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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whale Song Acrostic

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
What do whales sing about? Invite your class to imagine the thoughts of whales before writing acrostic poems on the topic. The plan blends together a bit of life science with plenty of opportunities for creativity and writing.
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Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

"What is it Like to be an Outsider?”: Building Empathy for the Experiences of Immigrants

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
This lesson plan highlights the struggles of immigrants and the importance of showing empathy. Beginning with a read-aloud of a book in another language and a poem, scholars take part in a thoughtful discussion. Then, the class examines...
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Lesson Plan
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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

Conditions in China: Why Might One Leave Home Forever?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Primary source texts provide scholars with the background information they need to understand why Chinese peasant farmers were driven to emigrate. After underlining keywords, phrases, and/or lines in the texts, individuals craft a...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Speaking Up and Speaking Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The final lesson in the Standing Up for Democracy unit offers class members a way they can stand up and speak out by crafting spoken word poetry, or Slam poetry. After analyzing several examples, individuals reflect on one positive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning Empathy Through Art

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students create poems based on the Haiku form and research about WWII. Class discussion and classroom readings of student work finish this lesson. Emphasis is placed on Standards in the Arts.
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Handout
California Federation of Chaparral Poets, Inc

Poetic Devices

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Have everything you need to know about the elements of poetry with a nine-page handout. Split into four categories—word sounds, meanings, arrangement, and imagery—budding poets may reference terms, read definitions, descriptions, and...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

“The Great Migration” by Minnie Bruce Pratt

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Minnie Bruce Pratt's poem, "The Great Migration," offers young scholars an opportunity to reflect on how where we come from influences who we are. Groups conduct a close reading of the poem, recording observations about the poem's...
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Lesson Plan
Film English

The Conditioned

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Discover the lovely story of Raimundo Arruda Sobrinho with your class. Over the course of the lesson, pupils practice descriptive writing, write short narratives, collaborate in small groups, watch a powerful short film about Raimundo,...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Exploring Animals in Literature

For Teachers K - 3rd
Celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week while teaching empathy and allegory with creature-related texts
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Candles in the Dark

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read about and research the Holocaust using the Internet. They write poetry about an image of their choice and create a digital movie of their poetry readings.
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Lesson Plan
Bully Free Systems

Bully Free Lesson Plans—Eighth Grade

For Teachers 8th Standards
Middle schoolers are likely very familiar with the concept of bullying and cliques. Discuss their experiences and brainstorm ways to handle peer conflict and feelings of exclusion with a poem that focuses on bullying, and a second lesson...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Have to Live in Somebody Else's Country to Understand

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students reflect on emotions commonly expressed by outsiders. They identify feelings of people who have just arrived in America. They read and analyze a poem about immigration.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Early Industrialization

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Work, Lyddie! Work!

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students research links concerning early factory labor, child labor in today's world, and diseases on young laborers. They work on a loom, analyze a mill bell schedule, read a mill girl's diary, and write a poem or song exhibiting empathy.
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Lesson Plan
Bully Free Systems

Bully Free Lesson Plans—Seventh Grade

For Teachers 7th Standards
Having a hard time defining bullying with your seventh graders? Discuss the different types of behavior one would see in a bullying situation with a series of lessons, worksheets, and group activities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symbolism Bookmarks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers create a bookmark about symbolism. In this literature-based lesson plan, students study the meaning of the word symbolism. Middle schoolers read and analyze the symbolism found in "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe. Then...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Controversy over the NYC Muslim Community Center & the 9/11 Experience

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate the controversial planned mosque at Ground Zero. For this current events lesson, students watch 3 public service announcement clips sponsored by the Council on American Islamic Relations and discuss their...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

A Day in the Life of a Homeless Person

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Learners examine the day in the life of a homeless person. In this humanitarian lesson, students examine the life of a homeless person while discovering the importance of social justice in our society.