DePaul University
Breaking the Food Chain
Throughout history, the growth of big cities has resulted in the destruction of ecosystems. In the case of Chicago, IL, a grassland that was once home to bison, deer, wolves, and foxes quickly became a booming city of over three million...
English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Media Literacy with Focus of Strategies for Collaboration
Introduce your class to literary analysis with a series of activities that has them examine book and movie reviews. Groups then draft their own review of a text, select a digital medium, and craft a presentation.
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Trivia Tag
Students, as chasers, on teachers signal, move throughout a space trying to tag others with their free hand. When a tag is made, both players stop; chaser reads question from card to student who was tagged. If answer is correct, person...
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Continents and Oceans
Students identify oceans and continents and their locations on a map. They color-code and label their own map of the world's continents and oceans. They play the game Continents and Oceans to identify specific areas.
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Descriptions
Students describe things using sensory words. In this adjective lesson, students practice conversations describing items they touch. Students use words to describe properties of items such as size and texture.
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How To Argue Without Cheating
In this debate activity, students read and learn about the fine points of debate and persuasion. The vocabulary presented and the ideas are quite advanced; premise, conclusion, syllogism, ad homineum, and other difficult terms.
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The Human Geonome Project Structured Controversy
Learners debate government funding of the Human Genome Project. In this ethics lesson, students use the stuctured controversy framework to research the opposing viewpoints regarding project funding.
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School News
Young scholars create a video of school news to improve writing skills, speaking skills, questioning skills, and to help build self esteem.
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Ask Personal Questions: Worksheet 1
For this conversational English worksheet, students practice interviewing skills as they role play using the 20 personal questions provided.
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The Lost Property Office
Students participate in a role-play activity to practice literacy skills. They work in pairs to describe an item they have lost, and the partner asks description questions to help locate the lost item.
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Media Literacy Skills
Third graders watch a news story from three different networks in order to determine how the same story can be presented in three different ways. Next, working in small groups they create a newscast of a current event to share with the...
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TEXT MESSAGING
Young scholars examine the differences between standard and non-standard English and use text-speak to rewrite a plot summary and a news story. They identify a type of non-standard English and determine the characteristics that make it...
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Using Words to Work Things Out
Students explore classroom community building. In this character development and community building lesson, students listen to Hands Are Not for Hitting and generate a class list of positive ways to handle classroom conflicts. Students...
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Create a City: An Urban Planning Exercise
Middle schoolers explore the effects of population growth in Arizona. In this history lesson, students work in small groups to create a "perfect" city. Activities include examining the Arizona census results then discussing the...
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Nelson Mandela's Birthday
Students complete a variety of vocabulary-related activities with a focus on a news article about Nelson Mandela's 89th birthday. They read the article, define key vocabulary terms, identify the famous people mentioned in the text,...
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Investigating Our Place in the World
Students study the concept of geography in a year long unit. In this geography unit, students participate in different activities that explain the spatial sense of the world, the physical landmasses and bodies of water, geographic...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Guess What Benjamin Franklin Did!
Students research Ben Franklin's inventions. In this invention lesson, students see the relationship between a need and an invention. Students will engage in a class discussion, read a handout, and play a match the invention to its...
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The Writing Process
Students engage in the various steps involved in the writing process. The lesson plan is written as a guide for the teacher to write more in depth lesson plans for specific activities. This is a good model plan to follow.
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Blood type Switch
High schoolers read a text about blood groups and answer such questions as what, where and why regarding a scientific discovery. They complete vocabulary worksheets, comprehension exercises and utilize problem solving skills to decide...
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Words in the News
Students observe and demonstrate how read and comprehend a short news report. They read an article about AIDS and HIV testing, define key vocabulary terms, and complete a skimming activity. Students then take a quiz and complete a...
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Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story - The Birth of Soul
Young scholars analyze various kinds of music. In this music lesson plan, students listen to music clips to determine the kind of music each clip is then they participate in a class discussion about the music and prepare a presentation.
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Natural Disasters
Learners read the book "Tsunami!" and discuss natural disasters and how they can prepare. This lesson is much more than a study of tsunamis. The lesson is chock-full of ways to study the Japanese culture across the curriculum. There are...
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Mystery Box
Fourth graders engage in a icebreaker activity that is meant to introduce curriculum areas at the beginning of the school year. The teacher prepares several different boxes filled with items that are to be studied during the year. Then...
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Telephone Skills - knowing whether to stay on the line or leave a message
High schoolers listen to a tape of a dialogue of a call to a workplace to determine whether to stay on the line or leave a message. They also practice short dialogues.