Curated OER
International Festival: Germany
Students complete several activities to learn about the German culture. In this German culture lesson, students read the 'Hansel and Gretel' story and create a paper gingerbread house. Students complete a matching game for the story....
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"Owl" A Haitian Folk Tale
Eighth graders read and discuss the Haitian folktale, "Owl." They compare it to the story, "Brer Possum's Dilemma," using a Venn diagram to show how they are different and alike. In groups, they retell the story in a skit format.
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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.
Anti-Defamation League
10 Ideas for Teaching Black History Month
Celebrate Black History Month with the help of 10 ideas that delve deep into the history, major events, contributions, famous African Americans, and sheds light on how scholars today can take a proactive stance on current civil rights...
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Open Sesame: A Magical World of Reading
Third graders, through six lessons, study tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Aladdin and the Lamp from The Arabian Nights.
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Native American Heritage Month
An exploration of Native American culture can lead to art, literature, and poetry activities.
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Critical Pedagogy
Students read Ruthanne Lum McCunn's Thousand Pieces of Gold and as a class, discuss the Chinese practice of foot binding. They work in groups to read further about how women of different cultures attempt to conform. They write about...
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Rudolfo Anaya
Learners read and analyze the Rudolfo Anaya novel Bless Me, Ultima. They discuss passages from the book, watch a video, view and analyze a mural of Mexican American artwork, and write a journal response.
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The Way to Rainy Mountain
Students read and analyze the N. Scott Momaday novel, The Way to Rainy Mountain. They share photos of an older family relative, write about the relative, listen to an excerpt from the book, and conduct an Internet research on the Kiowa...
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Neighborhoods
Students examine homes around the world. For this multicultural lesson, students read the book A World of Homes and Homes Around the World. Students compare and contrast the homes in the books to their own homes. Students construct a...
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My Own True Name
Students read passages from My Own True Name. They write their own poems and present them to the class. They share their favorite lines from the poem as well.
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Pablo Neruda
Eighth graders explore the life and works of Pablo Neruda. They complete an author map concerning his personal and professional life. Students identify the key components of an ode. They write an ode to a common object around their...
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Cinderella: A Story Found in Many Cultures
First graders explore, discuss and examine fairy-tale and make-believe stories. They assess two different types of Cinderella stories to surface a broader look at cultural diversity. Students construct a Venn Diagram or a chart of the...
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Octavio Paz
Tenth graders read and analyze the poem, "The Street," by Hispanic author, Octavio Paz. They research the life of Octavio Paz and identify his literary contributions. They complete an online scavenger hunt and create an author map of...
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Haitian Folktales
Seventh graders identify parts of Haitian culture through folktales. They compare and contrast a Haitian folktale with an African American folktale. They read "Bye-Bye" a Haitian folktale. They create and write their own folktale. They...
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Shange's Novel Betsey Brown & Jazz
Students read a work of fiction and investigate literary values and structure of the work. They demonstrate understanding of the family values, cultural and historical context of the novel;
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Postcards from Somewhere
Students correspond with e-pals about their community. In this cross curriculum geography, technology, and literacy lesson, students complete a postcard webquest about their home location including local photographs. Students e-mail...
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Historical Figure: A Monologue
Fourth graders develop their speaking skills. In this monologue lesson, 4th graders watch their instructors model a monologue regarding Abraham Lincoln. Students apply these skills as they research a historical figure from their state...
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Grandma Tells A Story
Students read a story with the teacher to reflect upon their own family history. The application of the story is when children create their own family tree and complete the questionaire.
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"Railroad Bill, A Conjure Man"
Students create questions to ask the poet, Ishmael Reed about his poetry. After the poet speaks, students are broken into groups and are to analyze a poem and report back to the class on their findings.
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Erased Faces
Students decode certain passages from the book, Erased Faces. They connect pictures from a picture book previously seen to the chapters in Erased Faces.
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When I Was Puerto Rican
Learners are read passages from When I Was Puerto Rican and asked to respond to the passages in their journals. They decide on a topic for researching and they use this topic to develop their own memoirs.
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Keith Gilyard: Poemographies
Learners, in groups, read and analyze portions of Keith Gilyard's "Poemographies". They create original visual "poemographies" and participate in a written response activity.
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Inquiry: Rudolfo Anaya and James Baldwin
Learners investigate three works by the author James Baldwin. They work in groups to research the author and create a website based on the research.