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Anonymous Poetry
Anonymous poetry can be a way for students to express emotion and ideas without trepidation.
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Discord in Dixieland
Learners brainstorm businesses located in their community, and whether or not their community has been affected by the introduction of chain stores. Students debate the effects that chain retailers have on local businesses and...
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Health Quiz
Young scholars explore similarities and differences in jobs in one field. In this careers lesson, the teacher introduces the concept, then students brainstorm a list of jobs in the health field and complete a worksheet pertaining to...
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Into the Wild
Students study about how sequels are created by using a well-known fairy tale to create their own. They choose a fairy tale, make a list of all the characters in the story, and generate 3 ideas (minimum) per character. They each select...
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Erosion Lab
Eighth graders explore variables that influence the rate of erosion due to the 4 major agents. They work as a group and practice conducting experiments according to the scientific method. Students comprehend that communicating ideas...
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You do! We do! We all Scream for Haiku!
Haikus offer a way to explore new ideas for teaching poetry, science, and math.
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It's Under Discussion
Students create brainstorming webs to facilitate discussions about writing about an informational topic. In this writing lesson plan, students do this in groups and then free write about their topic.
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Robert Munsch: Author Study
Students study Robert Munsch's style of writing. In this literature lesson, students read many of Robert Munsch's books, write a list of the characteristics found in his books, and write or orally tell a story using some of these...
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Easy Essays Step 2
Third graders write essays after participating in mini-lessons that encourage better writing. They write using the model of a skeleton to which they add the muscles.
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Narrative Writing Outline
Young scholars explore the elements of a narrative for its purpose, type of audience, mood, main character, minor characters, setting, and conflicts in the story. A story outline is developed and a five paragraph essay composed in this...
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Let's Make Writing Fun
First graders listen to "The Rainbow Fish" and write a story using their own experiences with friends. They use computer programs to publish their story.
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Where is Flat Stanley?
Students create a story map of the basic elements and significant events of the book Flat Stanley. Students brainstorm places they would like to visit if they had been flattened and then, write about an imagined experience. Students...
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Solving an Original Character's Problem With Voice and Emotion
Students read the story A Bad Case of the Stripes and then write their own story conveying a lot of emotion. In this writing lesson plan, students select a title, an emotion, brainstorm, and then start writing.
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I'm Special Books
Students become aware of the concept that each of us is special. They develop an appreciation for the special things that each can do now, and begin to develop early literacy skills. Each student creates a book about themselves and...
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The Weekly News, Part 1
Fifth graders explore things that happen in their schools. In this journalism instructional activity, 5th graders use the writing process to prioritize their collected information. Students write a weekly article for a classroom news...
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Personal Timeline
Seventh graders review the stages of the writing process. In this writing process lesson, 7th graders review the writing process steps by creating a personal timeline. Students complete graphic organizers for the lesson and present their...
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Cans Make a Difference
Students design a service-learning project with pen pals. In this philanthropy lesson, students research various charitable organizations with a pen pal and collect cans in order to get money for a donation. Students write to their pen...
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The Game of Persuasion
Why is it so important to learn the art of persuasion? Being persuasive helps you acquire the things you want or the things you feel are necessary. Print out these scenarios and assign one to each group of high schoolers. As a team, they...
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Pride and Prejudice: Unsent Letter
What would the characters of Pride and Prejudice say to each other in a letter? Draft unsent correspondence between characters from Jane Austen's novel. A great way to explore characterization and plot structure in a creative lesson.
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Prewriting, Using Pictures
Young readers practice getting information from both the text and the illustrations found in books they are reading. They see that quite often, authors use pictures to help them get their writing process started. Youngsters are invited...
Virginia Department of Education
Determining Purpose and Audience
Build the writing skills of your junior high wordsmiths with activities that introduce many essential skills of writing. As a class, they develop working definitions of formal vs. informal writing, explore different categories of...
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Beginning With Writing
Students brainstorm what it means to "convey ideas in writing" They review the standard graphic clarify vocabulary and Discuss the importance of having a standard definition for writing and making sure everyone is in agreement of that...
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Writing: Lesson 3
Eighth graders are read the material in the boldface print inside the boxes. They study several key elements of composition and examine sentence structure using the English Language Arts Writer's Checklist. They then critique another...
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ABC Brainstorm
Students practice a variety of strategies for mastering ABC brainstorming about a major topic. They take a topic and try to think of a word or phrase associated with that topic that begins with each letter of the alphabet and match them...