National Endowment for the Humanities
Practical Criticism
As an introduction to literary criticism, class members recreate I.A. Richards' close reading experiment. Individuals select a poem, paraphrase the story, focus on the imagery used, consider what the imagery adds to the tale, and...
Curated OER
What's Outside the Window
What do your students see when they look outside the window? This project lets their imagination go wild, and lets you see what kind of daydreaming they do best. They each draw, paint, and color an image of what they imagine as they are...
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Fashion Strategies
Discover fashion terms with your class, they will design details while examining the top designers and world fashion centers. Among the topics discussed are: marketing, specializing, and designer labeling. To complete the assignments,...
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Mastering a Student's Personal Information in a Special Education Classroom
Your special education students can memorize their personal information. In order to master their personal information, they create a photo book to help them remember names, birthdays, addresses, phone numbers, then take pictures to...
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Introduce Vocabulary: From Tadpole to Frog (Pfeffer)
Take an amphibious journey with budding readers as you explore vocabulary in Wendy Pfeffer's informative book From Tadpole to Frog. This text is the backdrop of a vocabulary exercise based on six words: fertilize,...
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Introduce Vocabulary: Kindergarten ABC (Rogers)
As kindergartners are learning the alphabet, expand their vocabulary in the process using Jacqueline Rogers' book Kindergarten ABC. Each page features a letter and various objects for scholars to locate in the picture, and...
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 12
Finding the central idea in a text can be as simple as deciphering the correct pieces of supporting evidence. As your class reads Stage 4 of "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell, they analyze the interactions...
Energy for Keeps
The Energy Times
Extra! Extra! Read all about past and present energy use in a classroom-made historical newspaper. Useful as a cross-curricular assignment between science, history, and language arts, the project is sure to get young journalists...
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Creating a Children's Book
Students create a studenT book following an introduction to the publication process. Through exposure to several sources, students learn the steps involved in publishing a book.
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Finding My Hat
Sixth graders explore the Korean culture through the book, Finding My Hat. They read and discuss the book in literature circles and write in response journals after each chapter. Comparing the main character to themselves, they note the...
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Presenting Your Case
Students research a famous person of their choice in this lesson. They research the person's life, feelings, and character through a series of written activities. They compile their research into a creative project called a character's...
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Examine Persuasive Elements by Reading, Analyzing, and Discussing Persuasive Text
Students identify persuasive strategies and analyze arguments. In this persuasive writing lesson, students read "Chief Red Jacket's Reply" and "Reverend Cram's Speech to the Iroquois Nation" and chart major elements of each argument....
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Determining Authority and Accuracy
Students determine the authority of any source of information including books, web sites, and individual "experts". With an activity worksheet, they are guided through the activity, evaluating the authority and accuracy of one web site.
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The Early Suffragists
Students research early suffragists in an effort to find the most influential leader of the movement. They give presentations and the class chooses a winner. They write letters to the postmaster suggesting they be placed on a stamp.
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Service Project
Students participate in a service project. In this community service lesson, students use their special talents to help others. Students draw or write about the service they've provided. The class turns this into a class book.
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Story Dolls
Pupils create autobiographies. In this autobiographical writing activity, students use a story doll template and write about themselves. Pupils decorate their autobiographies.
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Spreading Kindness All Around
Learners donate items to organization to demonstrate kindness. In this kindness lesson plan, students read many books and discuss how the characters in each one demonstrate kindness, and then they themselves donate to charities.
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The Letter B
Students read books, play internet games, and trace letters to learn about the letter b. In this letter b lesson plan, students also make bear crafts.
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Flag Language Arts
Students write a description of a flag. In this writing lesson, students pick a flag and write a description of it. Students should include colors and symbols present on the flag. Students share their descriptions and the class must...
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The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs
First graders read, The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs, and create a pig with unique characteristics. In this story book instructional activity, 1st graders write a description of their created pig after they have completed their...
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Make a Commercial
Students develop and produce a commercial. In small groups they select a book or upcoming event, create a storyboard, and develop a commercial to advertise their book or event in the form of a computer slideshow using KidPix computer...
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Scavenger Hunt
Students summarize the "Tri-County Project" section of the nebraskastudies.org web site using a scavenger hunt.
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A Picture is Worth a Million Words
Students practice composing digital photographs by documenting activities in their lives. In this photography lesson, students utilize digital cameras to create beautiful art from things they find around the campus or at their...
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Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
Students examine the life and works of Theodor Seuss Geisel. In groups, they compare and contrast the stories, characters and illustrations he used. They complete a book review on one of the books and share them with other students in...