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Contractions
Shorten words with contractions. Second graders use apostrophes to shorten words, including harder ones like might not. Next, they write out the longer versions of various contractions. Have them write a story with these contractions for...
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Little Red Hen Bakes Bread
Students investigate the bread baking process through the use of literature. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read the book, The Little Red Hen and discuss the steps the hen followed to bake bread. Students bake the bread...
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Introducing the Memo
Examine the text structure of a memo with this worksheet. Eighth to twelfth graders decide if the purpose of a memo is to motivate an action or to provide information to the reader. They explore new vocabulary and make predictions prior...
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Knowledge Rating Scale
In this knowledge rating scale worksheet, students write words and check whether they know it well, have seen or heard it, or have no clue. Students put 8 words into this graphic organizer.
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
A viewing of Disney’s 1993 film of The Adventures of Huck Finn launches an examination of the events in and themes of Mark Twain’s story. Viewers respond to prompts on a film story worksheet, engage in full-class discussions, and select...
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Race into Fluency!
Elementary learners practice reading short passages to increase their fluency. They work in pairs to do repeated readings of Jane and Babe, recording their times. They switch roles and time one another in an effort to decrease the amount...
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Mystery or Hogwash?
Eighth graders choose topics of interest, and select books from the library about them. They utilize a worksheet embedded in the text which has the students rate the text they've read based on it's "believability factor." An interesting...
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The Hurricane
Students analyze three different ways a story is told, determine truth and fiction in each story, and discover and apply techniques to narrate a good story.
Students listen to Bob Dylan's "The Hurricane" and watch the "R" rated movie,...
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Propaganda: Making a Commercial
Seventh graders study different propaganda techniques. In groups, they write and perform a 60-second TV or radio commercial. Classmates rate the effectiveness of the commercial and whether or not they might buy the product.
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Flags as Tools to Share Identity
Students compare flags, locate states on map with flag picture or miniature. Read a newspaper article outlining five vexillology standards for rating flags. They develop a personal flag with an essay interpreting their flag to the reader.
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Horror Tales: What Makes Them Spooky?
Before you jump into this lesson plan, be aware there is little to work with. That being said, the ideas are solid and will be brought to life with a little Halloween spirit. Learners examine horror as a sub-genre, and contemplate what...
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Building a Better Sentence
Sentence construction is both a science and an art. This bare bones lesson ties an analysis of earth's geology to sentence formation. Although referenced as a major part of the activity, there are no links to the technology or resources...
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The Flat WSD Students
Young scholars engage in creative writing and performance using Flat Stanley. After reading Flat Stanley your class summarize their understanding and then create a flat image of themselves. Students then brainstorm ideas of how they...
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See It, Say It, Move It, Do It!
Learn two new letters a week with this activity! After learning the two target letters, the class will make an alphabet video "performing" each letter. The letter's name, sound, and a motion associated with it will be included in the...
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Poetry In Motion
Explore poetry with your class by having them film themselves reading different types of poems. They explore different elements in all types of poetry. They choose images to accompany their poems and learn to create video presentations...
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Star Reading
Learners of all ages discover the importance of reading fluently by viewing celebrities reading children books and telling about their personal paths to fluency. They participate in a fluency reading routine that connects them with a...
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Radio Commercial Assignment
Testing, testing! Following the provided script, class members are asked to create a radio commercial, complete with sound effects and background music.
ProCon
President Bill Clinton
Was Bill Clinton a good president? Scholars set out to answer the question as they prepare for a class debate on the topic. They watch videos, review pros and cons, and read facts about the process of becoming a United States president....
ProCon
Video Games and Violence
Is screen time dangerous time? Scholars take a close look at the facts surrounding video games and violence. Pros give evidence connecting violence to video games while cons suggest there is no relationship.
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Money
Work on money-related vocabulary with this practice activity. With words such as "auditors," "mortgage," and "bankrupt," the activity prompts ESL students to choose the correct term based on the context clues of the sentence. These ten...
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Budget Busters
Use this economic activity to focus on writing summaries of informational text. First, middle schoolers define common economic terms used to describe news about the economy. They closely read news about the federal budget deficit and...
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Sly Book Channel
Create a commercial for a favorite book and broadcast this pitch on the Sly Book Channel! Learners practice retelling, summarizing, comparing/contrasting, and evaluation skills as they prepare their scripts. The approved scripts are then...
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ABC Grammar Book
Elementary learners create an ABC grammar book. The project begins with class members taking digital pictures of items that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Depending on level, they then add a word or a complete sentence to...
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Little Owl Press Report/Newspaper and Newscast Project
Discover journalistic techniques by having learners prepare and write their own class newspaper. They discuss the five W's of investigative journalism and conduct interviews with school figures. They utilize video technology, podcast...