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Historical Fiction - Based on facts or purely fiction?
Students, after reading an Accelerated Reader historical fiction book, research the actual historical time period portrayed in the book. Then, working in a cooperative learning group, they create a HyperStudio presentation.
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Freckle Juice
Working in groups of four, the students will use the computer to draw an imaginary potion that will cure other children their age from physical traits (they can not control) including all ingredients and one text box.
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I'm a Little Crab Pot
Third graders read Jacob Have I Loved and explore conflict/ resolution.
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Lawton: A Child of the Prairie
Pupils complete word study activities, read a story and write a descriptive paragraph about the setting of Goo Goo Avenue in Lawton 1901.
National First Ladies' Library
Fitness for Life
Students discuss their favorite activities and determine which activities are suitable for older people. In groups, students research the benefits of aerobic exercises and the equipment needed. Students share their information with the...
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"You Shall Do Your Best Endeavor" - Working With Primary Documents
Students read and interpret primary source documents regarding historic Jamestown. In small groups, they read the primary documents, answer questions, and view online maps of Jamestown Island and Virginia.
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A Day During Colonial Times
Fifth graders participate in read aloud activities of three books about life in Colonial times. They compare their life to that of children of Colonial times using a Venn diagram. They draw a picture and write about what a day in the...
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Literary Circles
Students use correct grammar, spelling and capitalization in their writing. They connect information acquired in history and science classes with the events described in the books that were read. Students make a clear and informative...
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Author, Author!
Third graders, in groups, select and research a favorite studenT author or illustrator. They answer questions about the author, conduct research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation with their findings.
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Understanding Genres
Young scholars identify genres of literature. In this literature instructional activity, students read definitions of the various genres. Young scholars choose books and list clues in the texts that help them identify the appropriate genre.
National First Ladies' Library
Get Ready, Get Set, We're Moving!
Young scholars use the internet and other sources to research the culture and history of the Philippines. In groups, they discover why William Taft moved to the Philippines. Students participate in a scenario where they make preparations...
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Summarizing What Counts
Students summarize a selected piece of text nonfiction text. After reviewing the correct way to read silently, students read a nonfiction article. Working in groups, they write a summary paragraph using questions provided by the instructor.
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Teaching Strategies For Main Idea Lessons
Main Idea Lesson Plans can help teachers make identifying the main idea of a passage a breeze.
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A Great Beginning
Young scholars create tri-fold biographical brochures. Each of the sections of the brochure refers to either the past, present or future of the student. They use the back of the brochure to list ways to be successful in high school and...
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Practice Makes Perfect: Citing Textual Evidence
Strategies, lesson plans, and ideas to help pupils locate and cite textual evidence.
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Greed is Good?
From Mr. Merdle to Mr. Madoff? A viewing of the PBS adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Little Dorrit” launches an examination of greedy characters in literature and a study of greed, unfairness, and economic hardship today. The richly...
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Writing a Topic Sentence
Here is an inventive, and easy-to-implement lesson on the writing of topic sentences. Learners review what a topic sentence is, practice identifying topic sentences in an informational article, then play a really cool game. All of the...
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Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
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Who Invented English Anyway?
In these English lesson plans, young scholars use video, the Internet and non-fiction essays to research the history of the English language. They write a short research paper and design a PowerPoint presentation showcasing their findings.
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Spider Watching
Spiders are creepy, crawly - and interesting! Young entomologists learn about parts of a spider's body, their habitats, ways spiders catch their prey, and what they most like to eat. Some excellent art activities are included in the plan...
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The Envelope Please
Students research an animal of the rainforest. They create a computerized claymation to present their research.
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Cross-Curricular Language Arts Lessons
Here are lesson ideas to begin integrating social studies content into the language arts classroom.
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Writing to a Specific Topic
After a class discussion where learners make predictions about what will happen in a book based on its cover illustration, pupils are asked to compose a written response about an aspect of the story and include some of their own...
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Creating a Science Fiction Story
As the culminating activity in a unit study of science fiction, young writers demonstrate their understanding of the genre by producing their own graphic novel. After deciding on the main elements of their story, individuals use a comic...