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Truman Capote: Other Voices, Other Rooms
Students read and analyze Truman Capote's autobiographical short story, "A Christmas Memory." They discuss writing styles, conduct Internet research on Truman Capote, write a book review, and write a short story based on one of Truman...
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A Picture's Worth 500-700 Words: Neoclassical Painting Analysis and Creative Write
Middle schoolers survey Neoclassical art and create a narrative based on their analyses. Focused questions and relevant background information provided by the Getty Museum provides a great foundation for students to understand art...
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Buzzing Bee's Wardrobe
Students investigate the anatomy of honeybees. In this anatomy instructional activity, students research the physical characteristics of bees and discover what they do. Students create a model of a honeybee showing the correct anatomy.
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Filter Feeding in Reef Sponges
Students investigate the role of sponges in our oceans. In this biology lesson, students create a diagram visualizing how sponges bring food into their bodies through a filtering process. Students discuss the connections between...
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Exploring A Streetcar Named Desire
Students investigate the dramatic elements of a Streetcar Named Desire. In this drama instructional activity, students explore the theme of the Tennessee Williams play as they read the play and watch performances of some of the acts....
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Leaders in the Anza Expedition
Students conduct Internet research on historical characters in the Anza expeditions. They compare/contrast the Anza leaders and analyze their relationships to each other in the Anza expedition.
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Harriet The Spy
Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...
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"Et tu, Brute?" - The Characters, Conflict and Historical context of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Students analyze the Shakespearian play, "Julius Caesar" in this seven lesson unit. Through readings, hands-on projects, and the study of plot development, comparisons are made to the movie and the historical records available.
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Bad Bard/Good Bard: Coming to Character through Preconceptions of Shakespearean Acting
Students practice their own acting skills. In this Shakespeare lesson, students participate in choral readings and reenact scenes from The Taming of the Shrew. Students then discuss the difficulties of Shakespearean acting.
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Home: The Ties That Bind
Students read two novels, The Human Comedy and A Separate Peace and an autobiographical memoir, Farewell to Manzanar. They focus on the difficulties faced by the teenage protagonists in order to set up a connection between adolescence...
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Living With the Heat: The Ring of Fire
Students investigate the planet Earth's infamous ring of fire and the life that thrives from it. For this ocean environment lesson, students investigate hydrothermal vents and how organisms thrive off their heat. Students complete a...
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Screening the Silver Screen
Students write New York Times Movie Guide Reviews using descriptive and persuasive language.
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What Weather When and Where?
Students learn the difference between hard news and feature writing. They choose one of these news styles to write a compelling weather-related article based on interviews with local sources.
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The Language of Love
Students explore the images and idioms related to love in their own culture. They examine new rituals recently created in Japan by reading and discussing "Osaka Journal:Japanese Date Clubs Take the Muss Out of Mating."
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2nd Grade - Act. 01: Exploration Tubs
Second graders communicate ideas, information, and feelings.
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Poetry for Kids
Sixth graders be immersed indirect experiences which are opportunities for students to reflect, look back, debrief or abstract from their experiences what they have felt, and thought, and studied.
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Pablo Neruda
Eighth graders explore the life and works of Pablo Neruda. They complete an author map concerning his personal and professional life. Students identify the key components of an ode. They write an ode to a common object around their...
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Octavio Paz
Tenth graders read and analyze the poem, "The Street," by Hispanic author, Octavio Paz. They research the life of Octavio Paz and identify his literary contributions. They complete an online scavenger hunt and create an author map of...
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Dysfunctional Eating
Sixth graders study the concept of dysfuctional eating including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, fad dieting, and having an unbalanced diet. They watch and discuss videos about eating disorders and then they...
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She's All Over the Map
Students consider female authors and their literature. Working in partnerships, they research and map the life and work of a Nobel Prize-winning female author of their choice. Students write individual letters expressing their thoughts...
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When Fair is Foul: Paradox and Equivocation in Macbeth
Young scholars read Macbeth for examples of paradox and equivocation in the text. In this literature-response lesson, students work in groups to analyze Shakespeare's writing for use of paradox using handouts to guide their search....
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Students Speak Out: A Discussion Activity
Students read a collection of student essays addressing racism and racial disparities and discuss them. In this racism lesson plan, students discuss the essays and talk about their impact.
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A Picture's Worth 500-700 Words
Students interpret and analyze a work of art and write a narrative for the piece of art. In this narrative art lesson, students analyze a work of art and then write a short story 500-700 words long to narrate the art.
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Chaucer's "The Prioress' Tale"
Students examine Anti-Semitism in literature. In this Chaucer instructional activity, students review the concept of blood libel and then identify and analyze the Anti-Semitic message of "The Prioress' Tale."