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Dia de la Raza - What is El Dia de la Raza?
Students research and write about Christopher Columbus, his voyages, and his impact on the Native Americans. In this Christopher Columbus lesson, students work at stations where they learn vocabulary, perform Reader's Theatre, work with...
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You Can Do It, Mr. And Mrs. Mallard!
Students watch the video "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert Mc Closkey. They write letters to Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and make a map for the mallards. They talk about the importance of animal habitats.
Teaching Tolerance
Identity Portraits
When you look at me, what do you see? Young learners answer this question by creating a portrait that reflects the identity of one of their peers. First, class members create interview questions. Then, they interview classmates to...
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Comprehension
Fifth graders take part in a panel discussion. In this character lesson students show their understanding of the connection between events in a story and the development of characters. Students provide evidence from the story to support...
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Characterization
Students draw pictures to generate ideas about a character. They use prewriting skills to plan written work. They then dictate or write detailed descriptions of familiar person, places, objects, or experiences.
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Design a Book Cover
Class members take on the role of graphic designer and craft a cover for a book they are reading. Individuals formulate a proposal outlining the images they will use to not only grab the interest of readers, but hint at the mood and...
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Storytelling
Students compose a story and tell it to the class. In this storytelling lesson, students work in small groups to create an illustrated story. Students are given a checklist of elements to include in the...
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Lewis and Clark In Columbia River Country
Eighth graders research biographies of people who participated in the Lewis and Clark expedition using Internet resources. They role play characters while acting out a campfire scene from the expedition.
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Writing a Children's Book -- Young Authors
High schoolers practice their writing skills by creating a children's book. They integrate five elements of short stories into the narrative. They share their stories with their book buddies.
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Language Arts: Native Americans and Onomatopoeias
Fifth graders read the Native American tale, "The Frog and the Crane," focusing on the use of onomatopoeia in it. In groups, they brainstorm list of words that are examples of the device. Finally, 5th graders write their own stories...
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Shiloh Crossword
In this crossword worksheet, students complete a crossword with words from the story Shiloh. Students complete 9 words total in the crossword.
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Most Wanted Villians
Students review the characteristics of various characters in fairytales. As a class, they review the story details and create a concept map using a software program. They create their own wanted poster of the villians in the fairytale to...
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Ten Characters from American Folklore
Students read short stories about ten characters from American folklore. They match a statement about each character with the correct character. They then rewrite one of the ten stories in their own words (optional).
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Peter and the Wolf - Sequencing
Learners listen to the story of Peter and the Wolf and answer comprehension questions. They then will name the beginning, middle, and end of the story using a graphic organizer. Students then individually illustrate each part of the...
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Dramatizing Fables
Students familiarize themselves with fables by listening to several of them. They define fables. They identify the moral of a specific fable. They identify characters, plot and sequence of events. They create a mask of a character in a...
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Students identify the use of characterization in Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this characterization instructional activity, students define characterization and write descriptive paragraphs about Maya Angelou's...
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Anansi Goes to Lunch
Second graders read the story Anansi Goes to Lunch and complete language arts activities connected to the story. For this language arts lesson plan, 2nd graders complete activities including discussion, reading, writing, drawing, and...
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A Picture Book of George Washington
Students discuss the character traits of George Washington. In this George Washington lesson, students read A Picture Book of George Washington, discuss the book, and complete worksheet activities about Washington's self-discipline and...
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Folktale Unit Ideas
Students read a variety of folktales and participate in writing, drawing, measurement, and time activities that relate to the stories. They graph the number of different versions of one folktale that the class finds and reads.
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Fictional Hereos
Students are introduced to the definition of a hero. As a class, they compare and contrast the difference between non-fictional and fictional hereos they have read about. They read a story, create a story map of one of the heroes and...
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Using Graphic Organizers to Generate Genre Definitions
Learners listen to or read a variety of stories and then work individually or in groups to complete graphic organizers that will help them focus on elements within different types of stories. They write definitions for a variety of story...
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The Giver
Students read the novel The Giver and complete six tasks. They identify vocabulary that they did not recongize, create a different ending for the book, produce character cards and pick important events and objects from the novel.
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Night of the Twister
Young scholars use reading strategies for Night of the Twister. In this reading strategies instructional activity, students name five major catastrophes and books about each. Young scholars complete a vocabulary section, make inferences...
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Fair Trade
Students study the story of Philip Knight and Nike as they examine the issue of free trade. They role play characters from Thailand as they examine workers issues.