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Our Book Club
Students review a book considered to be their favorite for inclusion in a recommended books list. As a part of a book club, each student selected book will be included in a list of recommended books for a young adult's personal reading....
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Holocaust Literature Circle Discussion
Seventh graders participate in a literature circle regarding various novels of Holocaust literature. They read their selected novel and write a journal entry in response to the reading, and in small groups participate in a group...
Orange County Department of Education
Pepita Talks Twice
Third graders read Pepita Talks Twice and define the character traits of respect and responsibility. They write their examples of the characters traits on a character trait doll. Students recognize the character traits of respect and...
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Drugs Info
Fifth graders understand the effects of substance abuse and then in pairs, they use a KWL chart to assess their prior knowledge of drugs; healthy and unhealthy. Then as a whole group, 5th graders provide feedback and are introduced to...
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Plot Summary for Story Element
Seventh graders identify story elements utilizing a plot summary organizer. In this story elements lesson, 7th graders discuss the elements of a good story. Students use The Three Little Pigs to practice finding the plot elements....
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Civil War on Sunday
Third graders read "Cvil War on Sunday" together and discuss characters, setting, problem and resolution. They determine facts from fiction used in the story and research drummer boys in the Civil War or Clara Barton using the Internet....
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Enrichment Activities - "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
Fifth graders read the novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH." They discuss the various characters in the book, and the different types of conflict that take place within the book. They also research owls and rats to make comparisons...
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Number The Stars
Students read a book about prejudices that occur in our daily lives. They describe characters in the book. Students discuss real life events of World War II and the Holocaust. Students simulate hiding Jews from the German soldiers. ...
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Rainforest Resources
Learners explore products of the rainforest. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students discover the resources that the rainforest holds and examine products from the rainforest used around the world.
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"Et tu, Brute?" - The Characters, Conflict and Historical context of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Students analyze the Shakespearian play, "Julius Caesar" in this seven lesson unit. Through readings, hands-on projects, and the study of plot development, comparisons are made to the movie and the historical records available.
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From Seeds to Plants
Second graders review the process of plant reproduction and the role of seeds in that process. The students dissect a seed, analyze their finds, collect and record data, and make predictions about seed germination and plant growth.
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What is the Population Distribution of Cartoon Characters Living On the Pages of Your Newspaper?
Students read various cartoons in their local newspaper and calculate the population demographics, spatial distribution and grouping of the characters. Using this information, they create a population distribution map and share them with...
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Cause and Effect
Students identify cause and effect relationships in a short story. After reading a short story, they participate in a discussion of how one event in a story can lead to several others. Students are then paired for a matching task that...
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Desert Animals
First graders investigate and identify a variety of animals that live in the desert. They complete a class KWL chart, then listen to the book Way Out in the Desert. Next, 1st graders observe a presentation of live desert animals, and...
Orange County Department of Education
The Hero: Writing and Responding
Pupils identify heroic character traits that they admire and that inspire trust and result in service to others. They identify the heroic traits of a character of their choosing and defend their reasoning using evidence from the text and...
Orange County Department of Education
Integrity and a Boy Called Slow
Fifth graders identify the character trait of integrity in the main character, Slow, in "A Boy Called Slow." They participate in a discussion to determine what steps the main character took to earn his new name. Students write an essay...
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Exploring the Poetry of Pablo Nueruda
Students read selected poems by Pablo Neruda. They also read short biographies of the author online to gain a better knowledge of the types of adversity Neruda faced throughout his lifetime. They begin to explore the concept of imagery...
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M & M Madness
Second graders graph M & M's by color. For this graphing lesson plan, 2nd graders first predict how many of each color they think are in a handful of M & M's. Then they graph the amounts of each color on a computer program....
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Analyzing Poetry and Characters
Learners investigate historical context by reading poetry. In this language arts lesson, students discover the work of Michael Longley and examine his poem "Ceasefire." Learners identify the sonnets used in the piece and discuss the...
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Examining newspapers
Students compare and contrast tabloid and broadsheet papers. In this journalism lesson plan, students examine how techniques and form differs from one type of publication to the other. The culminating activity is for students to take...
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School Days
Students identify colors, days and vocabulary related to objects in their classroom. They examine pictures and identify the different objects. They write sentences about what they did on each day of the week.
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Folktales (African American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean)
Students participate in a variety of activities that are concerned with comparing different cultures through the literary genre of folktales. The stories are used to stimulate student interest and provide a context for how a society...
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Whoever You Are
Students listen to story, Whoever You Are by Mem Fox, identify and discuss emotions, identify situations that cause people to show emotions, recognize cultural diversity in literature, and act out various emotions.
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To Every Thing There Is A Season...
Students use the artwork by Robert Harris to examine the four seasons. In groups, they identify the clothing worn in the artwork and create a dance which resembles the painting. They also practice reading a thermometer and identify...