Vanderbilt University
Dia de Los Muertos
To honor El Dia de los Muertos, scholars work together to create Day of the Dead displays—paper sugar skulls and banners—that bring a festive and memorable flare to the classroom.
Santa Ana Unified School District
Getting to the Core: Globalization
How have advances in technology and communication changed our world? That is the questions that world history students contemplate as they examine a series of primary and secondary source materials
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Phonics lesson for -ar
First graders identify words associated with the -ar sound. They read sentences and compose a story that include words with the -ar sound. The assessment portion of instructional activity involves students in spelling words with the...
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Phonics lesson for "sh"
First graders identify words with the "sh" pattern. They participate in phonemic awareness, decoding, blending, spelling patterns, and dictation exercises. As the assessment portion of the instructional activity, they may write a story...
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Foods and Languages of the World
Students review Mexico's location and language and learn to pronouns 10 new Spanish food words. Students listen as the book, Corn is Maize is read, touching and passing around an ear of Indian corn. Students discuss the contribution of...
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Patchwork Adventure Poetry
Third graders explore poetry by completing a worksheet. In this poetry instructional activity, 3rd graders create a quilt using images students have drawn based on imagery. Students practice using vocabulary from the poem "Adventures...
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Recording Local Weather
Second graders measure, record, graph, and report changes in local weather using Navajo, Ute, and Spanish words for weather conditions. They record the weather results on a graph, and create drawings of weather conditions.
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Identifying and Describing Polygons
Students identify the different properties of polygons. For this geometry lesson, students differentiate between polygons and non-polygons. They review important vocabulary to help them understand the properties of polygons.
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Scrabble Laps
Students practice spelling. In this scrabble laps instructional activity, students divide into teams and complete laps around a track to earn letters. Students use letters earned to form as many words as they can using random letters...
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Stereo What?
Middle schoolers define words associated with stereotypes. They identify the difference between stereotype, prejudice and discrimination and give examples of each. They discover their own personal biases.
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Let's Make Stew!
Students investigate how to create a vegetable garden and complete related activities. In this vegetable garden lesson, students receive agriculture notebooks to complete vocabulary for the gardening lesson. Students read 'Still-Life...
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Job Day
First graders discuss jobs in the community. In this lesson on careers, 1st graders read and discuss different jobs in the community. They find new vocabulary and discuss what job they would like when they get older.
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Gearing up for Grammar
Learners input autobiographical information to apply in a Diamante' poem that utilizes the different parts of speech. Students interact with each other sharing their autobiographical information completed on the database created....
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Respect and Democracy
Young scholars explore the concept of respect. In this respect and democracy lesson, students define respect and brainstorm examples of showing respect and disrespect. Young scholars read Core Values of American Constitutional Democracy...
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To Whom It May Concern
Fourth graders produce and peer edit typed rough drafts of the business letters following the guidelines illustrated in the Eight Essential Parts of a business letter and save to disks. They complete the Where's the Math? scavenger hunt...
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Word Sorts And Story Mapping
Fourth graders engage in a activity that covers the concept of using a storymap to increase reading comprehension. They possess the prior knowledge of parts of speech from previous lessons. Students fill in the blank storymap while...
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Using A Dictionary
Young scholars explore English by completing a word definitions worksheet. In this dictionary instructional activity, students practice locating a list of vocabulary terms in a "Dictionary Race." Young scholars complete a worksheet based...
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Back to School (Elementary)
Students discover the vocabulary of the Six Pillars of Character and their relation to the school environment. In this character education lesson, students discuss the character pillars and brainstorm about their use in the classroom....
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Rhyme Time
Students discover rhyming words. In this rhyming lesson, students read A Giraffe and a Half. Students examine rhyming words from the story. Working in small groups, students create rhymes in response to a prompt from the teacher.
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Reading the newspaper
Middle schoolers read articles related to local, state, national, and world events using word maps.
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"-at" Turkeys
Students practice spelling by creating a model turkey. In this vocabulary lesson, students utilize fake feathers and foam letters to spell words on a fake turkey body, Students read the book Ten Fat Turkeys, and identify the different...
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The Ku Klux Klan In Indiana: 1920-1930
Students examine the role of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana from 1920-1930. They read an informational handout, define key vocabulary terms, conduct an interview with a parent or grandparent, write a family history, and role-play a scenario.
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Language and Literacy Support through Photography
Students experience creating realia with digital photos to increase their vocabularies. They practice creating meaningful digital photo books that the students can take home and read with their families. Each student interacts with a...
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News to the Core Reported by Very Special Students
Students create news articles that help them build their knowledge, skills, and academic confidence. In this special education lesson, students use previous knowledge to write a newsletter and demonstrate their understanding of various...