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Lesson 2 Introduction Part 2

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this introductory lesson, 9th graders read Maya Angelou's poem "Still I Rise." Students write a journal telling what they believe is the message contained in the poem and discuss...
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Out of the Dust: Figurative Language

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars find examples of figurative language in "First Rain" in Out of the Dust.  In this Out of the Dust lesson, students takes notes on various type of figurative language and identify examples of each type in the poem.
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Self-Esteem through Literature and Music

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research representations of self-esteem in music and literature, reflect on their meanings and use in developing positive attitudes. They make a presentations based on their research. They also keep a daily journal.
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You Are What You Read

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders select a prose, poetry, or nonfiction excerpt from a book of their choice and share it by reading aloud to their classmates, who identify the genre and respond to related questions in their journals.
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Out of the Dust--Appeals to Senses

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students list examples of appeals to the senses in the poem Out of the Dust.  In this Out of the Dust lesson, students discuss ways that the author brings the story alive through appeals to the senses.  Students discuss...
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Here Today-Gone Tomorrow

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students explore changes and how to adapt to them. They discuss the seasons, changes in the weather, and different stages of matter. Students write a poem about change. Additional cross curriculum activities are listed.
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Where Do We Come From? who Are We? Where Are We Going?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are responsible for producing works for, coordinating (with the teacher?s assistance) and mounting an exhibition to be presented at a parent-teacher open house. They examine literature by Henry David Thoreau and other writers....
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Help! Help! Save the Earth!

For Teachers 1st
First graders analyze ways to save our natural resources and preserve the environment. In this environmental protection lesson plan, 1st graders complete four activities to analyze the importance of our natural resources and what trash...
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Acting Out Verbs

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Learners act out verbs. In this verbs lesson, students identify and highlight the action words in a poem. As a class, the learners act out the verbs, reinforcing the idea that verbs are action words.
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The Civil War in Art and Literature

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students examine art related to the Civil War. They participate in activities that allow them to write poetry and drawings. They create their own journal and collect their work in a binder.
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Out of the Dust

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine 1930's America through literature. In this Dust Bowl lesson, students read Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust and set up vocabulary journals and question bookmarks to log their thoughts and impressions as they read the novel.
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LIFE DOESN’T FRIGHTEN ME

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students examine gender bias and stereotypes. In this discrimination lesson students participate in class discussions and poetry reading in order to examine the gender stereotypes of fears and develop the...
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To Walt Whitman

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the poem To Walt Whitman by Angela de Hoyos. They divide into groups. Each group creates a poem written from one of two perspectives: to Walt Whitman or to de Hoyos from Whitman.
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Poe ... in the Real World?

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders work in groups to choose a project/presentation from a list of approved activities to develop. They select and use appropriate software for organizing and refining their product. Groups produce a short...
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Reflecting/Writing after a field trip or other experience

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars reflect on field trips in writing. For this journal writing lesson, students write about a recent experience by using 4 of their senses to tell what they remember. They turn these into poetry. 
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students complete activities for the autobiography of Maya Angelou. In this autobiography lesson, students write a journal entry about their life and discuss the morphology of the word autobiography. Students use active reading...
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A Life Lived Well

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students write poems based on words and phrases found in an obituatuary. They write autobiographical obituaries that imagine their own lives and future accomplishments.
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Lesson on Ethnic Discrimination

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students study ethnic discrimination. In this discrimination lesson plan, students define ethnicity and ethnic discrimination in the global community as well as steps against it. Students examine their own ethnic backgrounds...
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Strawberry Girl: Life on the Frontier

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore geographic changes by researching the state of Florida. In this Florida history activity, students identify the storms and disasters that have created sinkholes in portions of Florida. Students read the book Strawberry...
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Exploring the Self

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers use different pieces of music and writings to explore the theme of self-reliance and individuality. After viewing a video clip, they discuss how the images made them feel. They keep a writing journal to evaluate their...
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What We Need

For Teachers 1st
First graders identify basic needs of plants. In this plant growth lesson, 1st graders observe types of plants and review the parts of a plant as well as the development of a seed. Students review related vocabulary and read The...
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Recognizing Similes: Fast as a Whip

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students review basic knowledge of similes and engage with similes on a more abstract level. In this similes instructional activity, students define similes and identify examples. Students read and analyze the similes used in poetry by...
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Literature: Yoshiko Uchida Unit

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders read the books, The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography by Yoshiko Uchida and Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki about Japanese Americans during World War II. They hold discussions, take quizzes, and write essays about the...
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Evaporation

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore, analyze, document and study weather and the water cycle. They observe the weather and begin a weather journal. Each student interacts with the concepts of evaporation, condensation and precipitation, clouds,...