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Outsiders Unit Plan
Students complete novel analysis activities for the The Outsiders. In this novel analysis lesson plan, students complete three weeks of lessons that help them analyze the text and character education lessons within the novel.
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My Antonia: Body Biography Book Report
Examine the characters in Willa Cather's My Antonia with a group project. Small groups illustrate their chosen character on a large piece of paper and choose quotes from the text that tell about the character. Where learners choose to...
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Christmas Carol Project
Eighth graders create a researched presentation comparing and contrasting holiday celebrations from the period surrounding Charles' Dickens 'A Christmas Carol.' For this Christmas celebrations lesson, 8th graders discuss differences...
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Literary Newspaper: Candide
Prejudice? Religious intolerance? Political sedition? Class distinction? Plight of women? Voltaire satire, anyone? A literary newspaper offers an opportunity for readers of Candide to make text-to-self and text-to-world connections as...
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Poetic Expression
Ninth graders evaluate the effectiveness of literary techniques including figurative language.
They demonstrate an understanding of the main ideas, events, or themes of a variety of novels, stories, poetry, other print material, and...
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What Has Happened Here?
Students read a passage from Geraldine Brooks's novel Year of Wonders. They generate questions to clarify the meaning of the text and make connections between the text and information learned in their history and science classes.
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Book Share
Sixth graders meet in small groups to reflect on and share their thoughts after reading a short story, poem, or chapter in a novel. Groups of students utilize a book share evaluation worksheet that's imbedded in this plan.
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Personally Speaking
Seventh graders read, "The Witch of Blackbird Pond," and write an expository essay discussing choices they have in society today compared with the character Kit.
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Finding Buck Henry
Students read and demonstrate competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process via the novel "Finding Buck Henry." They recognize complex elements of plot. Students analyze devices used to develop characters in...
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Why Burn Books?
Students identify the role of free speech in the selection of library books. They choose one banned book to read and evaluate the reason for its censorship. They create an argument for or against the selection of the book.
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Erie Canal: Journey Back in Time
Fourth graders read the novel, The Eric Canal, identifying the characters and setting. They respond to daily reading by writing in journals and complete a short answer test upon completion of the novel.
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Poetry
Fourth graders participate in reading and listening to poetry. They are exposed to a variety of poems and examine and identify basic elements of poetry. They write their own poems and recite a poem with enthusiasm, expression, and props.
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A Long Time Ago in the Future
Students read and discuss Canadian young adult literature. They compare/contrast the elements of citizenship, characterization, and themes, write journal responses, and identify the elements that define Canadians.
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"Christmas Comes to Moccasin Flat"
Students discuss the life of the author of "Christmas Comes to Moccasin Flat". They also discuss the piece of literature and what Christmas means to them. In groups, they discuss how the novel ends.
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Student Book Reviews/ The Outsiders
Eighth graders participate in a lesson that focuses on the devleopment of reading skills looking for critical elements. They compose a book review for "The Outsiders" after reading previous reviews. Students also access the web in order...
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Twisters
Students build a tornado in a bottle and do various readings to explore tornadoes.
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Hyper for Expository Writing!
Fifth graders use the internet to research a plant or animal they read about in "The Talking Earth". Using notes, they develop a graphic organizer and use the main topics to create a HyperStudio stack. Using all of this information,...
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Growing Pains of the Yearling
Fourth graders read The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
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Unsent Letter: Characterization in Briar Rose
After completing Jane Yolen’s Briar Rose, class members assume the voice of Gemma and craft a personal letter to her granddaughter telling Becca how she feels about Becca’s actions and the discoveries at Chelmno. Complete directions for...
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Fever 1793: Round Table Discussion
All things considered, it will be a good day for readers as they manage on their own to develop questions about what intrigues, bothers, or confuses them in Laurie Halse Anderson's tale of Mattie Cook and the Yellow Fever epidemic of...
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Poems for Two Voices
"That man is not truly one, but truly two." The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde offers readers a change to craft a poem combining words and phrases from Robert Lewis Stevenson's novella to create a poem for two voices. The...
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The Call of the Wild: 4 Corners Activity
Readers of The Call of the Wild engage in a four- corners activity that fosters discussion and encourages readers to make connections between their lives and the text. Individuals respond to a series of discussion prompts and justify...
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The Call of the Wild: Silent Discussion
Give a voice to even the most quiet learners! Post discussion questions in different locations (on the whiteboard or around the room on posters). Class members then either answer a question posed or comment on a peer's response. Instead...
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Hoot: Vocabulary Squares
Study the vocabulary from Carl Hiaasen's Hoot with an activity featuring synonyms and antonyms. Kids fill in a graphic organizer for each word, prompting critical thinking as they find additional ways to put the word into context.