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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: "My Skeleton" by Jane Hirshfield

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Jane Hirshfield's poem "My Skeleton" asks readers to pause and think about the amazing, often taken-for-granted structure that protects and gives form to human bodies. After observing the human skeleton's image, class members read the...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: "In the Next Galaxy" by Ruth Stone

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Imagine what life might be like in a different galaxy. That's the challenge young scientists take on in a warm-up activity designed to prepare them for a close reading of Ruth Stone's poem "In the Next Galaxy." After class members share...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Teach This Poem: “Dead Stars” by Ada Limón

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pay attention! A lesson featuring Ada Limon's poem "Dead Stars" is designed to help learners develop their noticing skills. Class members first study the constellation Orion's image and list what they notice and how the image makes them...
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Lesson Plan
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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

The Chinese Exclusion Act

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of Angel Island Immigration Station, young historians examine the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the first restriction on the United States immigration based on race and nationality. They complete a matrix identifying...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Informational Text Features: Analyzing “Hawaii’s Endangered Happy Face Spider”

For Teachers 5th Standards
Some things are better the second time around. Scholars reread an article about Hawaii's happy face spider, answering text-dependent questions as they read. Then, they use a Venn diagram to compare the text features of interviews and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit 1 Assessment: Analyzing an Interview with a Rainforest Scientist Part 1

For Teachers 5th Standards
What's it like to study snakes, reptiles, and turtles in their natural habitats? Serving as the mid-unit assessment, pupils read an interview with a rainforest scientist. Next, they analyze the text and answer text-dependent questions.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Summarizing Informational Text: “Hawaii’s Endangered Happy Face Spider”

For Teachers 5th Standards
Put on a happy face. Using an interesting resource, pupils read an informational text about Hawaii's endangered Happy Face Spider. Next, they participate in a jigsaw discussion to find the gist of the article. 
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Continued Close Read of “Sloth Canopy Researcher: Bryson Voirin”

For Teachers 5th Standards
Let's explore the rainforest by studying its inhabitants. Pupils continue reading an interview with a sloth scientist and answer text-dependent questions. Next, they engage in a class discussion to share the new facts they learned about...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Identifying Theme: Connecting Passages from Esperanza Rising to Human Rights

For Teachers 5th Standards
Even fictional characters have rights. Scholars read selected passages from Pam Muñoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising and consider which of the five categories from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the text relates to. They glue each...
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Fifteenth Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Fifteen primary sources provide a context for a study of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The packet captures the excitement for the changes promised by the amendment as well as the backlash against it.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Carl Hiaasen’s Perspective of Florida: Part 2

For Teachers 6th Standards
Look it up. Scholars read Florida: A Paradise of Scandals Excerpt 1 and use a dictionary to look up any unfamiliar words. They then do a close read of the text and answer text-dependent questions. Learners analyze author perspective by...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Pilgrim and Wampanoag Daily Life for Grades 6–8

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Two slide shows, viewed side-by-side, permit middle schoolers to compare and contrast the lives of the Pilgrims of the Plimoth colony and the Wampanoags. Four videos take learners on virtual field trips to the Plymouth plantation. And an...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Voyage on the Mayflower for Grades 3-5

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Following an online activity, scholars complete a Grafitti Wall in which small groups write words and phrases on chart paper pertaining to Pilgrims, the Mayflower, and Thanksgiving. Pupils perform a close reading then answer a series of...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Read, Part 1: “Taggot, the Blacksmith’s Daughter”

For Teachers 6th Standards
There would be no luck if it were not for bad luck. Scholars take a close look at the theme of adversity through multiple reads of Taggot, the Blacksmith’s Daughter. They place sticky notes on important details of the story and complete...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading for Gist: “Middle Ages” Excerpt 1

For Teachers 6th Standards
Dig deep. Scholars dig deep for meaning while reading Middle Ages Excerpt 1. They begin by finding unfamiliar words and adding them to a word catcher. Pupils then take a close look at adversity in the text and complete an anchor chart.
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Lesson Plan
Teaching Tolerance

Social Media for Social Action

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Engage in activism, not slacktivism! Scholars discuss social media and the Internet as tools for social change. Next, they engage in a close reading strategy called Thinking Notes as they read an article about social media activism.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge About the Hero’s Journey, Part 2: Acts 2 and 3 Plus Focusing on Key Vocabulary in “The Hero’s Journey”

For Teachers 6th Standards
It's all in the details. Scholars read acts two and three of The Hero's Journey and collect important details from the text. They share their notes with their peers and listen for key words from the story. They then turn their attention...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

The Hero’s Journey, Part 1: What is a Hero?

For Teachers 6th Standards
That was heroic!  Scholars quickly look over What is a Hero to determine and discuss the structure of the text. They then read the introduction and Act 1 closely to find the gist and annotate the text. They circle unfamiliar words and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Vocabulary Strategies and Questions from the Text: Close Reading Part 2 of The Lightning Thief (Chapter 3, Continued)

For Teachers 6th Standards
That is very unexpected! Scholars take a close look at the word unexpectedly from chapter three of The Lightning Thief. They examine the prefix and think of other words that have the same prefix. Learners regroup in their triads and take...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Inferring about Character: Close Reading of The Lightning Thief (Chapter 3)

For Teachers 6th Standards
Stick it to them! Scholars work to write the gist of sections of text on sticky notes and place them in chapter three of The Lightning Thief. They then share what they wrote with classmates in their triad. The group reads selections of...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge: Close Reading Part 2 of “Shrouded in Myth”

For Teachers 6th Standards
That was a good talk. Scholars learn about how to conduct a good discussion. They use chart paper and markers to record and discuss  expectations for members when working in a group. They then take a look at vocabulary in Shrouded in...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Using Effective Search Terms: Researching Water Management

For Teachers 7th Standards
Discover how to use search terms effectively! Scholars continue their exploration of Charles Fishman's The Big Thirst, engaging in a read aloud and then answering text-based questions. Next, pupils learn about using search terms and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Contrasting Authors’ Use of Evidence: Bottled Water

For Teachers 7th Standards
Apples to oranges, Dasani to Aquafina. Using a Venn diagram, scholars contrast two authors' use of evidence on the topic of bottled water. Additionally, they continue reading Charles Fishman's The Big Thirst and answering text-dependent...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Interaction: Categories of Water Management in The Big Thirst

For Teachers 7th Standards
It's puzzle time! Pupils participate in a jigsaw activity to discuss the various uses of water, including personal, agricultural, and industrial uses. They also conduct a close reading of The Big Thirst by Charles Fishman and answer...