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Halloween
Discover the origins and traditions of Halloween with a crafty lesson plan! Second graders create bats, monsters, witches, and ghosts with masks and puppets. Next, they share their work with their classmates in a fun celebration.
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The Maccabees and Their Place in Jewish History
Students assume the role of a journalist employed by time Warner to examine data about the long-lost cave contining the tombs of Maccabees. A two page spread is created for the weekend edition of the magazine.
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World Celebrations-Focus on Christmas around the World
Sixth graders, in groups, research Christmas celebrations in countries from around the world. They follow guidelines to create PowerPoint presentations with their findings.
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Haunted Stations
Learners practice throwing overhand, underhand, and backhand at several stations with Halloween themes.
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T'was the Night Before Christmas (Poem)
Students read the poem T'was the Night Before Christmas, and then partner with another student to complete a poem of their own based on the original. The new poem has missing words and students fill in the missing parts of speech like a...
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Dear Santa Claus
Students watch the video Santa Claus is Coming to Town and create letters asking questions to Santa Claus. Other students answer the letters of their classmates.
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Window of Words
Students imagine that they are looking out (or in) a window with four panes and write about what they see using a variety of sentence structures. They create a paragraph about what they see looking through their window on Thanksgiving day.
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Measuring Up on the Mayflower
Second graders use a meter tape to compare the length of the Mayflower to a basketball court and make homemade butter for crackers. Afterward, all students sit inside the makeshift Mayflower's dimensions and enjoy their Pilgrim butter.
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Smells Like Christmas, Exploring the Nose
Students discover that the sense of smell helps us to enjoy life and explore unsafe conditions. They smell Christmas by making gingerbread ornaments.
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Sounds Like Christmas, Exploring Hearing
Students see that the sense of hearing helps us learn from each other through communication. Also, students explain that sound can produce patterns. They engage in a wide variety of activities that focus on the sense of hearing.
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Turkey Soup for the Soul
Students read an article that tells how a young man turned his life around through the help of a local charity. They create inspirational scrapbooks and posters to help motivate their peers when they are facing adversity.
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Students create Thanksgiving menu and pre-dinner blessing or ritual that is sensitive to five different imaginary Thanksgiving guests from a variety of backgrounds.
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Soulfully Remembered
Students study about the Mexican holiday Day of the Dead to explore another culture's attitude towards death. They create collages reflecting the interests of and memories about someone who has passed away.
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Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
Students design and promote technological devices for Father's Day gifts that reflect evolving social trends. They consider the new image of dads cast by today's media and advertisements and its influence.
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Pumpkin Carving for K-2 Students
Students carve pumpkins, draw pictures and label layers of a seed, and write steps needed to carve pumpkin.
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The Best Gift, for Shoe-er!
Students turn an old shoe into a memorable planter that's a terrific gift for Mother's Day or any other occasion.
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What Would Halloween be Like Without the Ecuadorian Rainforest?
Fourth graders are given a number of typical Halloween treats and work in groups to determine which foods came from the Rainforest (chocolate) and which foods came from temperate regions (apples, popcorn) and treats that don't have...
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'Twasn't the Night Before Christmas
Students describe the elements that make up particular writers' styles. Small groups then choose an author, write something in his or her style, and invite other groups to play 'literary detective' in identifying whose style they have...
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The Mayflower Story Up-Close and Personal
Young scholars gain a deeper understanding of what the early colonists experienced in search of a new life in America while giving them a taste of historical methodology. This is an engaging way to assess what your students know about...
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Hanukkah Fun: The Dreidel Game
Celebrate Hanukkah with an engaging lesson about the history of the dreidel! After reading or listening to a short description of the dreidel's place in the Hanukkah celebration, young learners work on their own dreidels from classroom...
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Celebrations: Hanukkah
Connect reading comprehension strategies with the traditions of Hanukkah with an informative lesson plan. As learners read about the history of Hanukkah, the significance of the menorah, and the ways Hanukkah is celebrated today, they...
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Cinco de Mayo
Students identify three celebration activities participated in Cinco de Mayo and explain their significance.
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All Fired Up
Young scholars brainstorm images and themes associated with the American Fourth of July holiday. They create illustrated posters to explain the processes or history behind these themes.
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Thank You Notes
Students investigate the history of presidential proclamations and develop their own Thanksgiving Proclamations, highlighting current issues and sentiments.