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Life in a Hurricane Zone
Young scholars investigate the social effects of hurricanes. For this social studies lesson, students assume the persona of residents of the Dominican Republic and write diary entries and letters regarding the devastation caused by...
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Same-Sex Schools Gain Ground
Students examine the issue of having same-sex classes. Using the internet, they research how this program is working around the country. They interview local education experts and determine how they view the issue. They include an...
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Three is a Toxic Number
Future public health advocates read a case study of a combination of water pollutants that may be linked to autism. The class is split into three groups, one to research each of the suspected chemicals. The look at how each one affects...
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The Front Page: Asking Geographic Questions
Students examine how to ask geographic questions. They read an article with details omitted, list possible geographic questions, and write a summary of the article.
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Fact and Opinion Lesson Plan
How are fact and opinion different? Middle schoolers explore fact and opinion and write articles pertaining to a football match, eliminating all opinion statements in order to focus on the facts. Then they discuss bias in the media....
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Research a Poet and Explicate a Poem by that Poet
Seventh graders choose a poet to research and find a poem by that author to explicate/analyze using a variety of sources for their research that will include their textbooks, the school library, and the internet. After conducting...
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Adopted Dog Goes Home
Learners examine the pet victims of Hurricane Katrina. After reading a story about one dog who was misplaced, they write about the situation and their reactions to it. They share their reactions to the class and discuss other possible...
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Checking Out Community Preparedness
Students research storm preparedness in their community. They interview city officials to determine the current emergency plans, warning systems, etc. Students write an analysis of the situation.
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Weapons in school: Protection or danger?
Students write an editorial (staff opinion) or commentary (writer's opinion) if they/he or she believe the school rules are either too strict or too lenient when addressing weapons possession. Students research past situations in their...
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Can You Get the Signal?
What is a signal word? Recognizing these words is an important step in both reading and writing formal text. Review a list of signal words (provided and organized into specific categories), and then have your class play a game to...
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To Go Solar or Not to Go Solar!
Middle schoolers imagine that they are on a panel to consider if a solar energy system would be advantageous to a new school as it is being built. They read the included handout and then each play a role as a participant in a community...
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Making Points on Election Dilemma
Students define a straight news article, and identify characteristics of an editorial news feature. They read a CNN article that examines the 2000 presidential election, and determine what is factual and what is opinion.
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News Poetry
Third graders select a small item in a newspaper and then dramatize it in a well-constructed poem. They share their poems with the class.
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Africanized Honey Bees And The Press
Pupils investigate how honey bees and other insects are portrayed in the press. read the articles and compare and contrast the tone of each article. Have students create a list of the verbs used in each article and assess the overall tone.
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Note--Making
Students identify the key facts from a news story. They write their own news story from given facts identified. In addition, they present their notes and stories to the classroom. Also, they classify a variety of news articles in a...
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Different Audiences
Students examine levels of language difficulty for different audiences. They explore how to simplify texts to suit a younger audience. Students use a thesaurus to find synonyms. Students select a news article to rewrite. They create...
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Breaking News English: BBC Nets Best Net News Award
In this English worksheet, learners read "BBC Nets Best Net News Award," and then respond to 30 fill in the blank, 25 short answer questions about the selection.
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Words in the News Philippine Sedition Charges - 15 June 2005
Students study vocabulary in order to read an online article. They participate in word work before they read and discuss the article. They take an online quiz and a role play activity.
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Harriet Tubman In The News
Students investigate the history of Harriet Tubman. They use newspaper articles from history and modern times in order to gather information. They use a graphic organizer in order to categorize information. They distinguish the readings...
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Words in the News Canada Elects New Government - 25 January 2006
Students complete vocabulary and word work before reading an article about Canada. They work with word families by completing worksheets and complete a quiz after reading the article.
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Breaking News English
In this ESL worksheet, students read the given article and the presented vocabulary throughout. Students respond to 51 short answer, matching, true/false, and fill in the blank questions.
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Words in the News Hopes and Fears for Shuttle Discovery
Middle schoolers participate in vocabulary building activities including worksheets before reading an online article. They write a space travel diary of their first visit to outer space in a journal entry.
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Words in the News Japan Textbook Back in Spotlight
Learners participate in vocabulary and word work activities before reading an online article. They concentrate on verb tenses and re-write a portion of their personal, school or country history that includes false information.
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Words In the News Dutch EU Vote
Young scholars participate in word work and vocabulary building activities before reading an online article. They examine political posters and campaigns before designing an election poster.