and Change
Students discuss the right and wrong actions of a young Navajo boy. Using that information, they compare and contrast his culture to their own. In groups, they create a newspaper or poster showing the cultural contributions of the...
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Could You Make an Oak Basket?
Students listen to an imaginative scenario in which they would need a white oak basket. They evaluate the photographs to determine whether there is enough information to make a basket. They write a brief statement expressing their...