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The Tell Tale Heart
Eighth graders explore storytelling by listening to a reading of a classic poem. In this language arts lesson, 8th graders listen to an audio recording of Edgar Allen Poe's The Tell-Tale Heart. Students examine the life of Poe by...
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Which Way To Go?
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package of lessons includes nine lessons from the American Literature series, each covering a different reading selection about a man making a key life decision. Pre-reading...
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Critic's Choice
Third graders read three to five genres and choose one as a favorite. They write an essay persuading the class to read the genre. This lesson serves as a nice introduction to different styles of literature.
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Greek Origins and Character Development
Seventh graders examine words of Greek origin and discuss character development in fiction. They read a list of Greek word parts and create words on a worksheet. Students then read and discuss an informational handout about character...
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"Julie of the Wolves"
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this lesson. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. They...
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Getting To Know You
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes ten lessons from the American Literature series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response activities are included for each...
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Figurative Language - Part Two
Middle schoolers need to use their papers from Part One of this instructional activity. They then write a paragraph for each term. This exercise help them to use these terms in their writing. Using figurative language makes writing...
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Larger Than Life Figures
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes six lessons about larger than life figures from the American Literature series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response...
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Why Not Visit My Country?
Students research a country using the Travel Languages Web site. Using MS Publisher, they create a travel flyer about the country. Using Inspiration, they develop a concept map of what they learned about their country.
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Global Peace Lesson Plan
Fifth graders recognize the characteristics of poetry. In this poetry lesson, 5th graders listen to poetry by Dionne Brand and discuss the meaning of the poems. Students construct their own poems and present them as an assessment.
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How Does Ancestry Affect Folklore?
Students break into groups of 4 or 5 and choose an option to demonstrate a different cultural perspective in a fairy tale or other folklore that they are familiar. Possible choices are: PowerPoint presentation, video, digital...
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Lattimer Massacre: What's Beneath the Surface?
Middle schoolers research the growth of unions due to issues related to the Lattimer Massacre. They research primary source documents and create posters, skits and role plays.
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Stain My Days Blue
Students read several poems related to the life and culture of the Appalachia region. They are introduced to the poetic forms of simile, alliteration and onomatopoeia and respond to the poems through journal entries and poetry of their own.
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Persuasive Advertisement For A Novel
Sixth graders engage in a project to persuade classmates to read a certain novel. They create a poster using persuasive advertising language. Media can be included in the form of pictures and other graphics to make the visual...
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World Literature From Africa
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes twenty-four lessons from the World Literature series, each covering a different reading selection from Africa. Pre-reading and response activities are...
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Acting Like a Bunch of Animals: Fables and Human
The video "The Tales of Aesop" traces for viewers the history of fables and identifies their characteristics. The class then goes to the web site "The Fisherman and the Little Fish" where they examine the classic and a modern version of...
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Desert Views: First Impressions
Young scholars are introduced to primary source material and the ways in which early travelers viewed aspects of the desert environment. The instructional activity addresses the geography themes of location, region, and human/environment...
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The Grapes of Wrath: Scrapbooks and Artifacts
Students complete research to enhance their reading of "The Grapes of Wrath". Using the text, they identify and locate cultural artifacts and discuss their symbolic connotations. As a class, they create a museum exhibit of the various...
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Jack-O-Latern Lesson
Have a Happy Halloween and build strong oral language skills. Special needs Pupils functioning at a moderate level can practice sequencing, writing lists, and using oral language by explaining how they carve a pumpkin.
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"The Westing Game" Activities and Lesson Plans
You can use a novel, such as "The Westing Game", to teach reading concepts and skills in a way that keeps students interested.
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To Travel or Not to Travel: Locomotor andNonLocomotor Movement
Students develop dances. In this movement lesson, students play action and stillness games and learn motif writing symbols that communicate dance moves. Students use locomotor and non-locomotor movement to create their own movement phrases.
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CSI Lesson Plans Can Turn Students Into Learning Detectives
Children learn to use the methods of good detection for solving a crime, and even analyzing literature.
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Narrative Collage
Students use a book or passage for their inspiration to create a narrative collage. They need to illustrate the action or the setting.
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Fitting Trash into Yesterday: A Fifth Grade Activity
Fifth graders explore the concept of waste management. In this recycling lesson, 5th graders discover the history of waste management and discuss how the U.S. should respond to the issue of ever-increasing waste.