Pennsylvania Department of Education
Using Literary Elements to Compare Fiction Texts
Students explore language arts by reading and reflecting on literary examples. In this fiction writing lesson plan, students read several different cultural versions of the story "Cinderella" and discuss their interaction with the story...
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Breaking News English: UN Suspends International Trade in Caviar
In this English learning exercise, students read "UN Suspends International Trade in Caviar," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
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Interdisciplinary Global Warming
Ninth graders are given a wide variety of earth science topics to choose from to write a report on. This lesson also has a scoring rubric imbedded in the plan. They utilize the internet and other sources to complete their research.
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The Purpose and Power of Persuasion
Seventh graders are introduced to and discuss the power of persuasion. After reading text, they identify the author's purpose, perspective and argument. They write their own fiction and non-fiction texts and develop a perspective after...
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The Flat Earth
Students are first presented with the idea that the Earth is really flat. They prove that it is not--using a variety of techniques.
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Chromosome Fusion
Young scholars see how patterns can reveal events of the past, thereby merging elements of both experimental and historical science.
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What Can Pseudogenes Tell Us About Common Ancestry?
Students compare/constrast DNA sequence data for a portion of the rat GULO gene to the corresponding sequence in the inactive GULO gene in humans, chimpanzees, orangutans, and crab-eating macaques by identifying the shared sequences in...
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The Great "What If" Question. How might American history have been different had Lincoln lived?
Students examine the impact of the assassination of President Lincoln. After researching the Republican positions on Reconstruction and analyzing documents related to the Reconstruction, students take a position and explain their...
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A Scientific Approach to Teaching about Evolution
Middle schoolers examine fossils and analyzing their significance in relation to theories of evolution. Hand-outs are provided. This instructional activity could be supplementary to a broader unit on evolution or geology.
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A Crime Against Plants
Students research the phenomenon that is living in a small tree. They develop their own conclusion on what they believed is occuring. They answer discussion questions to end the lesson plan.
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The Panama Canal Treaties: How Treaties Are Ratified
Students gain an understanding of how the executive and legislative branches, influenced by popular opinion, work toward the ratification of a treaty. They examine the influences and impact of lobbying and special interests in the...
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13 Ways to Tell Time Backwards
Students explore different ways geological time can be measured: comparing the time dimensions for each method, the mechanisms of each method, and the materials used.
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Uniform Blues
Fourth graders explore what the U.S. Constitution is and why it is important, the purpose of the state constitution, and its relationship to the U.S. Constitution and the similarities and differences among federal, state and local...
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Cinderbank
Fourth graders identify major components of a "Cinderella" story in order to create a database.
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The Diary of Anne Frank: Research Project on Concentration Camps during World War II
Eighth graders investigate the Holocaust and the persecution of specific ethnic groups in Europe during World War II.
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Performances of Lear's Speeches
Students engage in a activity which gives them an introduction to the text, as a way to compare and contrast the activity learned at the end of the play. They utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to interpret what Lear is saying.
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Art and Literacy, grades 3-6, Reading Comprehension Category: Critical Stance
Students compare two very different works of art and two poems, and verbally list similarities and differences they perceive in the works of art and the poems; students then select poem that best correlates with a work of art.
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Reflections About Diversity
High schoolers discuss conflicts that arise from problems with diversity issues, and hypothesize what is needed to bring about successful resolutions to these problems. They write a newspaper editorial about how conflicts can be...
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Houses or Walaloos
Investigate the legal history and application of the Fifth Amendment. Write an essay in favor of a person keeping land that has been in his/her family for decades.
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We Need Cash
Learners describe charitable, religious, and civic services in their community, and argue for the value of these services. They write a one-page explanation as to why this service is important to the community and why it deserves $5,000.
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An Ancient Disease: Who Am I?
Sixth graders research the positive and negative aspects of microorganisms noting the challenges faced by early scientists. They investigate the history of a disease of their choosing and write a summary of their findings.
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Neanderthals on Trial
Students examine a drawing of a Neanderthal artifact that was found in Solvenia in 1996. They attempt to identify the artifact in small groups, and present their ideas to the whole class. They discover what scientists believe the...
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Technology and Change
Students write a paragraph explaining how a technological innovation from a particular country has affected the world. Using a variety of resources, students identify a technological innovation, giving accurate historical and...
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Inner Beauty
Students analyze inner and outer beauty in a text. They raise questions about the main characters and their portrayals and explore issues such as friendship, love, and respect for yourself and other individuals. They choose a friend and...