While They Watched
Teaching the Holocaust
What is the difference between prejudice and discrimination? Between collaborators and bystanders? Guilt and responsibility? Prompt learners to think critically about a very complex and textured topic with an innovative packet of materials.
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Site and Situation: Right Place at the Right Time
Students analyze geographic details. In this research skills lesson, students research maps as well as primary and secondary sources to analyze growth, population, and manufacturing in Altoona, Pennsylvania following World War II....
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Inventions Change the World: The Enigma Machine
Third graders explore WWII by analyzing technological advances. For this invention lesson, 3rd graders discuss the use of the Enigma machine which decoded private German messages that communicated with U-boats. Students utilize a...
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Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands
Students show on a map territorial changes to Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, then identify European countries that came under German control before and during World War II.
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Pictures of the Berlin Airlift: Primary Sources (Photos and Cartoons) to Motivate Learning
Tenth graders describe cartoons and photos from the Berlin Airlift and put them into a historical context. After a lecture/demo, each pair of students be asked to describe what they see in the photos. They then write a caption for each...
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Shakespeare's Macbeth
After reading Act II of The Tragedy of Macbeth, give your class this prompt to complete. One other question is listed along with information regarding the divine right of kings. A full plan is not written out here, but the prompt is a...
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Carbondale: The Biography of a Coal Town
Young scholars use a brief history of the growth and decline of the anthracite region in the state to create a photograph and map "peak shaped" time line. They practice map and photo analysis strategies to "read" photographs and maps.
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Anne Frank: Courage and Responsibility
Sixth graders examine attitudes toward discrimination. They increase their sensitivity to diversity. After a lecture/demo, 6th graders read about people who exhibit courage and complete a writing assignment about them.
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Ancient Greece: Athens as a City State
Sixth graders find Greece on the map and recognize how the geography of Greece was important in its development. In this ancient Greece instructional activity, 6th graders research Greece and compare to the civilization of ancient Egypt....
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The Greek Gods
What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary students examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are links...
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Introduction to Night by Elie Wiesel
Students research background knowledge of the Holocaust using Internet websites and the video Seared Souls as preparation for reading Elie Wiesel's Night. In this Night activity, students visit websites for Holocaust vocabulary,...
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Express Yourself Lesson Seed 4
Get started with The Cay. First, provide some background information and images that relate to the novel. Then pupils can create double-entry journals. Once that is complete, read the first two chapters, encouraging individuals to record...
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Capitalization of Nouns
Which nouns are capitalized? Challenge young editors with these erroneous sentences, all of which require capitalization. After circling all the necessary capitals in 10 sentences, they rewrite two sentences (which are all in capital...
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Breaking News English: Iran's Ambassador Change
In this Iran's Ambassador change instructional activity, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer...
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Navigating Through Capital History
Fourth graders research the history of Tallahassee using a Website and other materials to determine why the capital is where it is today. They organize the information on a timeline and investigate the "heart" of Florida.
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Letters from Rifka
Students read Karen Hesse's book "Letters from Rifka" and explore how it presents the experiences of a Russian immigrant to America. They research and write reports on the experiences of various immigrants from different cultures, keep...
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What if Amelia Earhart had Turned Around?
Students discuss an article in USA Today in which Gregg Zoroya proposes his theory about what happened to Amelia Earhart. In this reading comprehension and Amelia Earhart lesson, students read an article in USA Today that proposes a...
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Breaking News English: Japanese-Russian Peace Treaty Still Remote
In this English worksheet, students read "Japanese-Russian Peace Treaty Still Remote," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
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What's the Problem?
Fourth graders redefine the problem of Where's the Heart of Florida? and begin to formulate possible solutions using graphic organizers.
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Breaking News English: Iran to Replace 40 Ambassadors
In this English worksheet, students read "Iran to Replace 40 Ambassadors," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
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The Rise of the City States in Greece
Sixth graders examine Ancient Greece and its development of democracy. In this Greek History lesson, 6th graders explore the rise of city-states in Greece and its overall effect on the development of democracy. The class continues with...
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Battle of the Bulge
Students identify the date and location of the Battle of the Bulge and the sides battling in it and who the military leaders were. They identify what each side did in the battle, who the victor was, and the condition each side was in...
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Daily Life in Ancient Greece
Sixth graders discover what everyday life was like for Ancient Greeks. In this Greek history lesson, 6th graders examine the cultural diversity of Ancient Greece and how it affected daily life for its citizens.