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Someone is Summarizing
Students practice summarizing text using James E. Knight's, "Boston Tea Party, Rebellion in the Colonies." They read the story silently before summarizing it using main ideas and supporting details and deciding what type of information...
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Sheila Rae the Brave
First graders practice summarizing with the book Sheila Rae the Brave by Kevin Henkes. For this summarizing lesson, 1st graders read the story over 3 days and answer comprehension questions. They write a summary about what they book was...
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Missing May
Students listen to the first couple chapters in the book, Missing May by Cynthia Rylant and then sketch or write about a character or the setting, using words and phrases from the book as guides. They then discuss the chapters using the...
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"Thunder Butte"
Sixth graders review as a class the story "Thunder Butte". Together they write an outline of the story following the sample and then pick four main parts of the story giving supporting details for each one. They compare Sarah's view with...
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Jump Ship to Freedom
Sixth graders engage in a variety of activities in order to complete a layered unit in Social Studies. The class completes a literature study for the book Jump Ship To Freedom. The activities are graded and built into a portfolio.
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Totally Us
Students create unique biographies. In this Totally Joe lesson, students read the James Howe book and then collaborate to write name biographies in small groups.
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Polar, The Titanic Bear
Learners read Polar, The Titanic Bear by Daisy Corning Stone Spedden. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding this true story of a toy bear that survived the sinking of the Titanic. Included are reading, art,...
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Personal Adventure Stories
Students examine the characteristics of an adventure story. Students write an adventure story of their own based on a true personal experience. After drafting their story, students use a word processor to write, edit, and revise their work.
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Summarizing and Mapping for Comprehension
Students practice summarization in order to increase their comprehension of non-fiction text. They read and summarize passages by finding the main ideas in passages from a Social Studies textbook. After silently reading the passage they...
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Hurricane
Students use children's literature in order to investigate the concept of hurricanes and how they occur. The metaphor is used to describe a play area that is magical. They use their imaginations and write about their favorite places to...
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Decision Making and Assertiveness
Fourth graders identify a problem and write a persuasive essay to the appropriate audience, to correct the problem. They demonstrate effective decision making based on positive self-worth. Students need to write a paragraph about their...
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Hero Holiday and Portfolio Completed
Middle schoolers summarize the unit on heroes and present picture books to younger students. In this hero instructional activity, middle schoolers compile their portfolios, in which they have presented heroic characteristics of...
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Rain Forest
Students discover three aspects of the rain forest. They describe the people, animals, and vegetation in the rain forest. They identify the changes the rain forest has gone through and the reasons behind the changes. They choose one...
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Shh! It's Reading Time!
Students observe and demonstrate how to read silently. They discuss the "Cross-Checking" strategy, select a book for independent reading, and demonstrate silent reading. Students write a summary of what they have read in their reading...
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Creative Caribbean Story
Young scholars read stories about the Caribbean. They write about the Caribbean lifestyle. Students write their own stories of the Caribbean, using facts and researched information.
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-You Cheat!
Students read the book, You Cheat! by Jamie Gilson. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding sibling relationships and other concepts included in the book. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...
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The Giving Tree
Young scholars investigate the virtue of kindness and giving by conducting a children's literature study of "The Giving Tree". They make a list of words to describe emotions in the story and write a journal daily while looking at the...
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story Behind the Play
Students read Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story Behind the Play by Stewart Ross. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the play and Shakespearian culture. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...
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The Chicago River's Journey through Time
Students create a book, which shows the changes in the Chicago River throughout time. They demonstrate their comprehension of the major historical changes in the Chicago River. Students create their own book titled: The Chicago River's...
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The Secret School
Fourth graders read THe Secret School. In this language arts lesson, 4th graders make predictions prior to reading and discussing the story. Students write a summary of the chapter.
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The Magic Box
Students use their visual-spatial intelligence to describe imagined boxes. A complete sequence of opening the imagined box and visualizing its contents is performed. Students write a summary of what they "saw" in their imagination.
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Comparison of Multicultural Literature
Students read and compare/contrast three different cultural versions of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Using handheld computers, they read eBook versions of each version, complete a BooksLog, and write and illustrate a modern version...
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MiSFiTTs: Mighty Strange Field Trip Team
Third graders read several Magic School Bus books, compile list of criteria for good places to visit, research two possible destinations for magic field trip, and prepare and deliver presentation to "convince" classmates to choose...
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The Chocolate War
High schoolers participate in a variety of activities in order to take part in a layered curriculum unit that focuses on a novel study. This allows for a student centered classroom and instructional practices.