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Friend or Foe?
Students examine the historical roots of a new treaty established between China and Russia.
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Time in Jazz
Students examine time and meter in the jazz idiom. They analyze Take the A Train and Take Five. They research websites featuring Ella Fitzgerald and her music.
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Japanese Society
Learners conduct research into the life of being a person who is Japanese. The lesson uses essential questions in order to guide the research. Classroom activities are used to encourage discussion.
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Life Without Flight
Students keep a journal for an intire week recording their observations of the ways aircraft affect society, The students discuss their findings and categorize them into areas such as military, commercial, research, and so on.
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Cave Painting in the Ice Age
Students take notes and sketch during the Internet research. They take notes of the colors found in the cave paintings (black, browns, ochre, sienna). They create an initial full size comprehensive sketch on scrap paper and in their...
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Surfing to the Planets on the Internet
Seventh graders explore the planets using computers and other forms of electronic technology. They research data on two planets and compare the data. Students make conclusions regarding the size of their planets. They calculate how long...
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The Journal of a Civil War Soldier
Fifth graders write a response in their journals about the fictional thoughts of a Civil War soldier. They use specific web sites in order to research the life of a soldier during the Civil War.
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Get A Life!
Students participate in a program which helps them determine what they want to do after high school. Individually, they develop their own webpage describing where they want to be in ten years. They research a career they are interested...
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Words from the Wise
Students explore how famous people, through newspaper Op-Ed articles, often inform the public about issues of national importance. They write Op-Eds in the voice of famous people on current news topics.
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Love Hurts
Students examine how the love bug virus caused billions of dollars in damage after it spread from Asia. Students create profiles of hackers and design a public service announcement and posters to discourage the creation of such viruses.
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A Positive Spin
Study word choice and connotation in advertising. Readers examine campaign ads, both negative and positive, from the 2006 mid-term election before discussing an article and analyze a campaign of any candidate they choose. Finally,...
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A Choice of Voice
Team work can produce great results. Your class will analyze the design, news content, and demographic profiles of local alternative newsweeklies. They then design and write articles for their own community working together as editorial...
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Hic-Hic-Hooray!
What is really the best way to get rid of hiccups? Investigate some old wives' tales and folk remedies related to health. Middle schoolers explore the science behind why people might believe these myths to be true and find the real...
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Covering the Issue
Examine how art and music can be powerful tools for conveying a political or social message. After considering the issues surrounding rapper Paris, students design their own album covers that reflect their political and/or social...
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Recurring Nightmares
Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...
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Searching for Answers
How does a judge in the federal judicial court decide on a verdict? Give your middle and high schoolers a better idea of how final decisions are made in the judicial system. Then split your class into four groups, assigning each group a...
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Active Reading with American History
Explore connections within and between informational texts with this lesson about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine credibility...
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Ambassadors of Art
Have your class create their own art exhibit. Learners study the exchange of artwork between the Louvre in Paris and two American art museums, and create an introductory exhibit featuring European and American art from the Renaissance...
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Loose Lips
Have your middle and high schoolers analyze instances of celebrities using racial slurs or making prejudiced comments in public. After reading an article, they consider the roots and effects of prejudice and bias. As a class, they...
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The Ultimate Instrument!
Third graders identify the four instrument families of the symphony orchestra. They listen to the instruments and compare the similarities and differences of each of the four families. They design and create an instrument that belongs to...
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Word Up!
Study the importance of word choice in informational text. Middle and high schoolers locate unfamiliar words and phrases in newspaper articles of their choosing, and use online word sites to explore the definitions and histories of each....
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Chew On This!
Learners develop pamphlets for a dental health mentoring program that educates younger students about caring for their teeth. They recall experiences at visits to dentists and consider why some students may have poor dental health.
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Activism or Slacktivism? The "Stop Kony" Campaign as a Teachable Moment
Engage your learners in global events. The makers of the film Invisible Children began the Kony 2012 Campaign to bring awareness to the Lord's Resistance Army. You can show your class the video Kony 2012 and spark discussion with the...
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Advertising and Healthy Decisions
Students analyze alcohol and tobacco ads and create parodies of them. The eight lessons in this unit include discussions about why teens smoke or drink, the psychology behind the advertising, and writing persuasive letters to agencies,...