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Addition
Explore the concept of number bonds with your young elementary students. They will become familiar with the number bonds to 10, 20, and 100, and then play games to practice these skills. This is a differentiated lesson which includes an...
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Independent Studies Movies
History comes alive as groups work cooperatively to create short iMovies about a specific historical period of their choice. Ideal for late elementary grades, the lesson includes a video demonstration and a short materials list.
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Introduction To Melodic Notation: Sol-Mi
Second graders discover the use of melody in music and how it relates to simple songs and music notation. Students sing and move throughout this lesson. Emphasis is placed upon group and individual practice interpreting musical melodies.
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Totally Ternary
First graders compose a simple nursery rhyme with percussion and instrumental accompaniment in the general music classroom setting. AB form and rhythmic patterns are emphasized in this 35-40 minute lesson plan.
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Original Rhythm Compositions for Poetry
Students create and perform original musical compositions using poetry as a basis for the creative process. This cross-curricular two-day instructional activity can be done in two 45 minute class periods. Students evaluate performances...
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Celebrations of the Pacific Rim
Students research a celebration belonging to a Pacific Rim culture. They prepare a written and oral report with their findings and present such information as how the celebration has changed over time, its origins and the significance of...
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Adjunct Materials
Students describe and evaluate adjunct educational materials for their usefulness in social studies classrooms. They identify means of randomly pairing students using social studies content and develop social studies-themed unit plans...
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Rhythm Compositions
Fourth graders collaborate in small groups to create simple rhythmic patterns in different time signatures. Each group creates rhythms in a competitive "game" atmosphere and then constructs entire rhythmic groups for presentation to...
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Differentiating Vocal Types
Students sing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. State competency at the kindergarten level is stressed for this lesson plan. Assessment is based upon in-class performances and individual work.
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Israel
The class creates and performs a movement performance of the creation story found in the Jewish tradition. This lesson begins with the research of Israeli culture and culminates in a performance of the narrated creation story....
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Integrating the Craft of Writing into Physical Education
Incorporate writing into your physical education class. In groups, learners unscramble a list of words related to exercise and use them in their journal writings. Using their name, they write one word related to physical activity that...
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I Am Special and You Are Special Too #5
The student create a drawing of themselves through the use of multicultural people color crayons. They explain to a teacher what makes them special. Students investigate family types, skin color, eye color, hair color, and favorites.
National First Ladies' Library
We're off to see the Wizard!
Students explore the process of play and movie making from books. They study the basic elements of drama and write and produce a play based on a chosen theme. Students explain the basic elements of a play by looking at "The Wonderful...
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Original Band Compositions
Students create and perform original band compositions using their own band instruments. This two day lesson requires student compositions to be done at home. Students evaluate performances using a checklist for composing (included).
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A Power Point Slide Show for Third Graders
Third graders explore PowerPoint. In this technology instructional activity, 3rd graders select a topic of interest and follow a guided instructional activity researching their topic. Students complete storyboards,...
National First Ladies' Library
There's Only How Much? Rationing in World War II
Students discuss the idea of rationing as a restriction on the amount of something or the frequency with which something may be purchased or used in order to contribute to the greater good of the group which was what happened during...
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Self-Portrait Unit - Lesson #1
Fourth graders create self-portraits using artistic elements found in Hispanic culture and, specifically, the art of Frida Kahlo. The lesson can be adapted for any culture/country and requires an outside person with cultural knowledge.
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Creating Characters
Students identify simple pictographs and ideographs from Chinese writing. They create their own images, and combine characters to communicate ideas to one another, introducing basic foundations of how elements of the Chinese writing...
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Stories from the Thousand and One Nights
Students hold a Thousand and One Nights storytelling festival with each one memorizing a story to relate to classmates. While examining provided resource links, they select and practice a story they would like to retell. As a dress...
National First Ladies' Library
'Tis a Gift to Be Simple: The Shaker People
Students identify the difficulties and benefits of a utopian community. They examine their own ideas of utopia and research an example of one such community that has had an impact on our own culture.
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Movement Adventure
Students discover movement and pantomime techniques in this adventurous story telling experience for kindergarten. Assessment is done through a short question and answer session and students drawing the "adventure".
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Integrating Japanese Folk Tales into the Classroom Using Japanese Kamishibai
Students study Japanese folk tales focusing on the traditional values and key elements. They compare the Japanese values with their own. They discuss Japanese art before designing a set of kamishibai on which they write a summary of a...
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Changing Images of Childhood in America: Colonial, Federal and Modern England
Students compare and contrast maps of New Haven, Connecticut from today and the past. After taking a field trip, they draw sketches of the types of architecture and discuss how the buildings have changed over time. They read journal...
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Chance Dance Compositions
Fourth graders create dances through a randomly generated process (such as throwing a dice) and perform their dances for the class. Class work is based on Merce Cunningham's "Chance Dance" and includes walking, skipping hopping, and...