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Author's Purpose
Sixth graders brainstorm the reasons authors write, and they list their responses on the board. Students discuss each purpose they have listed.Students work independently to read the selection "Tarantulas and Typhoid" by...
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The Grapes of Wrath: Scrapbooks and Artifacts
High schoolers complete research to enhance their reading of "The Grapes of Wrath". Using the text, they identify and locate cultural artifacts and discuss their symbolic connotations. As a class, they create a museum exhibit of the...
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Mystery of the Megaplume
Read through the extensive background information and then lead your geology or physical oceanography class through an investigation of actual temperature anomaly data from the Juan de Fuca ridge. They translate the data onto a plot,...
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America's Mighty Rivers
Students examine the cultural importance of America's rivers. Using the Mississippi and Hudson Rivers, they examine a story that takes place on each river. They are introduced to the concepts of preservation and stewardship.
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Lead Poisoning A Home Health Hazard
Students read background material on lead poisoning, assessing its impact on students. They locate local sources that might contain lead-based paint. Students research what is being done in the community to alleviate the problem. They...
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The Lansing Old Stars Trading Card Collection
Students study about the first people that came to the Lansing area. After reading a series of stories students have gained an examineing of how people in the 1800s and 1900s dressed. They design trading cards to portray their settler...
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Historical Fiction Project
Students be engaged in a history project that is combined with Language Arts with the purpose of teaching students how to cite bibliographic information. This is important for doing future research.
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Hunting Through the Library
Second graders examine a library database system. They are given practical exercises to explore the database system. Finally, the student selects two books, locates the books in the library, and uses these sources for reading and research.
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The Magic School bus Inside A Hurricane
Students investigate the concept of a hurricane by using the cartoon series "The Magic Schoolbus" to simulate the fantasy of traveling through a hurricane. The instructional activity uses a KWL graphic organizer in order to guide student...
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Endangered Animals
Students listen to a teacher led lecture on jaguars, their habitats, and how they became endangered. Using a specified web site, they choose an endangered animal to research. After gathering information, students participate in...
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Zodiac Constellations
In this space science worksheet, students learn to identify the 12 constellations of the Zodiac. Students read the information and look at the detailed drawings of each constellation and when it is visible in the night sky.
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What is a Biography?
Investigate biographies with your class. Compare autobiographies and biographies of Martin Luther King, Jr. as an example. Learners explore the factual components that make up a biography and locate several biographies of notable...
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Orienteering - Lesson 6 - Compasses
Travel using a compass. Get your bearings! What does that mean? Choose a starting point, set your bearings, move to a location, and then use your bearings to return to the original starting point. It is of utmost importance to understand...
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Characteristics of Anne Frank
Eighth graders read selected passages from The Diary of Anne Frank. Working in pairs, 8th graders determine what qualities and characteristics they would assign to her from their selected diary entry.
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Water: Narrative vs. Expository Texts
A reading of vignettes written by Peace Corps Volunteers serving in Lesotho and Madagascar launches a study of the difference between narrative and expository texts. As final products, young writers craft both a narrative and an...
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Venn Diagram for Compare/Contrast
Use this instructional activity to focus on a compare and contrast writing structure in your middle school language arts class. Here, young writers compare and contrast two texts using graphic organizers. They use a double bubble format...