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Survival Story
Students discuss the pros and cons of being deserted on an uninhabited island. Then they write their own survival stories and complete a story jacket.
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Our Planet Earth
Students brainstorm and discuss cultural relevance of the moon to the Native American community. They utilize the internet to research items about the moon, use a digital camera to take pictures, and then write a report over what they...
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Letters of Recommendation
Students write letters of recommendation. They discuss uses for letters of recommendation including jobs, colleges, scholarships, and internships. They discuss who to ask for letters of recommendation and obtain two to three letters of...
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Introduction To Bug Collecting
Students explore process of live collection of insects and spiders using sweep nets, aerial nets, and beating sheets. they collect, examine and release several different types of insects or spiders then compare their journal drawing of...
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The Fairfax County Budget -- A Look At Spending
Students brainstorm a list of items that should be a priority for the government to help its citizens. Using an out of date budget, they identify individual line items and the conflicts involved in making a budget work. They discuss...
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"Name Game" Poetry
Students write a poem by choosing a word and then creating a poem out of the individual letters of their word. They brainstorm words for each letter of their poem then create it and publish it using a word processor.
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Ship Building Trip
Students travel to a ship building plant to see how they are built. They enter into discussion and writing about the task of the building. This lesson is multiple intelligence in design and valuable because of the real life exposure.
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Stories That Grow on Trees
Students write their own choose-a-plot book. They develop skills in creating plot structure and think through a logical line of story action. They invent characters with striking physical and psychological attributes.
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Solid Waste
Students examine how to use their vocabulary, writing skills, and creative thinking to address environmental concerns in this unit. They write messages to using creative writing to address the issues of solid waste and recycling.
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Social Studies: Neighborhoods of the Future
Students explore the present physical and human characteristics of their communities and predict their future appearance. In a two-paneled drawing, they depict their community as it is today and then imagine how it might change in the...
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Through the Odyssey, Lesson 2:
Ninth graders complete their reading of "The Odyssey". Using the text, they write an essay on a topic of their choice relating to the book. They write a rough draft, first draft and final draft typed in a word processing program. They...
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What Is Industrial Design?
Learners explore the processes used by industrial designers to design useful, safe, and appealing mass-produced objects. They select an object from their home or classroom and redesign it to improve its function, feel, and/or appearance.
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Your Name in an Acrostic Poem
Second graders use a word processing program (Word, Claris Works...) to create an acrostic poem.
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Is Capitalism Good for the Poor? | No More Slide Rules – The Costs and Benefits of Innovation
Students brainstorm a list of the benefits that Americans at all levels of society have enjoyed as a result of innovations in rail transportation/computers/microprocessors. They write a response from President Jackson to Martin Van Buren...
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Drawing Into the Imagination
Sixth graders examine the work of artist Saul Steinberg by visiting online galleries of his work and looking at photo reproductions. After viewing and interpreting Steinberg's work, they write and illustrate fantasy stories which are...
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Job Search Strategies: Lesson 1
Eighth graders in the 8th grade explore the process involved in looking for a job. They make a list of talents and attributes they already have and then analyze these lists to determine what new skills they may need to obtain a job in...
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Insight Arts
Students view a mural and identify, describe, and discuss what they see. They are introduced to and demonstrate the functions of key structural elements of poetry by writing a poem about themselves that highlights their interests and...
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Honey Bees!
Students research and complete two assignments about honeybees. Students draw and color a picture of a flower with a honeybee inside of it. Students write a letter to the executives at Ridit Pest Control persuading them to stop the...
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Community Search
Students, as a class, brainstorm a list of possible jobs in the community to explore. Working in teams of two (writer and photographer), students choose their interview assignments-e.g., preacher, principal, basketball coach, postmaster,...
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Collecting Data and Graphing
Eighth graders, in groups, count the different colors of M&M's in each kind of package and then draw a pictograph to show the results. Each group writes a program to show their results and then compare the manually-drawn and computer...
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Constructing a Newsletter
Students brainstorm names for a class newsletter. They perform the job of journalists by interviewing, writing paragraphs, and editing. Students scan photographs, add appropriate graphics and look for errors in the final copy.
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Illegal Dumping
Students go on an outing and note garbage near picnic tables. They brainstorm ways to be involved with anti-litter campaigns and write letters to local officials.
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Environmental Education/Water Pollution
Fifth graders play a game in which they list as many environmental issues or terms in alphabetical order. They brainstorm ways they can save the environment and create a mural that displayed research found from the internet and Encarta.