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Figurative Language
What is figurative language, and why do we use it? Introduce your high schoolers to some examples and discuss the importance of including this element in your writing. After studying a text and searching for examples, writers will...
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Individuality vs. Conformity
Have your middle schoolers participate in numerous activities designed to spark their awareness of literature. They express ideas and concerns clearly and respectfully in conversations and group discussions. Next, they view a music...
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Multicultural Music: Israel
Do a grapevine to the left, lift your hands in the air, and sing out, "Hey!" These are the steps second graders will do when they sing and dance the Israeli folk song, "Achshav.” They will explore the concept of multicultural music...
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Children Around The World
Students read a multicultural book called "This Is the Way We Go to School" by Edith Baer and Steve Bjorhman. They become culturally aware of the different nationalities around the world and different ways that they may do things on a...
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"World Enough, And Time"-Andrew Marvell's Coy Mistress
Students read and analyze the poem, "To His Coy Mistress," by Andrew Marvell. They identify the theme of each stanza, complete a worksheet, take an online quiz, and write about a single metaphor or image from the poem.
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Oliver Twist Goes to Hollywood
How does Oliver Twist, the novel written by Charles Dickens, compare with its screenplay adaptation? Although the activity doesn't require learners to have read the novel, the similarities and differences of the highlighted passages...
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A Fairy Tale By Any Other Name
Many classic tales, like "Cinderella," can be found worldwide. Bacis events are similar, but each retelling is molded by the culture in which it exists. Present your class with several version of tale (links provided) and have them...
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Cinderella Folk Tales: Variations in Plot and Setting
Students examine plot and setting of Cinderella, and how it changes as it is translated into different cultures, discuss universal literary elements of the Cinderella story, and write narratives with original settings and plots...
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Letter Writing
Keep the art of letter writing alive in this age of Tweet and Twitter! The 10 activities detailed in this resource lead pupils through the process of crafting classic forms. A list of and links to famous letters is also included as part...
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On The Go! Forces and Motion
Students create a car using physics. In this forces and motion lesson, students create a car and test which changes in design change the performance of the car. Students complete a graphic organizer with the different changes...
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Wagons West!
Through learning about the Oregon Trail and Nebraska, learners evaluate the elements of historical fiction. Coming with a comprehensive bibliography, this instructional activity has your class learn about settlers traveling along the...
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Celebrate Saint Partick's Day in The Langauage Arts Classroom
Ideas and activities to engage learners in the history and culture of St. Patrick's Day.
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Love as a Two-way Street
Create an abundance of understanding, as your high school learners learn to analyze multiple love poems. Part one of this resource has learners define what love is, examine art that reflects the love between Robert and Elizabeth...
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Erie Canal: Journey Back in Time
Fourth graders read the novel, The Eric Canal, identifying the characters and setting. They respond to daily reading by writing in journals and complete a short answer test upon completion of the novel.
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Hearing the Poetry of Langston Hughes Through the Sounds of Jazz
Students have an appreciation of Langston Hughe's poetry and his use of jazz rhythms, have the ability to read poetry closely, and freewrite to gain a fresh perspective on music and literature.
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Why do we Dream of a White Christmas?
Students examine a reading selection on how the idea of a white Christmas was developed. In this ESL lesson, students share a class discussion about the article then complete several assignments to reinforce what they learned, including...
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Exploring Selected Haiku by Issa
Students explore poetry by Issa. In this haiku lesson, students discuss and list the attributes of Japanese haiku as the read poetry by Issa. Students write their own haiku following the criteria presented.
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Hidden Messages
Students take a closer look at literary elements within the horror genre. In this literature lesson, students identify themes in the horror genre as they read and analyze War of the Worlds and Cemetery Path.
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It's a Mystery to Me
Students read a variety of mysteries to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Using a worksheet, they define and practice using new vocabulary. In groups, they read stories from Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and write an...
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Letter From a Folklorist
In this letter from a folklorist worksheet, students read a letter from a folklorist to discover more about this career. The letter describes the importance of this field and aspects of the job.
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Edgar Allan Poe and Anna Katherine Green
Students analyze the genre of detective fiction through stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Anna Katherine Green. In this detective fiction lesson, students read "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Second Bullet." Students read the summaries and...
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Headings
First graders discover how heading help us make predictions. The class discusses how informational text typically has heading that can aid them in determining what a chapter will be about. They read the heading and make predictions for...
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Meat Pies: Teacher's Guide
Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Amelia's Road. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, answer short answer questions, have discussions, and more.
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School-Home Links: Tall Tales
In this tall tale parent communication form learning exercise, students select two tall tales to read from home, school, or the library. Students then complete a chart about the tall tale that includes the name of the tale, the hero's...