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Traveling Cat Flown Home to Family
Students locate Wisconsin and Belgium on a world map, then read a news article about a cat that stowed away on ship from the U.S. to Europe. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with map and vocabulary...
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What's up with the weather?
Students use the weather as a context for collecting data and making interpretations based upon the observations. The scientific method is also taught to give them a way to conduct the data collection.
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Creating a Leaf Collection and Herbarium
Students gather and identify leaves for a collection. They discuss how a leaf's form reflects its adaptation to its environment. They press the leaves in a book and glue them on construction paper.
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Three Chicago Painters: Self-Portraits
Students examine self-portraits on a Website. They create self-portraits which reveal something about themselves. They include objects which give clues to Students' personalities. The portraits are displayed in the school.
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Be a Quilt Detective
Young scholars examine handmade quilts. They conduct research to learn the story behind the stitches. They write a report on their research with the quilter or from Internet sources.
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Keeping Us in Stitches Activity: Appliqué Bedcover Design
Learners explore patriotic and classical motifs in applique design and technique. A bedcover or quilt is produced using appropriate symmetry, color,proportion and composition.
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Using the Software Program "Kid-Pix"
Students create a slideshow using the software program Kid-Pix. They use the differences in rocks and minerals for their presentation. They also demonstrate different ways to import and save pictures using the program.
Agriculture in the Classroom
Build it Better
If you think you can do better, feel free to give it a try. Pupils learn about the work on Temple Grandin and consider ways to improve animal handling facilities. They work in groups to build models to showcase their ideas.
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Modernizing a Traditional Irish Folktale
Students write their own folktales based on "Cathal O'Cruachan and the Cowherd." In discussions they examine the animal symbolism in the story, as well as the characters, events, problems, and solution. With partners, they select...
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Wild Or Domestic?
Students discuss differences between wild and domestic animals. They list animals on chart paper, and then cut out pictures from magazines to create large collage showing wild and domestic animals.
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The Newspaper Article
Have your class participate in an interview activity using an informational text about the Amazon. After reading a Cultural Connections story about a person from the Amazon, middle schoolers write interview questions based on the text....
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The Golden Spike
Students investigate modern transportation in the 19th century by examining artifacts. In this U.S. history lesson, students read the story Joseph's Railroad Dreams, and discuss the Golden Spike used in the first transcontinental...
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Transportation Through Time
Students write a short story illustrating the past and imaging the future in transportation. In this transportation lesson plan, students explore artifacts that have to do with transportation in the past in Chicago.
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"L" Stands for Elevated
Students play a trivia game to learn more about the Chicago public transportation system. In this transportation lesson plan, students also create an "L" car, and write advertising slogans for Chicago's elevated trains.
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Problem Solving with Multi-Step Number Stories
Pupils solve multi-step number stories. They create number models to solve number stories. Everyone chooses the appropriate operation to use after reading the problem, and then work in small groups to...
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Prairie Scales and Prairie Smoothies
Sixth graders explore the animals that live on the prairie and identify differences between amphibians and reptiles and the adaptations each have made to live on the prairie.
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Prairie Senses
Second graders use their senses to explore a prairie or imaginary prairie. They draw pictures to represent the five senses and discover how an artist describes non-visual sensations in a visual way.
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Rosie the Riveeter and Mary the Munitions Worker
Tenth graders study the role that places like the Joliet Arsenal played in how women were view in American society during and after World War II. They interview a person from the World War II era about the job they performed and how...
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Hunt the Fact Monster: February #3
In this search engine worksheet, 3rd graders will need to use factmonster.com to discover answers. Students will respond to 5 multiple choice questions using the given website.
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Utah Vocabulary
In this Utah history learning exercise, students match the names, places, and words in the word bank to the 10 statements that define them.
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A Home for a Cricket
First graders build a habitat for crickets after studying animal survival needs. They care for and observe the crickets in the classroom habitat.
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Scattered Square Dance
Take a good, square look at this introductory square dancing lesson. Each square dance move has what is termed a "call." Teach some beginning calls to your young dancers. They can be scattered around so that their focus is on learning...