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Signature History
Students review the meaning and application of primary and secondary sources in research. They determine how researchers locate primary source documents before looking at signatures as a validating factor on many primary sources....
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Egg to Butterfly
Students examine the life cycle of the butterfly through literature. In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students listen to a read aloud of Eric Carle's, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and discuss the life cycle shown in the story. They...
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Traits of Nonfiction
Here are some lesson ideas for teaching students about the traits of nonfiction text.
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Evaluating Nonfiction Texts
Students evaluate nonfiction text. For this evaluating nonfiction lesson students read two pieces of nonfiction text and respond with a short free-writing piece. Students discuss the content and focus on the accuracy.
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Great Migration 2002
Ninth graders compose journal entries that relate to interview topics working in pairs interviewing each other. They create ten interview questions on their own as well as deliver presentations about their interviews of one another. Each...
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Teaching Imagery with Gary Paulsen
Students read excerpts from memoirs written by Gary Paulsen as examples of how to write a narrative piece. They identify figurative language used and then they write a memoir of their own that contains imagery and figurative language.
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When I Was Puerto Rican
Students are read passages from When I Was Puerto Rican and asked to respond to the passages in their journals. They decide on a topic for researching and they use this topic to develop their own memoirs.
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Kid Lit Crit
Students explore different types of student literature; they then write their own fiction pieces, in either fantasy/adventure or memoir/realism style.
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Three Part Dialogue
Eighth graders write a three part dialogue as part of an effective memoir. In this three part dialogue lesson, 8th graders are given two parts of a dialogue and emotions that accompany the words. Students then create the third part of...
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"Let Me Sing A Carefree Song Once More:" Poetry of Hidden Children
Students read various poems dealing with hidden children during the Holocaust. Using the texts, they discuss the poems meaning with their classmates. They present their information to the class taking turns on who is speaking. They...
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Mark Twain, Volume 1
Learners read and answer questions about the life of Mark Twain. In this biography activity, students read about the life and work of Mark Twain. Learners complete a worksheet about the reading.
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The Pioneer Experience
Tenth graders consider the move westward. For this Westward Movement lesson, 10th graders compare and contrast the experiences of 2 pioneers by creating t-charts. Students analyze diaries, photographs, and political cartoons that capture...
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Children of Long Ago
Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Children of Long Ago. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, answer short answer questions, have discussions,...
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Night by Elie Wiesel
Tenth graders explore WWII by reading a book with their class. For this Holocaust research lesson, 10th graders read the book Night, and discuss the horrors of the concentration camps and Nazi brutality during WWII. Students complete...
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Greetings from Maya Angelou
Students investigate the life and works of Maya Angelou. They complete a Webquest, read poems, listen to a reading by Maya Angelou, answer discussion questions, and write a poem, short story, or essay based on a newspaper article.
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The Guy Behind Kinko's
Students explore the concept of starting a business. In this starting a business lesson, students read an article about the founder of Kinko's. Students discuss how Kinko's expanded and tried to avoid centralization and homogenization.
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The Final Word
Middle schoolers research biographies of Americans who advanced science. They create an obituary for the person to share what information they have gathered. They discuss the importance of the obituary as the "final word" of a person to...
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Japanese American Baseball in the Camps
Students study Japanese American internment camps. In this American history lesson, students compare and contrast the camp internees' experiences with with team sports-related challenges students have encountered. Students discuss team...
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All About Titan and the Huygens Probe
Students examine the characterisitics of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. They discuss what they think is on Titan and what the Huygens probe can tell them about the moon. They write a summary about the information they gathered during...
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Cloud Haiku
Pupils listen as a haiku is read by the teacher, determining what season is being portrayed in the poem. Students work together as a class and create a model haiku, then complete a worksheet, completing their own poem. Pupils will use a...
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Let the Truth Be Known
Learners explore authenticity in written works and the responsibilities of the media. They read two Holocaust accounts, one that is factual and one that was fabricated. They further examine, the importance of authenticity in the media.
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One Stage at a Time
Students explore the psychological coping mechanisms of cancer patients and relate individual cancer survivors' stories to Dr. Kubler-Ross' stages of grief. They use first-person accounts, discussion and journals to explore these concepts.
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Letters From The Diaspora
Learners investigate the concept of mass migration and conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create letters written from the perspective of a person who may have migrated during the time period.
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Wild Swans
Students, watching the movie, "Wild Swans," explore a writer's journey of discovery about her mother, grandmother, and herself. They also study the Chinese culture and history of the last 50 years.