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General to Specific
Students revise a recent draft of writing to make the content more specific. They trace their hands on a large sheet of paper. Students, in the palms of their traced hand print, write in the general topic of the writing draft. On the...
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Students write a literary response essay to Maya Angelou's novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this literary response instructional activity, students complete pre-writing activities, discuss the rubric for the essay, and visit...
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School-Home Links: Re-reading Writing
In this read aloud writing activity, students write about a topic and then read the story aloud to family members. Students then receive revision tips from their family members. Parents or guardians must sign the activity.
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Writing a Short Story - Weather
Pupils use the information they wrote about on the topic they chose in studying About Weather. They then write a short story using the information choosing a theme, setting, characters, and the plot.
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Writing a Short Story -History
Students write a short story set in a selected period of history. They conduct research on a selected period of history, write and edit a rough draft of their short story, and submit a final draft of their story that includes details...
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Reading Strategies: Main Idea
Identify the main idea and the supporting details of a story in a literacy resource from Discovery Education. Complete with procedures, vocabulary, and assessment activities, this is a great way for pupils to practice their outlining...
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Propaganda
How does word choice affect the reading of a text? Compare two headlines that were written about the same event. Is one biased? Discuss how word choice often reveals the author's feelings about a topic. Then look at different techniques...
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Christmas Candy
Here is a tasty topic for a lesson: Christmas candy! Third and fourth graders research classic Christmas candies, then create their very own! They write a descriptive paragraph about their candy, then use KidPix to create an illustration...
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Reading a Comparison-Contrast Essay
Turn your passive readers into active readers with an engaging lesson on reading informational text. Focused on compare and contrast structured essays, the activity prompts elementary learners to jot down questions and think-aloud...
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Rule of 3 Web
Students create a web with the writing topic in the center of the web. They extend three branches from the center of the web, write the main ideas that support and develop the topic. They draw three branches that extend from each main...
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Introduction to Main Events
Identify main events in a text. Readers will read The Kissing Hand and discuss the main events of the story. They will use sentences strips to write down events and place them in order. Alternative books are suggested.
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How To Do an AP Euro DBQ
Are your AP classes struggling with Document Based Questions? Nip their problems in the bud with this clear and comprehensive presentation, which compares a "dazzling DBQ" to a hamburger, outlining all of the layers therein....
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Information Extra
Students create a paragraph about a subject of their chosing that is informative. In this paragraph writing lesson, students use graphic organizers and work together in groups to create a full, organized...
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Paragraph Unity
Learners explore how to develop a complete paragraph using a piece of paper folded into a large fan. They SEE how each sentence relates to the topic.
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Descriptive Writing
Fifth graders develop compositions on self-selected topics. They choose a topic based upon their ability. Individual pupils earn points for each activity completed. Students use descriptive writing as they support their composition...
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Accentuate the Expositive: Unit 2 Expository Writing
Middle schoolers analyze narrative passages in order to improve their writing skills. For this narrative writing lesson students use the same style of writing that they have analyzed in their own narrative passage.
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Quick Writes
Students write on a variety of topics, maximize creative and expository writing skills, develop focused writing, organize ideas, incorporate detail in writing, and exhibit varied and precise word choice.
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Writing letters
First graders participate in a teacher demonstration lesson of the five main parts of a friendly letter including the heading, the salutation, the body, the closing, and the signature. They write a friendly letter to their parents...
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Gathering, Evaluating, And Organizing Information for a Report
Students gather and organize information for a research report on a topic of their choosing. Each students selects a subject for their research. Using traditional and electronic data they reference four or more appropriate resources...
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Get the Skinny! Summarize a Story!
Learners examine the steps of summarizing text. They silently read an article, then read and discuss the steps to summarizing a passage. Students then write a summary of the article they read, and as a class discuss the main idea,...
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Making a Treasure Your Own: Lesson Two
High schoolers write an essay describing the Curtis Center and what they learned there. For this descriptive writing essay, students discuss the five paragraph essay and review sensory discoveries from their trip. High schoolers draft an...
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Summarization Superstars
How do you read when you know you're going to be summarizing a text? Summarize a nonfiction text with your upper elementary schoolers. Your pupils independently read a nonfiction article and write a summary paragraph using the six-step...
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Sum It Up
After a review of the steps involved in writing a summary, class members read The Physics of Baseball by Sarah Ives and use a story web to identify the important details to include in their summary. Class members then choose an article...
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The Scoop on Summer
Third graders write a noun that names a place they spent their summer vacation, a verb telling one activity they did, and use those words to write a complete sentence. Finally, they use an ice cream cone graphic organizer as a guide to...