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"It's All About Grandma Chic": Reading Informational Text
This New York Times "Learning Network" exercise on reading informational text poses 6 questions about a high-interest article on teen fashion. The article meant to be review with is resource, "More than meets the iPhone Lens", is rather...
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A New Kind of News
Newspapers and broadcast news. Social media, blogs, and blogospheres. Class members generate a list of news sources they use to get information about events. The big idea here is to introduce the necessary vocabulary and to establish a...
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Meaty Words
Headlines from newspapers launch a discussion of image-rich, meaty words. Just as headline writers choose vivid vocabulary to attract readers, young writers develop headlines that capture the essence of a passage from a book they are...
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Combining and Rewriting Sentences
Learners practice combining sentences using the conjunction handout provided. They search magazines and newspapers to identify combined sentences that use conjunctions. Finally, these are rewritten again as two separate sentences.
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Camera Shots
Understanding how visual codes such as long-shots, close-ups, and camera angles affect meaning helps prepare young filmmakers to plan their own productions. The concepts embedded could also be used to analyze photographs and paintings.
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GROUP NEWSPAPER PRESENTATIONS
Students in groups are to develop their own newspapers while keeping to a World War I outline.
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That Is Not My Opinion!
Being an informed citizen requires distinguishing fact from opinion and understanding persuasion methods. Secondary learners evaluate newspaper editorials. They read opinion pieces, identify the writer's purpose and position on an issue,...
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Fact V. Opinion
Students use statements out of newpapers to distinguish between facts and opinions. They discuss these differences as well.
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What's Your Temperature?
Learners take a look at the local newspaper and focus on the weather section. They get into small groups, and each one looks at the same map, but of a different part of the country. They must prepare a presentation that shows how...
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Circles, Squares, Triangles and Rectangles In Our World
Here is an engaging geometry lesson which has students identify the properties of shapes and cut shapes out of magazines. They make cookies using cookie cutters in various shapes.
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The Mass Media and Politics
What effect do the prevalence of televisions in homes have on the American political stage? Challenge your students to consider this idea with these ten questions, both true/false and multiple choice. You could use this activity as a...
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The Wetlands
Complete a comparison of the wetlands found in New York and Louisiana. Using various research methods, gather data on the wetlands found in New York and Louisiana, the animals, conditions, etc. Data is used to create a brief report on...
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Help Wanted: President of the United States
Learners consider qualities and United States president should have. In this government lesson, students research the responsibilities of the president and use that information to create an advertisement that describes the job and...
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Eminent Domain: Whose Land is it Anyway?
Students research eminent domain and whether or not there has been a land dispute in their community. Students search local newspapers, local history books or talk with civic leaders and long-time citizens and create a chart showing the...
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Writing Bug - Inquiring Minds Want to Know - #5
In this journal writing activity, students are given four headlines for news stories published in tabloid newspapers. Students write the story that might have matched one of the headlines.
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Current Events
Here is an ongoing activity intended to build interest in local, national, and world news. The class is divided into four groups of approximately five students each. The groups are responsible for monitoring the daily news. They compose...
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Working with Percentages
Students complete basic operations using percentages in a variety of real world situations. Discounts are computed and compared to a variety of prices listed in local newspaper advertisements.
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Paragraph Building
Build the skills your budding authors need to develop to compose well-structured paragraphs. Give them the topic sheet (included here), and have them write a cohesive paragraph using the ideas listed. Consider having them include two...
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Elementary Statistics in Life
Students examine newspapers for graphs. They collect and sort data that is of interest to them. They enter data into a database and make comparisons using the information.
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Cooking Terms
Using culinary text books, matching exercises, and an "Old Maid" style card game, classroom chefs learn and distinguish cooking vocabulary. They identify terms and techniques used in a chicken/vegetable stir fry demonstration.
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Animals in the Media
Sure to activate young minds, this resource asks learners to consider how media influences their personal points of view. Pupils examine how animals are portrayed in the media to understand why they feel the way they do about those...
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Cite Your Sites
What information would you find in an almanac that you would not find in an atlas? What is the difference between a dictionary and a thesaurus? Using a Cite Your Sites worksheet on which they record their observations, groups participate...
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Slavery in Arkansas, Market to Misery
Students determine the factors that were considered when purchasing slaves at market or through the purchase of an estate. They examine the Arkansas Slave Code and share its content through a group activity.
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Comparing Good and Bad Character Traits of Historical and Current Figures
Students create a chart with two columns. In one column include good and bad character traits of historical figures in biographies and historical fiction. In the second column include good and bad character traits of current famous...