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Picture It: Teaching Descriptive Writing
There are many fun and effective ways to teach students to write descriptively.
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Teaching Summarization
Learning to differentiate major and minor textual events can help students learn how to summarize.
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Creating Comic Strips
Students recognize the elements needed to create a comic strip. In this comic strip instructional activity, student understand that comic strips need words and pictures. Students find differences and similarities in comic strips....
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Animal Sounds
Students listen to books about animals. In this animal sound and characteristics lesson, students listen to books and a tape of animal and then identify which animal makes that sound. Students discuss and act out how the animal acts.
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Symbolism
Young scholars engage in a lesson about symbolism while reviewing the work of Edgar Allen Poe. They review the definition of symbolism and use it to list the symbols in his work. They write a journal about how the author uses many...
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Effigy Mound Activity
Students research effigy mounds of Native people in Wisconsin. They create large models of effigy mounds in a given area based on factual information from their studies and research.
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Hands Poem
Students create a "Hands" poem for the author/character in a reading selection.They make inferences for reading selection and back up inference by citing specific lines in text. They relate author's or main character's experiences to...
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Creating Characters
Students examine the methods of effective characterization. In this writing skills lesson, students discuss how emotions, dialogue, actions, and physical descriptions build believable characters. Students then use the methods of...
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Was Goldilocks Innocent or Guilty?
Fourth graders act out a mock fairy tale trial. They use a fairy tale like "The Three Little Pigs", "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", "Hansel and Grete"l, and/or "Little Red Riding Hood".
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Responding to A Sound of Thunder by Writing PowerPoint Presentations
Students, after reading "A Sound of Thunder," create a PowerPoint presentation about time travel. They study and utilize a graphic organizer to assist them in preparing to deliver an oral presentation next and finally they print their...
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Its All In The Delivery
Learners investigate the concept of different words and how they are used in specific texts. They develop scripts based upon readings and then design props and costumes to act out the new text. Students read to one another using the...
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Diffusion Through Balloons
Students observe the diffusion of air molecules through a balloon. In this chemistry and molecules lesson, students fill balloons with air and a scented substance and observe whether the scented air is able to permeate the balloon.
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It's Just Not Art
High schoolers examine multiple styles of artwork that have earned awards. In this art lesson, students discuss the definition of contemporary art then compare how artwork has changed over the years.
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Adjective Lessons
Learning about comparative, superlative, and proper adjectives can involve hands-on activties.
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Hollywood
Pupils listen to a play, or perhaps, take turns reading portions of it aloud. Afterward, they thoughtfully analyze and discuss the components of a well-written play. Next, a theme is assigned, and each person writes a play in conjunction...
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Have I Got a Graphic Organizer for You
Use Inspiration software to create webs. You have to create discussion topics (none are provided here), but learners will enjoy working with pairs and technology.
Math Stars
Math Stars: a Problem-Solving Newsletter Grade 8
You've just hit the jackpot of integrating math problems and riddles with this jumbo-sized resource! Written as a newsletter, scroll through 35 pages of puzzles and quality problems to engage and encourage your learners to inquire...
Overcoming Obstacles
Anti-Bullying Handbook: Creating a Positive Environment in the Classroom and Beyond
A hot-button topic in schools today is bullying, and although there is heightened awareness of this problem, information about specific steps schools can take to combat the problem and create a positive environment is difficult to find....
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The Cat in the Hat is 50!
Have your class react to a number of statements about The Cat in the Hat, then read a news article about a special event honoring the birthday of the popular book. The teacher introduces an article with a discussion and vocabulary...
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Alexander Used to Be Rich
Reading Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, launches this lesson appropriate for children who recognize coins and have been introduced to coin values. Using addition and subtraction skills, the class tracks Alexander’s spending...
Historical Thinking Matters
Spanish-American War: 1 Day Lesson
After analyzing newspaper articles portraying different perspectives of the explosion of the Battleship USS Maine, your young historians will take a stand on which position is the most believable in both discussion and writing.
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Read-Alouds for the Holidays and Winter
These five titles will inspire creativity, research, and reflection in your classroom.
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"Voicing" - A Believable Account with "The Glory Fields" by Walter Dean Myers
Dr. Seuss and Walter Dean Myers team up to cover the topic of prejudice. Using The Sneeches (about the culture clash between star-bellied and bare-bellied Sneetches) and The Glory Fields (about a boy coming to America on a slave ship),...
Urban Ministry
Interactive Read Aloud
Learning how to deliver good literacy instruction is key to becoming a successful teacher. This resource isn't so much a lesson as it is a guide to leading children in an interactive read-aloud session to increase fluency, comprehension,...