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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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Cross-Curricular Language Arts Lessons
Here are lesson ideas to begin integrating social studies content into the language arts classroom.
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No Name Calling Week
The lessons learned during No Name Calling Week can last throughout the year.
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Fate vs. Mind: A Macedonian Folk Tale
Young scholars read examples of folk tales and describe the characteristics of fables and folk tales. They also examine the concept of fate and if it plays a part in people's lives.
The New York Times
Dark Materials: Reflecting on Dystopian Themes in Young Adult Literature
The Hunger Games. Maximum Ride. Why is so much of young adult literature so dark? What is the appeal of dystopian literature to young readers? The six activities in this resource ask kids to reflect on some of the reasons this genre has...
Institute for Systems Biology
Introduction to Saline Environments & Microbial Halophiles
If you do not mind wading through unrelated headings (This is not for a physics or STEM course, as it states.) and content (The lesson opens with an article about neurology, not halophiles.), then you will find a valuable resource on...
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Express Yourself Lesson Seed 7: Pronouns
Take a break from literature study to address some grammatical concerns. Using a text you've already read in your class, show how to analyze pronoun use. After watching the master, pairs analyze a short excerpt on their own, identifying...
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Science Fiction Lesson Plans
Students can explore a literature genre through science fiction lesson plans.
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Getting Inside The Outsiders Through Music
Learners listen to popular music of the 50's and 60's to make literature connections to The Outsiders. In this popular culture instructional activity, students evaluate and analyze various songs and connect them with the themes in the...
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Animal Farm
An exploration of "Animal Farm" can be a way to get students thinking about politics, history, and literature.
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Posters with a "Twist"
Learners examine how posters can depict history and reflect societal issues of an era. They apply principles of poster art to create original posters reflecting society in 19th century England.
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Radical Reads
Students recreate an "American Idol" contest in which they present their favorite books to their classmates using arguments for and excerpts from the books. Following the presentation, students will be polled and the least popular books...
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Newberry Award Reading Project
Fifth graders complete a project for a Newberry Award winning book. This ambitious lesson outlines the expectations for students regarding their project. Included is a list of possible books and a variety of writing, art, music and...
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Book Smarts
Learners identify the ideas and themes that are most significant in a work of literature, then propose ways to visually represent these themes through art.
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Out of the Dust: Visions of Dust Bowl History Lesson Overview
Learners complete activities with the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. In this literature lesson, students read this story and view the Dust Bowl history from the eyes of a child. They discover the Great Depression and life in...
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No Name-Calling Week
Your can help reduce bullying in the classroom and on the playground with this activities during No Name-Calling Week.
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Baseball Statistics
Students read "Casey at the Bat" and then use individual player statistics (found through internet research)to determine if their players could be considered baseball "heroes". They must justify their choices for "hero" by creating...
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The Nineteenth Amendment: Susan B. Anthony
What would your scholars do if Susan B. Anthony walked into class? Shock them to attention with this lesson, which has the school secretary (or any willing participant) dress as the famous suffragette and answer questions as a surprise...
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Surviving the Hatchet
Learners read the book, Hatchet, and write their thoughts and reactions about the events in their journals.
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Carrie's War by Nina Bawden
In this Carrie's War instructional activity, students analyze each chapter through word level, sentence level, and text level evaluations for ten chapters. Students respond to short answer questions about six characters in the book.
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Man in Conflict - Vietnam and Literature
Eleventh graders analyze the lyrics of protest music. In this Vietnam War lesson, 11th graders examine conflict as they consider the controversial nature of the war as evidenced in song lyrics. Students also consider the Iraq War and its...
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Juvenile Delinquency
Ninth graders analyze and interpret historical research by examining, analyzing, and forming opinions regarding primary resources. They compare/contrast social conflict, its causes and effects, in regards to continuity and change over time.
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Diversity - Grade 7
Seventh graders consider the diversity of the First Nations cultures in Canada. In this cultural diversity lesson, 7th graders research the cultural groups of the First Nations as well as their contributions to Canadian society. Students...
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Watsons Go To Birmingham--1963Patricia Wachholz
Students research the 1960s to prepare for reading the book, The Watsons Go To Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis. They watch a documentary, create a timeline, and listen to music from the 1960s.