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Another Look at School Safety
Students research crime and violence in their district, including finding out what has been discussed about safety and addition of surveillance cameras.Students conduct interviews and explore the legal issues involved. After all...
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Introduction To Literary Analysis
Explore the fascinating ways in which authors use specific literary devices to create interesting and realistic texts. Using non-fiction articles with the subject of rogue waves, an excerpt from The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger,...
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Sunshine Week: Your right to know
Students read background material about accessing open records, including how to file a Freedom of Information request. Students choose a restaurant close to school they want to investigate and contact the county health inspection office...
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Same-Sex Schools Gain Ground
Students examine the issue of having same-sex classes. Using the internet, they research how this program is working around the country. They interview local education experts and determine how they view the issue. They include an...
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Cleveland may gamble on gambling
Young scholars write a news feature or editorial discussing the debate of whether gambling should be legalized in Cleveland. Students research and debate about the issue. Young scholars interview community members to hear views.
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Family Sues Over Discipline That Stinks
Students read a brief explanation of a situation in which a family is suing a school district because a teacher made a child spray himself with Lysol in front of the class, saying this would take care of his body odor. Students write a...
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AIDS Child Activist Dies
Students read an article on AIDS child activist Nkosi Johnson, and examine the extraordinary difficulties faced by students who have AIDS. They write reflection papers on Nkosi Johnson and how his example can help people in their own lives.
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Sum It Up
After a review of the steps involved in writing a summary, class members read The Physics of Baseball by Sarah Ives and use a story web to identify the important details to include in their summary. Class members then choose an article...
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The Rule of Law
Young scholars continue their exploration of the concept of rule of law. As a class, they discuss how Civil Rights leaders followed the rule of law in their protests. After reading various articles, they participate in a discussion and...
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Checking Out Community Preparedness
Students research storm preparedness in their community. They interview city officials to determine the current emergency plans, warning systems, etc. Students write an analysis of the situation.
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Weapons in school: Protection or danger?
Students write an editorial (staff opinion) or commentary (writer's opinion) if they/he or she believe the school rules are either too strict or too lenient when addressing weapons possession. Students research past situations in their...
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'Song of the South' a racist tune?
Students read the information about the movie "Song of the South" and watch some of the clips. They write their reaction to the proposal to re-release the movie. Students consider whether it would matter if the studio adds an...
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Do You Have a Blog?
Ask learners about their personal writing habits, such as whether they keep a journal or a blog, or if they'd ever want to. Though this is not a fully developed instructional activity, you can use this article and question to provoke...
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Commemorating a Tragedy
High schoolers read newspaper articles and watch segments on the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. In groups, they discuss how each media outlet presented the material and decide which one was more productive. As a class, they...
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Summarization Superstars
How do you read when you know you're going to be summarizing a text? Summarize a nonfiction text with your upper elementary schoolers. Your pupils independently read a nonfiction article and write a summary paragraph using the six-step...
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Novel News
Students, working in groups create a newspaper based on the events that take place in a novel. Groups complete sections of the newsletter based on criteria and publish it using newsletter publishing software.
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Details
Third graders write journals, newspapers, and letters with details to enhance their main points. In this details lesson plan, 3rd graders retell an incident with details, create newspaper articles with details, and write letters with...
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George Mason and the Constitution
Students read various articles about the political beliefs of George Mason. In groups, they describe the major events of his life that formed his beliefs and values. They also analyze his contributions to the Constitution and the Bill...
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Ancient Book Found in Ireland
Students discuss items archeologists search for during digs and read a news article about a 2200-year-old religious book found in Ireland. They examine the article for examples of the passive voice. They make lists of items for a time...
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Media Literacy Skills
Third graders watch a news story from three different networks in order to determine how the same story can be presented in three different ways. Next, working in small groups they create a newscast of a current event to share with the...
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Gorbachev Enters Software Piracy Argument
Students watch a news story about ex-President Gorbachev getting involved in a piracy case in Russia. After reading three statements about piracy, they choose the one that best fits their own views. In groups, they discuss each topic...
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Science Reporter for Where in the World is Science? Project
Young scholars take the role of a science reporter and gather data for a newspaper article. Students create a question sheet. Young scholars receive a copy of the Science Reporter's Journal task sheet. They complete the items on the...
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The Odyssey of a CoinC
Learners create a fictitious newspaper article to document the travels of an ancient Greek coin. They evaluate the economic conditions that existed in ancient Greece and analyze the impact Alexander the Great had on the ancient world.
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Transformation of Texas Transportation
High schoolers research how the growth of railroads led to an industrial revolution in Texas and read a newspaper article debating which railroad company should come to Travis County. They write their own article and debate the railroad...