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Appreciating Our American Heritage
Students learn about the Chinese culture via literature. They read the poetry of Cathy Song, considering national pride as Americans and Chinese.
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Making A Karuta Game
Pupils explore the culture of Japan be creating a traditional Japanese game called Karuta. They conduct research in order to find the rules for the game and to make cultural connections. The content of the game is modified according to...
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Waterfalls
Third graders practice identifying the main idea and supporting details when reading informational text. They read text related to waterfalls and practice note taking skills to identify critical details. Students use their notes to...
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Students participate in a layered curriculum unit in order to give them opportunities to master objectives. Students pick the activities and this allows a differentiated lesson to occur with many opportunities for assessment.
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Give and Take
Second graders are introduced to the differences between goods and services. In groups, they discover whether a given occupation offers a good, service or both. To end the lesson, they pick one occupation that interest them, draws a...
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What is American Culture
Learners create what they feel is American Culture using a video camera and capturing 5 frames. They are animating parts of a poem in small groups. They decide the set up, create movable figures, and have a music section. Each person...
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The Big Lie
Fifth graders create poems and other forms of writing.Then working in groups they share writing with each other. The opinions would be gathered and students would revise writing according to the comments.
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Real or Painted Art -- Tromp l'oeil Art Awareness an Activities
Students are introduced to Trompe l'oeil art by a docent. Using that information, they compare and contast it with other forms of art they are familiar with and discuss their opinions with the class. They write a poem about their...
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Habitat is Home
Students complete a picture to show things found in their homes. For this habitat lesson, students discuss and make a class picture of an animal habitat and its four basic needs. Students sing a song. Students create their...
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History and Geography: Making a New Nation
Fifth graders examine the contributions of the different groups that built the American Nation. They identify the successive waves of new immigration, explain their attraction to America, and study the importance of Ellis Island.
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Fairy Tales: Thumbelina, Jack and the Beanstalk and Issun Boshi
First graders read several selections of poems and stories. They focus on a selection of fairy tales including Jack and The Beanstalk, Thumbelina and Issun Boshi. They complete several comprehension activities and compare the different...
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Visit a Historical Site
Students research a historical site and determine the site's historical significance to their community. They research the events surrounding the site and conduct field research in order to examine a certain time period. Students write a...
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Urban Concentration and Racial Violence
Students research one of the many urban race riots in U.S. history, from the New York City riots during the Civil War to the "Red Summer of 1919" or the hate-strikes of 1943. They present their findings in the form of a newspaper's front...
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Johnny Appleseed
Students engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple seeds and...
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Japanese Culture
First graders research information about Japanese people and culture. They read a Japanese story listening for rhyme schemes. They create their own rhyme schemes. They discuss Japanese food and sample rice cakes. They read Haiku and then...
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Transforming Negatives to Positives
Students create double-exposed photographs, poetry, and multimedia presentations to celebrate their Open Court "City Wildlife" unit.
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Adopt a Poet
Seventh graders research an assigned poet's life and times and read examples of their poetry. They prepare a word-processed paper analyzing the poems by their poet, and answering the essential question then they give an oral...
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Are You Money Smart?
Learners figure out and discuss the irony of this coin-centric poem. They also practice persuasive letter writing, and identify and count coin/money values.
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Songs of Protest/Songs of Unity: 1865 to the Present
Students study song-poems from 1865 to the present. They explore the works of Woody Guthrie and the Almanac Singers (including Pete Seeger).
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Chinese Calendar
Third graders listen to a Mak Kam's, "My Chinatown: One Year in Poems," before locating China on a map. They discuss the Chinese language and culture, comparing it to the American culture. They determine which animal sign they were born...
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Novel Evaluation Presentations
Students summarize and make predictions about the novel, "Huckleberry Finn". They discuss their opinions with the class. They give a one-minute novel evaluation about another novel and choose a novel based on their classmate's...
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Genetics
Students identify literary elements in each selection while learning about diversity and the struggle for equality in the United States. They use their knowledge to express the emotion and key literary elements in each piece through...
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Theme: Dinosaurs
Students identify at least ten different dinosaurs and name them. Students explain the difference between plant-eating dinosaurs and meat-eating dinosaurs. Students explain how scientists know about dinosaurs.