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The Statue of Liberty: Bringing the 'New Colossus' to America
Learners discuss meaning of symbols associated with Statue of Liberty, read and analyze Emma Lazarus' sonnet, "The New Colossus," and write persuasive letter to a nineteenth-century audience to gain support for bringing statue to America.
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Romeo and Juliet: To Tell, or Not to Tell
Should Romeo and Juliet have revealed their engagement to their parents? After reading Acts I and II of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, your class discusses this question with a SMARTboard presentation (though the lesson still works if...
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Who Has the Power?
Fifth graders write persuasive letters expressing opinions about the purchase of 25 acres adjacent to Wakulla Springs proposed to include a convenience store/gas station. They submit the letter to the Florida Department of Environmental...
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Introducing the Essay: Twain, Douglass, and American Non-Fiction
Students analyze American essayists Mark Twain and Frederick Douglass in an introduction to American literary non-fiction writing. In this essay history lesson, students identify methods for writing essays. Students read and analyze...
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English and Literacy: Children's Rights - Expanded Paragraphs
Learners write expanded paragraphs about children's rights. In this writing and children's rights lesson, students listen to Caroline Castle's, For Every Child, noting the points about children's rights on each page. They discuss each of...
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Making Decisions About Public Land
Students write a proposal. In this public land instructional activity, students discuss the difference between private and public property and brainstorm what problems might occur if a citizen changed public property. Students work in...
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The Write Stuff
Fourth graders share a previously written portfolio piece and the class guesses the genre. Students use tally marks to keep track of how many of each piece there are in class. Once the data collection is complete, 4th graders create a...
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Looking and Learning in the Art Museum
Reflect on the art your class can view at a museum. For this art history lesson, young scholars draw six elements of art. They discuss original art versus reproduction artwork and write about their thoughts of a museum. It would be...
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HOW ABOUT A T-BONE?
Learners investigate the events that created the historical context for the Progressive Era in the United States. They evaluate the conflicts of business and common people of the time. The research is done using primary and secondary...
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Persuasive Letter about Smoking
Learners write a persuasive letter to someone they care about who smokes. They must use both logical and emotional appeals in their letter.
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Sato and the Elephants
Students write a persuasive letter to the government of an African country that has elephants as a resource. Students research and debate the pros and cons of ivory use. Students identify the value of ivory products versus the lives of...
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Identifying author's purpose
Why is it important to know an author's purpose? After reviewing the three main purposes of writing, seventh graders write a persuasive letter to convince why summer school is better than taking the summer off. They can then join in a...
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The Gathering and Analysis of Data
Young mathematicians gather data on a topic, graph it in various forms, interpret the information, and write a summary of the data. They present their data and graphs to the class.
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Writing About Outdoor Activities
Students discuss what they like about parks and make a list of different things they like to do there such as swing, run, play ball, ride a bike, or go on a hike. They discover the locations of some examples of National Parks and that...
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Saving Hawaii
Students engage in a lesson about the a proposal for a sanctuary in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They write a letter to the President of The United States in opposition to the proposal based upon classroom activities and research.
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College Accept-tion to the Rule
Students extend their ideas about the college application process. They write an informative, persuasive letter about themselves to a college admissions counselor that could be used as a 'cover letter' to college applications.
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Tibet and China
Students explore the geography and history of Tibet and China. In this Asian studies lesson, students study the Tibetan situation. In this global issues lesson and conduct research on its ties to China. Students then create political...
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Football: It's Not Just for Jocks!
Eighth graders complete a variety of football-themed activities. They develop creative writing projects with a football inspiration, research and interpret football statistics and practice football skills in P.E.
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Rainforest Problem
Third graders use a hypothetical story in order to create a context for the lesson. The story presents a problem that needs to be solved. They write a letter to a government official as part of the lesson.
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Forms Of Knowledge
Learners put writing pieces into categories to show different organizational features in writing. In this writing lesson plan, students are shown examples of speeches, poems, editorials, cartoons, parodies, historical fiction, and more.
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Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library
Young scholars examine a letter written by Thomas Jefferson. In this lesson on the Thomas Jefferson Library, students discover a methodology for creative writing by examining Jefferson's letter to congress explaining why they should...
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Nominate a Classmate
Students study what it means to be good citizens. In this government lesson, students nominate a classmate for being a good citizen and write a persuasive letter to the principal persuading the principal to make that person the citizen...
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FOREST GRUMP: Examining How Deforestation Affects Plants and Animals of the Canadian Boreal
Young scholars consider definition of an ecosystem as it relates to the Canadian boreal, discover how deforestation affects this forest and recreate ecosystems. They write persuasive letters urging politicians or business people to help...
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Defending Great Literature
Students defend Mark Twain and the study of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn using persuasive techniques, appropriate word choice, and correct letter format, in response to a fictional letter by an upset parent.