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Romeo and Juliet: To Tell, or Not to Tell

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Should Romeo and Juliet have revealed their engagement to their parents? After reading Acts I and II of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, your class discusses this question with a SMARTboard presentation (though the lesson still works...
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Who Has the Power?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders write persuasive letters expressing opinions about the purchase of 25 acres adjacent to Wakulla Springs proposed to include a convenience store/gas station. They submit the letter to the Florida Department of Environmental...
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Introducing the Essay: Twain, Douglass, and American Non-Fiction

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students analyze American essayists Mark Twain and Frederick Douglass in an introduction to American literary non-fiction writing. For this essay history lesson, students identify methods for writing essays. Students read and analyze...
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English and Literacy: Children's Rights - Expanded Paragraphs

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students write expanded paragraphs about children's rights. For this writing and children's rights lesson, students listen to Caroline Castle's, For Every Child, noting the points about children's rights on each page. They discuss each...
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Making Decisions About Public Land

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers write a proposal. In this public land lesson, students discuss the difference between private and public property and brainstorm what problems might occur if a citizen changed public property. Middle schoolers work in...
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The Write Stuff

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders share a previously written portfolio piece and the class guesses the genre. Students use tally marks to keep track of how many of each piece there are in class. Once the data collection is complete, 4th graders create a...
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Looking and Learning in the Art Museum

For Teachers K - 5th
Reflect on the art your class can view at a museum. In this art history lesson, students draw six elements of art. They discuss original art versus reproduction artwork and write about their thoughts of a museum. It would be wonderful if...
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Persuasive Letter about Smoking

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students write a persuasive letter to someone they care about who smokes. They must use both logical and emotional appeals in their letter.
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Sato and the Elephants

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students write a persuasive letter to the government of an African country that has elephants as a resource. Students research and debate the pros and cons of ivory use. Students identify the value of ivory products versus the lives of...
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Identifying author's purpose

For Teachers 7th
Why is it important to know an author's purpose? After reviewing the three main purposes of writing, seventh graders write a persuasive letter to convince why summer school is better than taking the summer off. They can then join in a...
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The Gathering and Analysis of Data

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Young mathematicians gather data on a topic, graph it in various forms, interpret the information, and write a summary of the data. They present their data and graphs to the class.
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Writing About Outdoor Activities

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students discuss what they like about parks and make a list of different things they like to do there such as swing, run, play ball, ride a bike, or go on a hike. They discover the locations of some examples of National Parks and that...
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Saving Hawaii

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students engage in a instructional activity about the a proposal for a sanctuary in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They write a letter to the President of The United States in opposition to the proposal based upon classroom...
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College Accept-tion to the Rule

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students extend their ideas about the college application process. They write an informative, persuasive letter about themselves to a college admissions counselor that could be used as a 'cover letter' to college applications.
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Tibet and China

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners explore the geography and history of Tibet and China. In this Asian studies lesson, students study the Tibetan situation. In this global issues lesson and conduct research on its ties to China. Learners then create political...
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Football: It's Not Just for Jocks!

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders complete a variety of football-themed activities. They develop creative writing projects with a football inspiration, research and interpret football statistics and practice football skills in P.E.
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Rainforest Problem

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders use a hypothetical story in order to create a context for the lesson. The story presents a problem that needs to be solved. They write a letter to a government official as part of the lesson.
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Forms Of Knowledge

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students put writing pieces into categories to show different organizational features in writing. In this writing lesson plan, students are shown examples of speeches, poems, editorials, cartoons, parodies, historical fiction, and more.
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Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Students examine a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. In this lesson on the Thomas Jefferson Library, students discover a methodology for creative writing by examining Jefferson's letter to congress explaining why they should purchase...
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Nominate a Classmate

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars study what it means to be good citizens. In this government lesson, students nominate a classmate for being a good citizen and write a persuasive letter to the principal persuading the principal to make that person the...
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FOREST GRUMP: Examining How Deforestation Affects Plants and Animals of the Canadian Boreal

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider definition of an ecosystem as it relates to the Canadian boreal, discover how deforestation affects this forest and recreate ecosystems. They write persuasive letters urging politicians or business people to help save...
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Defending Great Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students defend Mark Twain and the study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn using persuasive techniques, appropriate word choice, and correct letter format, in response to a fictional letter by an upset parent.
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Poet Naomi Shihab Nye

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and analyze poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye. They define stereotypes, view and discuss a video interview with Nye, present an oral reading of a poem, and write a persuasive letter to an author.
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Getting our Paws into the Cause

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders examine  local, state, and/or national animal welfare organization.  For this Social Studies lesson, 12th graders research their identified organization.  Students develop a planned intervention...