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Biopoem: Ender's Game
Here's an activity designed to encourage character analysis. Readers craft a biopoem for a character in Orson Scott Cards' popular science fiction novel Ender's Game.
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Leadership Qualities: Ender's Game
What are the important character traits of a good military leader? Individuals ponder this question before reading Orson Scott Card's science fiction novel, Ender's Game. After individuals rank a series of qualities, groups meet, compare...
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Unwind: Anticipation Guide
After responding to a series of prompts on an anticipation guide, readers of Unwind craft five predictions about what will happen in Neal Shusterman's young adult science fiction novel.
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Unwind: Discussion Strategy, Chalk Talk
Readers of Neal Shusterman's young adult science fiction novel, Unwind, engage in a silent discussion, posting their responses to a series of statements about characters in the story.
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Unwind: Pre-Reading Strategy, K-W-H-L
Readers of Neal Shusterman's young adult science fiction novel, Unwind, record what they know, what they want to know, how the will find answers to the questions, on a KWHL chart.
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Unwind: Vocabulary Strategy, Creating an Unwind Glossary
Prior to reading Unwind, Neal Shusterman's 2007 young adult science fiction novel, class members research the common definition of words drawn from the novel that will come to have a very different meaning to them as they are drawn into...
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Someone Like Me
Students investigate what sort of person the author is. They listen as the teacher use her notes to introduce Tom Holt briefly. Students are asked if anyone has read any of his books. They work in pairs to find more about Tom Holt as a...
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A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Students familiarize themselves with science fiction/fantasy literature. They create an awareness of the different types of literature, develop an appreciation for them and be able to tell them apart. Students realize that science...
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Time Travel
Students investigate the concept of time travel and quantum physics. They complete a Webquest, read excerpts from the book, 'The Time Machine,' play an online time traveler game, and read and evaluate newspaper articles about time.
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Coral Reefs
Students examine the animals that live in a coral reef and how they adapt to their environment. In this coral lesson students write a short book on how animals inhabit the coral reefs.
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Reading Research!
Young scholars observe the pictures in non-fiction books that focus on animals in the winter. In addition, they also listed to some read aloud books about hibernation, migration, adaptation and dormancy. Students draw pictures and write...
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A Seed for All Needs
Students identify uses for plants. In this agricultural lesson, students read the book Spring Gardening and distinguish between food plants and flowers. Students plant flower in cups as a follow-up activity.
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On Market Street
Second graders study basic facts about consumers and consumer goods. The book "On Market Street" is used in this instructional activity.
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Rainforest Introduction
First graders explore world geography by completing a KWL chart. In this rainforest research lesson, 1st graders read a fictional story discussing a boy who lives in the rainforest. Students analyze the story, identify the plot and...
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Creepy Crawlers
Students identify the characteristics of an insect and their habitat. They read books about insects, research different types of insects, and create their own insect art. The project also includes the creation of an insect song and...
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas: Chickens Aren't the Only Ones
Young scholars read Chickens Aren't the Only Ones by Ruth Heller. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of animals that come from eggs. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social...
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Clustering
Fifth graders are introduced to the concept of clustering. In groups, they use their new science vocabulary words to put into a web or cluster. To end the lesson, they read a book related to electricity and write the definitions of any...
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Taking Care of Pets
Students and teacher discuss having pets such as dogs and/or cats, etc. They then read a book about pets and listen to a veterinarian visit with the them about their work and taking care of animals.
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Introduction to Immigration
Students read and discuss selected library resources (both fiction and non-fiction) about children and immigration. They discuss some of the historical trends that have occurred in patterns of immigration to America.
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A Fish in Water
Water is essential to all living things. This classroom experiment lets everyone observe goldfish and discuss what fish need to live, like food & clean water. They then listen to the book, Fish Out of Water, and compare the fictional...
University of Southern California
Discovering Plants
Students construct a small greenhouse and plant lima beans. They read books about plants, tend the lima bean seedlings, observe and record plant growth, taste a variety of plants and maintain plant journals.
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Berenstain Bears: Grow It
Second graders read several books and complete an activity that coincides with each book. i.e. They read 'Berenstain Bears: Grow It' by Stan and Jan Berenstain and then decorate a flower pot, plant flower seeds in it and record their...
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Poetry and Observations
Young scholars compare poetry and the night sky. In this poetry lesson, students read poetry and compare the imagery from the poem with the night sky. Young scholars explore how science and poetry relate to one another.
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Phase In, Phase Out, the Magnificent Moon
First graders discuss why the moon appears to change shape. They use flashlights and balls to simulate the sun's light shining on the moon during its different phases. They read books, paint pictures and write sentences about the moon.