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Raise a New Torch
Students write their own poem about immigration. They are asked to write a kind of "welcome to America" update of Emma Lazarus's classic verse.
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A Courtin' We Will Go
Students investigate dialect in poetry as an indication of a people's culture in literature. They write a poem about dating in this era.
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Figurative Language
Students put poetic interpretations back together to explain the poem. Starting with cliches, students learn what various phrases mean. They analyze words, phrases and levels of meaning.
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Fifth Grade Literature: January
Fifth graders examine and analyze various poems by Edward Hersey Richards, Robert Frost, and Emily Dickinson. They explore similes, and write journal entry responses.
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A Magic Flower of Wishes
Students discuss which values are most important to them and their families. They read poetry and fairy tales to find a story that has the same value they find most important. They create a presentation and share it with the class.
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Black Bayou Lake Short Story
Tenth graders use Microsoft Word to create an original short story. The setting must be Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The characters must be animals found at Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The story must contain...
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"The Bridge"
Students read poem, "The Bridge," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, discuss how they are connected to other human beings, both past and present, and create time capsules including their favorite memorabilia.
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Storytellers: Bruce Springsteen
Students use the music of Bruce Springsteen to learn literature techniques.
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The Relationship Between Zen And Haiku Aesthetics
High schoolers examine the principles of Haiku as they relate to idealss found in Zen Buddhism in this High School lesson. The lesson concludes with the creation of individual haikus by each student.
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Simile Stories
Fourth graders view song lyrics and identify similes in the song text. In this similes lesson, 4th graders define and identify similes on a worksheet. Students write their own similes using various adjectives.
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Figuring Out Frost
Fourth graders read "The Runaway" by Robert Frost and analyze it for its literal and symbolic meanings. They compare their personal experiences with the poet's suggestions about youthful attitudes and behaviors. Some nice worksheets are...
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Haunting Music
Students discover music that was inspired by the spooky and bizarre. In this music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens activity, students identify elements of music and listen to the Symphonie Fantastique and Danse Macabre....
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Valentine's Day
Students participate in a gardening activity to learn about the growth process and how to show care. In this garden care lesson, students discuss Valentine's Day poems for words of kindness. Students read a poem about a garden of love...
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Hurricane
Students use children's literature in order to investigate the concept of hurricanes and how they occur. The metaphor is used to describe a play area that is magical. They use their imaginations and write about their favorite places to...
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Use of the Simile
Fourth graders identify and write their own similes. In this literary devices instructional activity, 4th graders define and identify similes. The teacher scaffolds the instructional activity so that all students can write their own...
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Analysis of Character in a Short Story
Ninth graders examine a character from the short story, John Steinbeck's, "Flight." students respond to questions about the story and illustrate the character's journey.
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Recognizing Similies: Fast as a Whip
Students review what they have already learned about similies and begin to engage with similies on a deeper and more abstract level as they create their own.
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The Highwayman
Fifth graders re-read the story "The Highwayman" understanding the term "narrative verse". As a paired activity, they predict who or what might be the audience and provide feedback.
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Original Line or Familiar Find?
Young scholars examine a primary source document from 1684 that includes many of the same lines found in Romeo's speech to Juliet from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Students compare the texts and discuss authorship during the sixteenth...
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Comparing Characters Across Two Short Stories
Ninth graders listen to a read aloud of two short stories focusing on literary devices. The write about the settings and realism of the stories, and decide each main character handles the conflict he faces with nature.
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Human Rights/Civil Rights
Learners connect their examination of the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry to a historical and contemporary study of the issue of human rights and civil rights by creating a HyperStudio stack.
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Legends of the Fifth
Fifth graders discover the difference between myths, legends, and folk tales. They summarize legends. They work together to dramatize legends and then create their own legend using the writing process. Handouts and worksheets are included.
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VH1 Driven: Kanye West, Lesson 2
Students compose an original rap. They discuss the career and music of Kanye West, discuss their pre-writing worksheet, and write an original rap using a Final Draft Worksheet.
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Alliteration
Students write and illustrate a sentence which names a letter of the alphabet. The sentence should have subject, verb, describing words, and incorporate alliterative techniques.