Curated OER
Much Ado About Illumination
Young scholars analyze the language and characters in the Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing. In this Shakespeare play lesson, students read section of the play and discuss the speech of Benedick and Claudio. Young scholars record...
Curated OER
Sundiata, Mali’s Lion King
Students investigate the history of Mali. In this African cultures instructional activity, students research the impact of Sundiata Keita as king of Mali, recognize the significance of historical Malian festivals, and create character...
Curated OER
The Renaissance Person: composing an Extended Definition Essay
Students recognize the characteristics of an extended definition. In this Renaissance person activity, students read a collection of short stories. Students research the definitions of Renaissance and Renaissance...
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Giants of the Past
Students create a paper sculpture based on ancient Greek statues. In this visual arts lesson, students read the book, The Mysterious Giant of Barletta and use cardstock to create their own statue. Students write a narrative story told...
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Chinese Mythology
Seventh graders examine creation myths of China, discuss how myths reflect Chinese culture, differentiate between Chinese and Greek creation myths, and explore place of myths in Chinese culture as compared to their place in other...
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Altered Books
Students transform a discarded book into a creative art work of art that encompasses a theme and utilizes a variety of media and techniques.
Curated OER
Fish Book Report
Learners use previously prepared book reports about fish themed books to make a shoebox float that displays the theme of the book. Shoe boxes are decorated colorfully, using dolls or stuffed animals as the book character. They create a...
Curated OER
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Students work in groups to imagine, research and simulate a dinner party involving an author, a fictional character, and a significant historical figure as dinner guests. The activity uses Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and the time...
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Traveler's in Time
Learners analyze artifacts to become familiar with the Great Migration. In this migration lesson, students read an article and answer comprehension questions. Learners role play a migration scenario using an artifact to help...
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Fairness Metaphor
Students write a metaphor. In this descriptive writing lesson, students define metaphor. Students come up with a creative metaphor to describe their feelings about fair practices related to music downloads.
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Defining Trustworthiness
Middle schoolers explore the trait of trustworthiness. In this character education activity, students discuss the attributes of people they trust. Middle schoolers create a group definition of trustworthiness.
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Daily Actings
Students view clips of Anna Deavere Smith's work. They interview people on video or audiotape to learn their lines, dialect, and syntax to assist them in theater. They create a play which emulates the people in which they interviewed.
Novelinks
The Good Earth: Biopoem Strategy
To gain a better understanding of characters in Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, kids create a biopoem for one of her characters.
Curated OER
Greek Barbie or Action Figure
Young historians bring Greek mythology to the twenty-first century with this engaging research project. Hired to create a Barbie doll or action figure modeled after a Greek god or goddess, students gather the information necessary to...
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Out of the Dust: Biopoem
As part of their study of Out of the Dust, readers create a biopoem for one of the characters in Karen Hesse's 1998 Newbery Medal winning verse novel.
Mississippi Whole School Initiative
Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Curated OER
Egg Carton Stories
Students create stories with better structure when they are able to focus on its characters, setting, and plot. Teacher creates settings, character, and problem cartons with information written on strips of paper.
Curated OER
Ecology
Students personify ecology vocabulary and write a one-act play using their knowledge of ecology as the basis for characters, conflict, setting and plot.
Curated OER
Connecting Characters and Themes in Julius Caesar
Fourth graders prepare for the literary analysis. They locate, interpret, evaluate and analyze the relationship between a character and the theme. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders write topic and detail sentences, then correctly put...
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Gingerbread Baby Language Arts/Grammer #6
Students are read the story "Gingerbread Baby". They draw and cut out the characters from the story and create a mobile to hang from their classroom ceiling. They write a sentence using a verb on the back.
Curated OER
The Mystique of the Artist
Students use mixed media to create personal expression on canvas art supplies bag, design three-dimensional model of their ideal studio space, write character sketch of Robert Harris using images of him, letter he wrote, and his art work...
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Comic Book or Comic Strip Design
Students design an original cartoon character. They explain the creative process and development of a cartoon from brainstorming to final draft and study different types of cartooning. Use the correct terminology associated with cartooning
Curated OER
Harriet The Spy
Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...
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Nursery Rhyme Mania
Young scholars become familiar with many different nursery rhymes. They use nursery rhymes for a variety of creative activities including writing, singing, poetry and acting.