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Shakespeare's Othello and the Power of Language
Students explore the basis of Iago's persuasive power by analyzing his astonishing command of rhetoric and figurative language. The diverse set of activities below include short group performances, writing exercises and the guided use of...
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Getting our Paws into the Cause
Twelfth graders examine local, state, and/or national animal welfare organization. In this Social Studies lesson, 12th graders research their identified organization. Students develop a planned intervention...
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Popular Sovereignty Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Seventh graders examine the implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In this slavery instructional activity, 7th graders examine a map of 1820 America and discuss the balance of power implied by the map. Students then read Stephen...
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Food Wars
Students investigate the debate whether schools should regulate the amount or type of food and drink students consume. They write and present position papers after reading an online NY Times article.
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A Penny for Your Thoughts, Movies, or Music?
Students investigate copyright violation laws. In this media copyright instructional activity, students read two articles that discuss copyright laws, then they develop their own perspective on the laws. Students then divide...
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Ninteenth Century Women: Struggle and Triumph
Students examine the role of women in US society during the 19th century and how this role evolved and changed in time. They then write a persuasive letter that domonstrates their comprehensin of the subject.
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Seventeenth Century Pick-up Lines
Students analyze passages from The Mysteries of Love and Eloquence, or the Arts of Wooing and Complementing, written in the seventeenth century. Students analyze the images, words and figures of speech the author used and compare the...
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A New Candidate for Animal Farm
Students create an advertising campaign in which a candidate from Animal Farm will run for an upcoming election. In this follow-up activity to George Orwell's Animal Farm instructional activity, students explore propaganda, rhetoric, and...
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A Historic Gamble
Students explore and evaluate the economic impact of legalized gambling on Native American Indian communities. They draft short, persuasive speeches that take the perspective of a tribal elder appearing at a town council meeting.
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Trading Places
Students examine the tactics used by groups in the United States to lobby Congress. After reading an article, they discuss the efforts of unions and businesses to lobby Congress regarding the vote on China's trading relations with the...
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The Freedom to Fight
High schoolers study the African American troop experiences in the Civil War. In this American history lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources regarding the experiences and contributions of African American soldiers who...
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Early Industrialization
Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.
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Technologies of the Civil War
Fifth graders discover new and interesting technologies of the Civil War. In this Civil War portfolio of lessons, 5th graders analyze primary resources, develop new vocabulary, investigate websites, and create a time line of new...
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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Public Views of Lincoln
Students write a letter in the voice of Abraham Lincoln. In this history lesson, students interpret the way the public viewed Lincoln during various times by examining political cartoons and images. Students write a letter in the voice...
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Advertising Gimmicks - Critical Thinking Required
Students identify reasons why advertising works, evaluate reasons for its success, and write commercials.
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Understanding Treaties: Students Explore the Lives of Yakama People Before and After Treaties
Students analyze treaties made between the US government and Native American tribes. In this government lesson, students evaluate bias emotionally connect with what was gained and lost during the late 1700's. This is a 3 part lesson...
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Deception and Advertising: When is it Misleading and when is it Puffery?
Eighth graders explore advertisements and deception in advertising. In this marketing and advertising lesson, 8th graders write cause and effect paragraphs describing products, promises made, deceptions caused, and the immediate...
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Create a Budget
Students develop a budget spreadsheet to manage finances for their business. In this finance activity, students use a spreadsheet program to create a budget with credit and debit columns. There are step-by-step directions for...
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Duking It Out
Students read and discuss 'Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra: Mixing Treasures by Duke Ellington and Edvard Grieg,' exploring how jazz transformed European music and the influence jazz has had on modern music. They write musical reviews.
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Crisis Management
Students research the issues facing President Bush and write short political commentaries predicting what course the president take. For homework, they write editorials stating what they think the president should do to best serve the...
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Argumentation and Logic
Students recognize inductive and deductive reasoning and analyze common fallacies in critical thinking. In this argumentation and logic instructional activity, students use role playing activities and specific instances of...
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Making School a Better Place.
Students study the problems in their school and work on solutions for those problems. For this writing process lesson, students analyze a problem and work as a team to find a solution. Students present written and oral work to...
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Crash Test Physics
Students design and test balsa cars. In this crash tet instructional activity, students design and build their own cars to specifications. They explore the physics of motion and vehicle crash safety.
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Cooperative Classroom Text Features Activities
Fifth graders examine text features and create a PowerPoint presentation. In this text features lesson, 5th graders go over Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures and text features before they choose one to include in a book and...