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What's Proper?
Learners practice using capital letters for proper nouns and adjectives. They play a matching game with word cards and correct paragraphs with incorrect capitalization, and edit their work with a partner.
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Forming Plural Nouns
Everyone knows that a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea - but what happens when you have people, places, things, or ideas? Use this SMART board activity to guide your class through plural nouns. Several activities, including making...
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ELD Lesson Plan: Courage
What is true courage? Your class can explore the answer with these three Houghton-Mifflin stories ("Hatchet," "Passage to Freedom," "Climb or Die," and "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle"), which feature courageous characters and...
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Forming Plural Nouns
Interactive SMART Board activities provide young grammarians with practice changing singular nouns to plural nouns. Learners then create collages on which they inscribe the singular and plural form of the noun label.
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Author's Day
Have your learners choose an author to study. One resource link gives a list of approved authors. Scholars read at least three works produced by that author and produce three separate book reports as well as a two-page author report....
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Making Connection, Using Metaphor
Chief Seatle's "Letter to President Pierce, 1855" provides the text for a skills exercise that asks readers to consider how writers use metaphors to contribute to the meaning and impact of a work. Participants then apply what they have...
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Direct Express
Although the game cards are not posted at this time, you could easily create some to put this plan into action. Simply write a few starting lines from different speeches on each index card, and have learners guess if the speaker's intent...
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Once Upon a Time
High school pupils research online to complete a family tree and explore their ancestry. They view a sketch of a family tree, and brainstorm questions to ask their parents about their heritage. They also diagram their own family tree. In...
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Classroom Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Unfamiliar with the Lincoln-Douglas Debate format? Check out this resource that details the procedures of the debate, the roles and responsibilities of each participant, and the timing of each round.
National History Day
No More Sticks and Stones: Technological Advancements in World War I Warfare
Remind young historians that many technological advancements influenced the events of World War I. After analyzing technology's evolution through primary sources, discussing the changes over time, and watching various video clips,...
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Think On Your Own Feet
Fourth graders have one minute to prepare a one-minute impromptu speech on a topic that is randomly selected. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders give their speeches, and also act as reviewers of their classmate's speeches.
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Read My Lips
Young scholars research and examine Florida's government and the three branches of government. They write and present campaign speeches that explain the reasons why they would be the best candidates for governor.
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Preparing to Speak
High schoolers articulate what elements must be present in a successful, persuasive speech by composing a "presentation plan." They explain what they know about speech delivery in preparation for the presentation of their final projects.
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Forms Of Knowledge
Students put writing pieces into categories to show different organizational features in writing. In this writing lesson plan, students are shown examples of speeches, poems, editorials, cartoons, parodies, historical fiction, and more.
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Divulging in Detail
Students rely on their senses to write descriptions of an object within their view. They incorporate different parts of speech in their descriptions. They write a descriptive paragraph about their object.
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Shoe Shuffle
Young scholars review the "word choice" writing trait, and recall how to use descriptive words to paint a picture. They write a description of one of their tennis shoes without sharing it with classmates. They place a shoe on display...
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Letters to Home
Seventh graders research historical events and everyday life in Texas in 1836-1837. They write a letter using Mr. Mitchell's perspective.
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Celebrating the Smithsonian's Birthday
Students examine online objects from the Smithsonian website and use them as subjects and inspiration for creative writing exercises.
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The Clause That Refreshes
Students define specialized terminology involving parts of speech. They identify main and subordinate clauses and create complex sentences. They edit and revise writing to incorporate complex sentences and identify parts of speech...
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Four Enlightenment Thinkers
High schoolers examine lives, philosophies, and political beliefs of four Enlightenment Thinkers: Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. Students then work with partner to write short speech from...
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Carter as President and Ex-President
Middle schoolers examine how Presidents are judged during their time in office as well as afterwards. They conduct and Internet search for Jimmy Carter's inaugural address and write a news story about his address. Once they have written...
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Debating Iraq
Learners analyze the main themes of President Bush's UN Speech and discussion of the NewsHour report on the Iraq Debate. In this debate lesson, students answer pre-listening questions and view a transcript of the speech. In groups of two...
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In King's Words
Young scholars analyze writings of Mr. Martin Luther King Jr. They read and discuss an article, and in pairs, research and analyze a written work or speech by Dr. King, create a mixed media collage to represent the text, and write an...
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How I Became Me
Students examine their own identities and read about the experiences of adopted Chinese daughters celebrating the Jewish rite of passage, the bat mitzvah. They write personal poems or speeches illustrating how their identities evolved.