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A Different World?
Students share their opinions in a brainstorming session on the factors that contribute to their quality of life. They read the article "Life Is Better; It Isn't Better. Which Is It?," from the NY Times and discuss the article as a...
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Hooverville Diorama
Fifth graders explore life during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression instructional activity, 5th graders gain an understanding of what life was like during the Great Depression. Students draw conditions that families...
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Slanted Sentences
Students examine biased words in news articles, suggest synonyms, then rewrite the sentences to demonstrate how word choice can alter meaning.
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Encapsulating Moments in Time
Students look back at this year in history and evaluate important events, discoveries and people from 1998. They, in groups, create 1998: Year in Review. While 1998 has come and gone, the idea and intent for this lesson can be used now.
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The Red Badge of Courage: A New Kind of Realism
Sudents compare specific excerpts from The Red Badge of Courage to first-hand accounts of Civil War battles, in text and images and list elements of Crane's style in The Red Badge of Courage that contribute to its realism.
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Invertebrates, No Backbone, No Problem
Third graders research an invertebrate, create a poster about it, then present it to the class.
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What's the Scoop on Slang?
Students examine examples of sports jargon by reading sports articles from a newspaper. They write a news article about a fictional sports event using examples of sports jargon.
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Flow of Information
Learners examine how information follows a linear path. They identify types of sources they need to consult and where it falls in the information flow, simulate the role of historians, and generate a list of sources for a topic.
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Research Activity: Grades 10-12
Learners discuss the war in Iraq, Adam Michnik's essay "We, the Traitors," and the notion that we bear a collective responsibility to rise up against oppression, within a modern geo-political context. They each write a research report on...
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Master in Training
Young scholars identify and examine their own areas of expertise. After reading an article, they discuss the evolution of three opera high school students. They create a timeline collage showing their mastery of their field of interest...
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Skinny and Fat Questions
Students practice the techniques and strategies of how to ask questions. They assess how to generate a question that corresponds to the reading that they have done recently. A PowerPoint is shown to the students to instruct them on the...
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School Newspaper
Students investigate writing a school newspaper. In this writing a school newspaper instructional activity, students choose topics that will be included in the school newspaper. Students view online sites about writing articles and break...
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Do They Play Sports in Costa Rica?
Students use the Internet to discover what types of sports the people of Costa Rica play. They write a paper in English but must use at least one Spanish quote. In the paper they compare/contrast sports in Costa Rica and the United States.
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Consider the Source
Students explain how to critically compare news reporting from around the world, focusing on coverage of the Taliban regime. They compare and contrast television and print media reporting on the issue.
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Action, Please!
Young scholars create an advertising campaign. In this environmental education lesson, students research aluminum and aluminum can recycling. Young scholars wrap the lesson up by writing newspaper articles, creating public service...
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First Lady Fashions
Sixth graders research and explore the fashion of a certain time while identifying with the personal convictions and tastes of the famous first ladies of the past. They practice what they explore adjectives to describe what they see and...
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Colonial Migration
Students, in groups, create a student book for an assigned group of immigrants to the Colonial United States (Huguenots, Scots, Irish, Africans.) They create drawings for the book and rhyming text that depicts three struggles that...
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Animal Farm
Students read Animal Farm and examine how power corrupts. They role-play situations involving power and control. They investigate corruption and abuse of power in society. They write propaganda articles and hold panel discusssionsabout...
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1984
Young scholars read 1984, noting the potential dangers of government. They keep private diaries to parctice freedom of expression. They create political cartoons for a secret publication and design posters and T-shirts with warnings on...
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Heroes and Role Models
Students identify heroes and role models they are familiar with. They write a paper about people they know or celebrities they admire. They research people using the Internet and other research materials.
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Non-Fiction Texts
Third graders examine different types of non-fiction texts. In this non fiction lesson, 3rd graders use different types of texts to gather information. Students work in groups to analyze the texts for author's purpose, common...
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A Report From the 21st Century - Mark Twain
Students look at Twain, the humorist - considered America's favorite storyteller and the funniest man in the world at the time. Students stretch the truth about a personal experience, and consider how delivery affects impact.
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For Sale - Ageless Water
Students discuss the topic of everlasting life after completing the novel, Tuck Everlasting. They examine advertisements for bottled water on the Internet and in magazines. Then they create their own advertisement for ageless water.
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Walter Cronkite: Witness to History
Students brainstorm a list of news sources. They interview people about today's media and discuss their results. After watching segments of a film about Walter Cronkite, they role play as reporters and subjects from an historic period...