Recorded Books
Teacher's Guide: The Pinballs
Dive your class into the novel The Pinballs by Betsy Byars with the support of this reading guide. Including short answer questions, a multiple choice comprehension quiz, and extension activities, a variety of materials are provided for...
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Good Judgement and Honesty
Seventh graders write about the importance of honesty. In this character education lesson plan, 7th graders reflect about the value of honesty and following the rules. This lesson plan is part of a larger unit on honesty.
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The Civil War: From Different Perspectives
Fifth graders look at the Civil War from different perspectives. In this Civil War lesson, 5th graders are divided into groups and take on the role of fictional characters with a real perspective that existed in the Civil War. They...
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Teaching Caring
In this teaching caring worksheet, students complete a true/false checklist about being a caring person and complete discussion questions after viewing a referenced video. Suggestions for writing and students activities are also given.
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Inter / Intra Personal Lesson Plan
Students identify the causes of the American Civil War. Using the internet and print sources, they read about the causes and personal backgrounds of those who participated in the war. They choose a character from the time period that...
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Poems that Tell a Story: Narrative and Persona in the Poetry of Robert Frost
Students read and discuss poems by Robert Frost. Students collaborate in small groups to draw inferences about speakers' character and motives and to gather evidence supporting those inferences.
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What is Hamlet Thinking?
Students explore Hamlet's character. For this Shakespeare lesson, students read the selected lines from Hamlet and write any unusual or difficult phrases. Students highlight the names of characters who speak the lines and underline words...
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WWII Homefront Roundtable
High schoolers play a role in a roundtable discussion after researching how the war impacted their character. Students play roles such as: African-American, American Indian, Japanese-American, German-American, Italian-American, Jewish...
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Netsuke
Students identify different objects from Japanese culture and their purpose. They read Japanese folktales and discuss common themes. They create a sketch and clay sculpture of a character or animal in one of the folktales.
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Projecting the Image -- What Can One Person Do?
Students research individuals who have received the Nobel Peace Prize. They identify the importance of their actions for the common good. They make note of their background, motivations and values.
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Making Connections to Text
Making connections to text is an important skill that students can practice in fun and motivating ways.
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Integrated Skills and Speaking
Students work in pairs to decode a message that uses character adjectives vocabulary and counting skills. They design an "ideal friend" by listing their top five desired character traits.
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Collaborative Book Club Groups
Young scholars participate in book club forums where they write descriptive, evaluation, analysis, synthesis, or inference essays. They take on the role of a character in their bok and publish a web page.
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Everyday Heroes
Students research how Ernie Pyle's descriptive narratives and "every man's" perspective of the war allow them to examine personal traits such as courage and heroism. The lesson can be extended to include more examples to teach character...
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The Pocahontas Show
Eleventh graders complete background reading of Europeans and the Native American Indians. They work in groups and represent an area of European colonization and create a "character" to represent their colonists on a class talk show....
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Ornaments for Nursing Home Tree
Students participate in an activity that will allow them to create a gift for a nursing home patient and give their gift to someone who needs a caring hand. For this community service lesson, students learn compassion, and also...
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Story of Self
What a great beginning-of-the-year activity! Get your class to identify their values through a three-page worksheet (included). Each speaker will craft a two-minute description that includes their story and how they can help their...
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Values-Emotion-Action Choosing to Participate
Reflect on your own personal values with this simple graphic. Values, emotion, and action are all linked; Do your emotions and actions support the values you hold? After learners brainstorm their own additions to this graphic, divide the...
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Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-Tikki-Tavi: Mixing Words and Pictures
Create meaningful illustrations to accompany stories in a web-based art and literacy lesson focused on "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi" by Rudyard Kipling. The class takes a virtual art safari with the Museum of Modern Art and then discusses how...
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Doing the Right Thing
Students consider the payoffs of doing the right thing. In this philanthropy lesson, students examine the virtue of courage in Jackie Robinson's life and in their own.
Orange County Department of Education
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
Fifth graders read the selection Black Cowboy, Wild Horses and identify characteristics of self-discipline shown by story's main character, Bob Lemmons. Students then identify some of their own traits of self-discipline and reflect upon...
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What's the News? Articles of Deception
Students choose a event in the news involving deception. In this deception lesson, students develop questions and share them. Students answer critical thinking questions about their event and describe what they learned about honesty. ...
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Banking on Family
Middle schoolers examine the meaning of a trust bank account. In this financial awareness lesson, students brainstorm ways they are trustworthy to their family and define the meaning of a trust bank account.
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From Page to Stage
Students, utilizing video clips and Web sites, compare specific passages from original texts to moments in Broadway musicals on which they were based, analyzing similarities and differences between them. They adapt literature into a...