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Writing
Fourth graders review the writing process by using the English Language Arts Writer's Checklist. They examine a piece of writing for the key elements of composition. They help to make the writing pieces more interesting by correcting...
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Using Picture Books to Teach the Holocaust
Students compare a photo of a child's room during the Holocaust to their room. In this WWII lesson, students read picture books and evaluate the roles of characters in the book. Students create either a poster about the roles, a movie...
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Quantifiers
Many people, regardless of their age, confuse similar words. Little or few, much or many, some or any...the list goes on and on! Use this online resource to test your learners' ability to choose the correct quantifier. Consider using...
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Old Hobbits Are Hard to Break
Explore film adaptation of literature with this lesson, which focuses on the world of film advertisements. Middle schoolers discuss various films (including The Lord of the Rings) and create advertisements for a pretend film based on a...
National First Ladies' Library
We're off to see the Wizard!
Students explore the process of play and movie making from books. They study the basic elements of drama and write and produce a play based on a chosen theme. Students explain the basic elements of a play by looking at "The Wonderful...
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Write Your Own Screen Play
Middle schoolers critique the transition of "Holes" from a novel to screenplay and consider how the details in a book are brought to life in a movie. They then choose a scene in a book and transform it into an original script after...
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Wanted- Dead or Alive
Students identify the characteristics of trickster tales. In this literary genres lesson, students read trickster tales from Africa and create a clay model of a trickster character. Students design a "wanted" poster with a description of...
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Conventions - Punctuation Research
Study unusual punctuation marks in this punctuation lesson. Young grammarians work in small groups to research one of the unusual punctuation marks (semi-colon, colon, dash, comma, ellipses, or quotation marks) and discuss how the mark...
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Making It Personal: Gender And Identity in Art
Eighth graders study the role of gender in art. They examine aspects of personal identity. They assess and utilize the properties of a variety of art media and their ability to convey messages and meaning.
For the Teachers
Sequence Plot Chart
Your kids can identify the plot sequence of a short story, but what about an informational article? Have them examine the chronological order of events in informational texts with a lesson on the sequence of events.
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Perfecting My Pal's Poe Paragraph
After analyzing the compelling first paragraph of Edgar Allen Poe's short story "The Masque of the Red Death," high schoolers draft original opening paragraphs using techniques identified Poe's writing. The relationship between suspense...
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Got Character?
Students create an advertisement promoting good behavior. This character-development lesson plan from Boys Town High School involves students studying the history of the Got Milk?advertising campaign. After a discussion of marketing...
Pinecrest Preparatory Middle and High School
Touching Spirit Bear: Final Novel Project
Close up your study of Touching Spirit Bear with any of these assessment options. Each of the four project options is described in detail. Also included is a page that learners can use to portion out their time to make sure they fulfill...
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Can You See It?
Students explore the concept of visualization and how it works to help them comprehend what they read. They read 'Tuck Everlasting' and visualize what has happened in the story. They draw a picture of what they visualized and then watch...
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Get Set!
Learners create vivid descriptions for various sets used in the new movie Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
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HOLES UNIT
Students participate in the unit based on the Newbery Medal-winning novel by Louis Sachar and the Walt Disney Movie "Holes". They use the layered curriculum model of assessment and activities.
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Cinderella - Digital Storytelling
Students analyze four versions of the Cinderella story. In this fairy tale analysis lesson, students read four versions of Cinderella and work in groups to identify the plot for each. Students illustrate the stories and use Movie Maker...
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To Kill A Mockingbird: Characterization
Students analyze several of the characters from "To Kill a Mockingbird". They view segments of the film, create character webs based on the most revealing film scenes, write journal entries and participate in class discussion.
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The Great Gatsby
Students develop a visual display illustrating an event from F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and write a paper showing the relationship between the visual and The Great Gatsby. For this The Great Gatsby lesson, students research the life of...
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Holes
Students distinguish between primary and secondary sources when researching on the Internet and evaluating historical records. They recognize important features of a primary source such as the type of document, who created it, what is...
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Cereal Box Book Report Project
Students create a book report using a cereal box. In this book report lesson plan, students cover the outer parts of a cereal box representing a book they red. They create an original cover on one side, and use the other sides to report...
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Critic's Corner
Students role-play the role of book critics in their classroom. Individually, they write an evaluation on each book they reading along with a book review. In groups, they examine a variety of professional book reviews and share their...
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The Media is the Lesson
Students work as a member of a creative team and develop a media campaign for a client.
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Whodunit?
Students bring in a variety of books to be approved for reading outside of class and then complete a book review on each one approved. They remember to include a description of the setting and characters, plot summary and a conclusion in...