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Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech
Students read the book Chasing Redbird by Sharon Creech on their own. They answer a variety of questions each day over certain pages of the book that were required for that days completion.
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Message in a Bottle
Sixth graders write a short story about being stranded on a deserted island. After a brief geography review of locations at various latitudes and longitudes, 6th graders draft their story about being stranded. They use sensory and...
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Short Stories and Sitcoms
Students compare 19th Century short stories to 20th Century sitcoms. They address seven questions as the watch a sitcom for homework and create a web to use for further comparison.
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Art as Storyteller
Learners examine how paintings tell stories. They read biographies about artists, analyze paintings, research and write the art history of a painting, write a creative story based on the painting, and create a painting in the artist's...
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Narrative Literature Response Letters
Third graders write endings to a story that has already been written. They offer alternative endings in their version. The instructional activity includes a rubric that is to be given to the students in order that they know the...
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HOLES UNIT
Students participate in the unit based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel by Louis Sachar and the Walt Disney Movie "Holes". They use the layered curriculum model of assessment and activities.
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Fantasy Stories
Students create fantasy stories. In this creative writing lesson, students write a fantasy where they can use characters that they have read about in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien.
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Autobiographical Writing About Memories
Students reflect on fall memories in preparation for creating an autobiographical composition. In this composition lesson, students explore how many writers use the changing seasons, fall in particular, to describe a character's...
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Storytelling
Students compose a story and tell it to the class. In this storytelling activity, students work in small groups to create an illustrated story. Students are given a checklist of elements to include in the...
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Sequential Order for Holes
In this language arts worksheet, students place events from the book "Holes" into sequential order and answer 7 multiple choice questions about the book. This well-designed worksheet would be an excellent homework assignment or in-class...
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Land Use Over Time
Students view aerial photos and topographic maps of their local area. They compare and contrast major land use patterns over time by comparing these images to maps that are at least 50 years old. They analyze them using the four land use...
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Literature Circles
Fourth graders work in groups in order to motivate one another to develop reading comprehension and literacy skills. The skills are built through the sharing of fine literature. They maintain a reading log to keep accountable for the...
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I Hate My Sibling?
Third graders read the book Jacob Have I Loved, then ask themselves whether they can truly hate their siblings.
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Waddle You Know About Penguins
Second graders study the similarities and differences of the seventeen species of penguins. They investigate habitats and how these habitats are suited to each species characteristics. They see how animals adapt to their environments.
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Frankenstein - Frankenfolio
Students engage in a variety of activities in order to appreciate the literature of Frankenstein. They create a portfolio that tracks progress towards mastering skills and stated objectives.
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The Land and the Water
Third graders read "The Land and the Water," a fictional short story and an article about John F. Kennedy, Jr. and compare and contrast fictional tragedy to a non-fiction tragedy. They fill out a Venn diagram and write an essay using...
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Meet the Press
Students give their book reports as oral "Meet the Press" type interviews. They team up with another student "reporter" and answer questions about main idea, details, and the point of view.
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The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Fourth graders read and discuss the book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. They create an original story that follows the Harris Burdick formula, and illustrate the story in the style of Chris VanAllsberg.
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Across Five Aprils/Civil War
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...
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Writing a Children's Book -- Young Authors
Students practice their writing skills by creating a children's book. They integrate five elements of short stories into the narrative. They share their stories with their book buddies.
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Too Many Tamales
Students investigate Mexican holiday celebrations and compare them to American Christmas holidays. They conduct a Mexican Christmas Scavenger Hunt. The lesson uses a streaming video in order to engage students in the main objectives.
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Halloween Comic Strips
Fourth graders participate in a lesson on the subject of creating comic strips. They create facial expressions in drawings for practice and gradually progress to making their own comic strips based on the holiday of Halloween. The...
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Pic-A-Fic: Choosing Fiction for Every Taste
Sixth graders examine and categorize a selection of title representing fiction genres. In this fiction genres lesson, 6th graders analyze and identify a variety of titles in the fiction genre. Students then find these types of fiction...