Unit Plan
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The Play's the Thing: The Drama of Cyrano de Bergerac

For Teachers 8th
Students practice dramatic 'living' through various drama activities. In this drama lesson, students define drama, view examples of dramatic elements in Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne, define characterization within the dramas, study the...
Lesson Plan
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The Little Hungry Caterpillar

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students discuss "The Little Hungry Caterpillar." In this reading comprehension lesson, students make sock caterpillars used in retelling the story so as sequence the events accurately.
Lesson Plan
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Thank you Ma'm Langston Hughes-Devoloping the concept of Theme

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students complete various activities linked to several stories and movies, to reinforce the concept of theme in a story.
Lesson Plan
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Voyage to the New World

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the exploration of the New World. They write a descriptive account of the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, analyze and label maps, plot Columbus's journey on a map, and write a chapter summary.
Lesson Plan
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The Ballad of the Sad Café

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students view the film "The Ballad of the Sad Cafe" and analyze it for stereotypes of mountain and hillbilly communities. They identify and discuss Appalachian values represented in the film and write a report on their observations.
Lesson Plan
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Let's Study Outdoors - Outdoor Classroom

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students research native plants. They identify the plant by scientific name, size, amount of water needed and color. Pupils measure and plot an area of school property. Students create an outdoor classroom. Additional cross curriculum...
Lesson Plan
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Summarizing Puts the Pieces Together

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students summarize a piece of fiction. After reviewing the correct way to read and summarize, students work in groups to summarize a piece of text assigned by the instructor. They write a summary paragraph by creating a story map and...
Lesson Plan
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Berenstain Bears: Grow It

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders read several books and complete an activity that coincides with each book. i.e. They read 'Berenstain Bears: Grow It' by Stan and Jan Berenstain and then decorate a flower pot, plant flower seeds in it and record their...
Lesson Plan
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Across Five Aprils/Civil War

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders study the Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. They review vocabulary and literary elements and write a "Brother Against Brother" essay about coming face to face with a brother in one of the battles of the...
Lesson Plan
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Teaching a Short Story

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students work in small groups and prepare an analysis of a short story to be presented to their peers. They research the story and create a handout or a visual aid that cites sources of information and summarizes the main points of the...
Lesson Plan
Orange County Department of Education

Katie's Trunk

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read the story of "Katie's Trunk". They identify the traits of integrity and fairness in the characters John Warren and Katie. Students explore how people can experience the same event but interpret it differently. They...
Lesson Plan
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Story Parts

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the three major parts of a story. After reading the book "Stellaluna," students discuss the beginning, middle and end of the story. They write a short story depicting the events that would happen if the story...
Lesson Plan
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Slope and Parallel Lines

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners plot pairs of Cartesian coordinates on graph paper and connect points with straightedges. They examine the lines and determine if they are parallel or not by finding the equations of the lines and comparing the slopes. They...
Lesson Plan
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Trust Circles

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore trustworthiness. In this character development lesson, students brainstorm synonyms for trustworthiness. Students consider two communities to which they belong, and compare and contrast these communities by completing a...
Lesson Plan
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It's a Drag!

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Learners create number lines using decimals and whole numbers. In this algebra lesson, students graph and solve linear equations. They plot ordered pairs on a coordinate plane correctly.
Lesson Plan
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Comic Book or Comic Strip Design

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars design an original cartoon character. They explain the creative process and development of a cartoon from brainstorming to final draft and study different types of cartooning. Use the correct terminology associated with...
Lesson Plan
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Reading Puzzle

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders examine the elements of literature. They each read a chapter of a novel, sequentially list the main ideas, present a summary of the chapter to the class, sequence the events, and review the novel by summarizing the timeline.
Lesson Plan
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Most Wanted Villians

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners review the characteristics of various characters in fairytales. As a class, they review the story details and create a concept map using a software program. They create their own wanted poster of the villians in the fairytale to...
Lesson Plan
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Legends and Lore

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students begin the instructional activity by responding in their journals regarding questions about their favorite fairy tales. They listen to a folk tale and answer questions based on the folk tale genre and then brainstorm aphorisms...
Lesson Plan
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Personal / Group Magazine

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders complete the magazine template in the Macmillan "Writer's Journal" available through the basic skills department using word processing, spreadsheet, graphic, and electronic resource (i.e.-Internet) skills
Lesson Plan
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There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the new vocabulary associated with the book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly before listening to a teacher read aloud of the book. They complete a choral reading of the story, sequence it, and write...
Lesson Plan
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What Really Happened?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders recreate scenes from the theories about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. In this history and theatre lesson, 6th graders review the story of Earhart using a flip chart. Students work on one act plays to depict one of...
Worksheet
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Shakespeare Film Clip Assignment Worksheet

For Students 10th - 12th
In this Shakespeare Film Clip worksheet, students list main ideas in the play, important images and motifs, and chose at least six main scenes or quotes that relate to the theme.  Students then discuss what is complex or...
Lesson Plan
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Effects of Parameter Changes

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students define properties of a quadratic equation. In this algebra instructional activity, students graph and factor quadratic functions. They write equations for polynomials, given a graph.