Curated OER
I Will Survive!
Students define and explore the term "survivor" through the study of real-life stories of survival. They interview a person whom he/she considers to be a survivor, and share their interviews with the class.
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The Spirits of Toys Past, Present and Future
Students explore the evolution of toys and explore how the toy industry has adapted their products in response to advances in technology and changing customer expectations.
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'Twasn't the Night Before Christmas
Learners describe the elements that make up particular writers' styles. Small groups then choose an author, write something in his or her style, and invite other groups to play 'literary detective' in identifying whose style they have...
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Once Upon a Time: Writing Stories about Reading
Students read a New York Times article to examine strong first person voice in essays about reading. They write their own first person essays about some aspect of reading, participate in peer review, and re-writing.
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The Last Meow
Students explore the popular culture phenomenon of the musical 'Cats' and the T.S. Eliot poems that were its inspiration. They write original poems about animals, and read them aloud to their peers.
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Storming the Web
Students explore the importance of weather prediction and the Internet's role in changing the way weather is reported. By participating in an Internet scavenger hunt, students appreciate the role weather prediction through the Internet...
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Words of Deep Meaning
Students create their own poems to express a deep feeling or transformative experience, then write imaginary letters to people in the article, responding to their poetry and sharing their own creative process.
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Dig Those Descriptions
Learners practice writing descriptions by researching various artifacts from ancient Egypt and writing captions for them. They read and discuss the Times article, King Tut, Museum Trailblazer, Begins Encore.
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Reviews Revealed
Students discuss the benefits or drawbacks in consulting movie reviews. They analyze movie reviews from The New York Times and create a list of features in effective movie reviews. They write their own movie reviews based on this list.
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Alien Invasions
Students create an educational pamphlet on the origins, spread and impact of invasive plant species in their community.
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Healthy Relations
Students draw on their own experiences with health care to create educational skits to better doctor-patient relationships. For homework, they create guidelines and write recommendations for an appropriate government role.
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Show Me the Story
Students examine the elements of a story, read a review of Chris Rock's new sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris" and create original sitcom episodes based on their own lives.
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Won't You Be My (E-)Neighbor?
Students explore the concepts of community, belonging and human relationships through an Internet application designed to foster neighborly relations and write a persuasive statement to recruit others to join their community.
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Order in the School
Students consider goods and services that might be at the base of successful Web-based delivery services geared to students their age while they are in school. They act as entrepreneurs to develop plans for such services and create...
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In Good Company
Students research and write a radio or television news special on some of Silicon Valley's most successful companies. For homework, they write lead-ins commenting on new developments and reactions to them.
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Class Actions
Students examine the many facets of the term "class," defining the term and exploring some of the ways that class plays into life in American society. They participate in a poll about class-related issues.
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Separation of Church and Class?
Students examine the changing socioeconomic status of the evangelical Christian population in the United States. They discuss the relationship between class and religion in American society.
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All Talk, No Action
Students act as senators to negotiate a compromise on judicial filibusters. For homework, they write letters to their senators analyzing the filibuster debate and making recommendations for the future.
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Trials and Tribulations
Students explore their beliefs about objectivity and the United States justice system. They examine the facets of a criminal case by researching various aspects of the judicial system and apply what they have learned to the Michael...
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E-tiquette
Students develop appropriate ways to communicate via e-mail. They evaluate examples of inappropriate e-mails and create preferable alternatives.
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Anchors Away
Learners examine forms of broadcast journalism. they identify roles played by journalists in various news formats.
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Pop on the Block
Students consider what makes a movie, television show, musical talent, or artist a cult classic and create descriptive lists of items from these phenomena that may be sold at auction.
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Exhibiting Hope
Students watch a video clip about the effect of Hurricane Katrina. They examine the challenges that New Orleans still faces a year after the hurricane. They work together in small groups to create a museum exhibit on a topic of interest...
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Exchange Students
Students discuss as a class the items they value and why. They read an article about the popularity of cellphones in Iraq. In groups, they work together to create a guide to their culture to share with others visiting their classroom....