Missouri Department of Elementary
Putting on Armor
Peers can exert tremendous pressure that can lead to positive and negative consequences. To conclude the Risky Business unit, class members create a Personal Safety Plan. They list things or situations that cause stress, things they have...
Curated OER
Shakespeare Was A Black Woman
"I all alone beweep my outcast state." After a discussion of the "Shakespeare in American Life" segment in which Maya Angelou's relates her reaction to Sonnet 29, class groups create and perform a scene about an outcast that includes the...
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Your Story
Students discover ways to learn about the past. In this writing lesson students use a writing web to organize their ideas about how we learn about the past. The students then start a time capsule about their lives....
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Reporting A Story: A School Newspaper Activity
Young scholars collaborate to document cultural groups within the school or community. They create a newspaper chronicling different groups within the school.
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Brothers in Hope
Students demonstrate their understanding of a book read in class. In this reading comprehension activity, students participate in a process drama led by their teacher in order to demonstrate their understanding of the book "The Lost...
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All About Me
Students are introduced to the characteristics of an autobiography. After reading excerpts from "The Diary of Anne Frank", they discuss how two people can see the same event in different ways and write about the event in the journals...
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A Sure Bet!
Ninth graders analyze Chekhov's "The Bet". They repsond to a journal quesiton and use examples from the novel. In groups, they take on different roles analyzing the novel and then write one of my prompts to complete the lesson.
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Discovering American Identity through Writings and Paintings, 1800-1845
Tenth graders view paintings to determine the identity of the United States in a specific time period. As a class, they listen to their teacher give the title of the painting and they write a prediction about what the painting might be....
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The Sistine Chapel Painting Project
Eighth graders view the movie "The Agony and the Ecstasy" or read the novel to discover details of Michelangelo's life. They paint one of the panels of the Sistine Chapel using authentic painting techniques.
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Creating Stories
Learners study the life and work of Keith Haring and draw what they think represents a good symbol for them. In this Keith Haring lesson plan, students decorate bags for charity.
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Record Memories of Earlier Times
High schoolers identify ways in which the women's rights movement influenced a woman they know, and then document the important events in her life. Each student interviews an oldere woman. They compile their interviews into a class book.
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Don't Be Silly–Expression is Fun!
As children observe the teacher reading Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day, they take note of the role punctuation plays in the emotion or expression used. They then take turns reading a book with a partner so they can...
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Personal Experience Narratives
Help your middle schoolers identify personal experience narratives in their own lives through telling stories themselves and from family members or other adults. They study personal experience narratives in Swapping Stories and compare...
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Tuck Everlasting
Clearly written as an assignment for a higher-level education class, this formal lesson plan contains some fun and well-researched strategies for teaching the novel Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt. Among the best ideas...
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Introduce Vocabulary: Are Trees Alive? (Miller)
Explore the life inside trees as scholars learn vocabulary through Debbie Miller's informational text Are Trees Alive? Familiarize pupils with the new words they will hear like anchor, disease, awaken,...
Scholastic
Lesson 1: What Are Barriers?
Scholars discuss the concept of a barrier with a short passage on Jackie Robinson. The writing process begins with a paragraph and several other sentences about Robinson's unique traits that made breaking a barrier...
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A Fairy Tale By Any Other Name
Many classic tales, like "Cinderella," can be found worldwide. Bacis events are similar, but each retelling is molded by the culture in which it exists. Present your class with several version of tale (links provided) and have them...
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Justice for All
A reading of Roald Dahl’s Lamb to the Slaughter opens a discussion of justice and fairness. Using a Venn diagram and an Idea Wheel graphic organizer, class members consider the similarities and differences in these two terms. They then...
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Let's Learn About Patricia Polacco: An Author Study
Learners participate in an author study about Patricia Polacco focusing on her use of family and friendship as themes in her books. They write a letter to the author and compare her life to that of Beatrix Potter. They examine how their...
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Literature and Art Through Our Eyes: African-American Artists
Examine the contributions of African-Americans in the worlds of art and literature. Over the course of a few days, young scholars will read and analyze a poem, a short story, and a piece of art. They complete a range of...
Whitewater Valley Railroad
Teaching and Learning with The Polar Express
Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take...
Curated OER
Sense of Place Through the Eyes of an Inuit Children's Author
Students read books by Michael Arvaaluck Kusugak to explore life in the Artic Circle. After reading the books, students compare and contrast life in the Artic Circle to life in the United States. They write and illustrate a story about...
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Bird Stories: Fact or Fiction
Young scholars evaluate/distinguish scientific fact from fiction. They discuss similarities and differences in the life cycles of various birds. Student use the Internet as a research tool.
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Giants of the Past
Students listen to the book, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta, and create paper sculptures based on ancient Greek and Roman statues in the Getty Museum. They write narrative stories told from the viewpoints of their sculptures.