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Teaching the Five Themes of Geography Through Picture Books
Read the story Make Way for Ducklings and introduce little ones to the five themes of geography. Reread the story, while displaying transparencies to reinforce the five themes. In groups, learners view pictures and identify the themes on...
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Left-to-Right Reading
Left-to-right, left-to-right, that's the way we read and write! Watch this short video clip and teach your young learners this chant before they start writing!
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What makes up YOUR Environment!
Students create their own land or water environment. They make their environment livable for all the different animals they collect to put in it. Students research the types of animals that they can have in their environment, and how...
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Learn-to-Read Pumpkin Patch
Students practice identifying and pronouncing the short letter "u" sound. In this phonetic awareness lesson, students access the Starfall.com website and follow the directions on the screen to reinforce the short "u" sound. Students can...
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Chocolate Graphing
Chocolate lovers develop a bar graph based on the types of chocolate the class likes. They participate in The Art of Chocolate at The Hershey Story before they make a bar graph that shows the favorite chocolate types of their class. They...
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Analyzing Literary Devices
Eighth graders identify figurative language and poetry in this literary analysis lesson. Using Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll and a YouTube video for "The Walrus and the Carpenter," young readers complete a literary device...
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Further Investigating Greater Than, Less Than, and Equal to
Learners investigate number relationships such as greater than, less than, and equal to. In this number relationship lesson, students use number mats and a fish with a large, open mouth to practice showing number relationships.
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Animated Alphabet
Students explore English by completing an interactive language history activity. In this word recognition lesson plan, students discuss word formations and the phonetic relationship between letters. Students identify the origin of...
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Acoustic Poems
Students explore acrostic poems. In this interactive poetry lesson, students visit the ReadWriteThink.org website to view characteristics and samples of acrostic poems. Students develop acrostic poems by using the interactive site.
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Yummy Gummy Subtraction
Here is a quick 15 minute lesson intended to introduce subtraction. Learners count and subtract gummy bears to complete 5 problems. The lessons suggest that the gummy bears can be saved and used the next day, but gummy bears get gross...
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Symbols and Trading Cards
A silk rank badge was a symbolic emblem worn by high officials during the Qing Dynasty. Your class will get a chance to examine the details, symbolism, color, and design of such a badge as they make their own symbolic trading cards....
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Grouping Buttons
Looking for a good lesson on counting and sorting? This lesson is worth a look! In this classification lesson, learners sort buttons by color, shape, shiny verses not shiny, or number of holes.
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Doodle Splash
Students navigate Doodle Splash to create a painting. In this doodle splash lesson, students explain their splash painting relationship to a piece of literature.
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Minnesota-China Connections:What Time Is It?
Learners calculate the time difference between Beijing, China and their local community. They discuss how time difference affects intercultural communication.
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Pumpkin Carving Sequencer
Pupils arrange illustrations in sequential order. In this text organization lesson, students access a webpage where they must follow the instructions to learn about the steps of pumpkin carving. Pupils then click and drag illustrations...
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Reading and Writing in the Right Direction
Beginning writers practice writing and reading from left to right using green and red dots. You'll need notecards with a green dot on the left side and a red dot on the right side. Do your learners understand that print moves from left...
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Introducing Literacy Elements in Nonfiction
Explore nonfiction writing with your class. They will identify elements in nonfiction by reviewing elements of fiction. Then they use biographies, memoirs, menus, Time for Kids, and text books to identify elements of nonfiction. They...
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Using a Dictionary
When do we use dictionaries? Provide this dictionary scavenger hunt for your youngsters. Third and fourth graders search for words, recording the number of syllables or definition for a variety of words. Get your class using dictionaries...
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Your Attention Please: Iatmul Orator's Stool
Students investigate art by observing historical sculptures from New Guinea. In this art history lesson, students observe pictures of the "Orator's Stool"from Papua New Guinea, while identifying the small details that make it unique....
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Focus on Figurative Language
Using the poems "First Snow" by Ted Kooser and "Eating Alone" by Yi-Young Lee (or other suggested poems by Robert Frost or Sara Teasdale), middle schoolers search for examples of figurative language. Guide your learners by discussing...
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Introducing Literary Elements in Fiction
Identify literary elements in fiction. In this reading comprehension lesson, learners read the book Pigsty and record literary elements onto a graphic organizer. They specifically discuss the main characters and events in the text.
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Summarizing Key Information
Imagine the surprise when small groups present their Evidence Charts to the class and discover that each group has studied a different version of the Cinderella story. Irish, Ojibwa, Egyptian, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Mexican, and...
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Building Vocabulary
Decode and acquire new vocabulary! Readers use new vocabulary in their writing and use synonyms to determine meanings. Visual learners label pictures and group words together to increase understanding.
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My Summer Vacation: Traveling
A classic lesson idea, kindergarteners share stories about their summer vacations on their first day of school! First, your young learners will listen to you talk about your summer vacation, making sure to use plenty of visual aids. Then...