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Newspaper Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars cut out nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs from newspapers and create poems using words they have found.
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If I Could Talk Like the Animals. . .

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read and discuss a film review of the animated movie Antz and then write a monologue from the perspective of a non-human organism.
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Creating a Life Map

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create their own life map in which they introduce themselves to each other by sharing what they are most proud of. They use a life map to expressive themselves creatively.
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Poems that Tell a Story: Narrative and Persona in the Poetry of Robert Frost

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils read and discuss poems by Robert Frost. Students collaborate in small groups to draw inferences about speakers' character and motives and to gather evidence supporting those inferences.
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African Art and Personal Adornment: African Folktales

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students write a folktale based on an African adinkra symbol. They research its meaning and relate it as the theme.
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I am the Walrus

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students research walruses using the library and the Internet, then write an essay from what they find in their research.  In this investigative lesson students view a video on walruses then write an essay after researching. 
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Narrative Prompt

For Teachers K
Students write to describe a summer activity. They read a book about the seasons. They describe grab bag props and how they are used in summer.
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Journal Writing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students gain a better understanding of good journal writing. They examine how there are two types of journals - personal and public, yet each serves to describe the writers feelings and experiences about a given event.
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YANG AND THE YOUNGEST AND HIS TERRIBLE EAR

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students perform a web scavenger hunt to find information about the author of the book, YANG THE YOUNGEST AND HIS TERRIBLE EAR. They develop an understanding of how writers use personal experience to add voice to their writing.
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Gandhi's Voice: Writing as Nonviolent Resistance

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders identify how Mahatma Gandhi used writing as a means of nonviolent communication. In this nonviolent resistance lesson, 9th graders watch a film about Gandhi as a writer and identify characteristics of nonviolent activism....
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Photo Essay

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the process of writing a photo essay. They examine and select a personal photo or photo from a magazine, and brainstorm a story that can go with the photo. They identify an emotion to go with their picture, then write...
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"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students read the novel, "The Giver", and test their comprehension through the game Jeopardy. Then students research individual rights of different cultures and write a summary of their findings. Students develop a personal timeline of...
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Oregon Trail Art

For Teachers K - 6th
Pupils describe events that happened on the Oregon Trail and in the daily lives of Native Americans by writing a narrative essay of a family traveling through Nebraska based on Thomas Hart Benton's paintings.
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Story Writing

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars work in groups to create a story that will be presented to the class.  In this story writing activity, students complete a project planning sheet, work together to create a story that includes a hero and at least two...
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Forgiveness and Gratitude

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students are introduced to the concepts of forgiveness and gratitude. As a class, they listen as they are read a story and note acts of forgiveness and gratitude. They answer comprehension questions and brainstorm definitions of peace...
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Voices of Tragedy and Horror: Remembering the Holocaust

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider the implications of the Holocaust. In this World War II lesson, students read the graphic novel Maus at the end of a unit on World War II. Students discuss the impact of reading about the Holocaust as well as theme of...
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The Power of Autobiographical Writing

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners explore the concept of injustice. In this nonviolent resistance lesson, students discuss how autobiographical writing may be used to promote justice. Learners read an excerpt from Gandhi's autobiography and determine how his...
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students read and analyze the novel "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou. They discuss the poetry and prose of the book, the importance of role models, complete a worksheet, and write a narrative using figurative language.
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3D Insight and Influences - Lucas Samras

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders discuss life of Lucas Samaras, identify familial, cultural, and personal characteristics, and create 3-dimensional containers exploring external and internal characteristics
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Problem/solution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine presentations of problems and reaching solutions in literature. In this writing skills lesson plan, students read "The Three Little Pigs," and respond to several discussion questions about plot, characters, setting,...
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Health Grade 3

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore respect. In this activity about respecting others and their property, 3rd graders learn hoe to be nice to other people. Students discuss different situations and whether or not it is being respectful. Students write...
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Border Identity: AngloChicaNorteña

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze concept of identity in the context of the border region, and in particular by considering the concept of identity in a movie concerning a famous border personality.
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Readers Theater

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students perform a reader's theater based on the Civil War. In this dramatic arts history instructional activity, students review the purpose of reader's theater and are given a script to read. The script can be based on an important...
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Hawthorne: Author and Narrator

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read various pieces of literature by Nathaniel Hawthorne to recognize the difference between a narrator and author. Students in small groups report on the narrative point of view represented in a story they have read.