Pennsylvania Department of Education
Analyzing Key Ideas and Details in Nonfiction
Students explore nonfiction texts. In this language arts lesson, students read a nonfiction text and make predictions. Students identify facts and opinions in the text and draw conclusions as they read.
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Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book (Part I, The 5Ws of the Constitution)
Students develop their own social studies textbook using a blank theme book as they complete activities and learning experiences throughout the year. The activities are in art, music, simulations, read alouds, shared writing and a class...
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Nina Bonita: Culture and Beauty
Students read Nina Bonita by Ana Maria Machado. In this reading comprehension/ geography lesson, students recall various parts of the story and create a map of where the rabbit traveled throughout the story. They participate in group...
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Who's Inside the Mitten?
Pupils read "The Mitten", by Jan Brett. They discuss vocabulary presented in the story and sequence significant plot events. They make masks to represent several of the characters and act out the story.
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Folk Tales Thematic Unit
Second graders read different folk tales and discuss them. They are given a template of a letter and they are to write a friendly letter. Special education students are paired with advanced students to help them.
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Agriculture and Slavery
Students explore the importance of agriculture, especially tobacco farming, and the influence it had on slavery in the state of Virginia. Students establish the sequence of tobacco and slavery in the state.
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Innovations That Stand the Test of Time
Students create a class presentation that explains the value of an innovation to society. In this design innovation lesson, students discuss relationships among math, science, technology, and engineering, read a story about design...
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Middleton/Kuna History Teleconference
Third graders study the history and building of Middleton and Kuna. They create timelines of significant events in the towns' histories. Finally, they create a website dealing with Middleton and Kuna history.
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Dynastic Explorations
Students complete a unit of lessons on medieval Chinese dynasties. They examine the impact the Chinese culture has had on their own lives, label maps, conduct research, read stories, create bamboo stick sentences, write poems, and make...
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Inferring Themes
Fifth graders practice making inferences on various types of reading material. As a class, they develop a definition of the word "theme" and discuss themes for some of their favorite stories. They use the context of the reading...
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Comic and Film Strip Writing
Students write a funny story and illustrate it in a comic strip. In this comic strip lesson, students study comic strips and determine the plot of each story. Students then write a short story and illustrate it using a comic strip...
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Which Way is Up? The Tree of Life in Africa
Students read a book titled This is the Tree about a baobab tree and draw a picture and label the tree. In this tree lesson plan, students also write a paragraph explaining why they drew that tree.
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Character Education-Honesty
First graders learn the importance of honesty as they practice problem solving, listening, and sequencing skills. The lesson uses the story, " Too Many Tamales."
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Voices from the Holocaust: A Message of Hope
Students develop a sense of historical empathy as they discuss The Holocaust and roll play activities designed to highlight prejudice in today's society. In this Holocaust history and The Diary of Anne Frank lesson, students...
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Esperanza Rising
Students explore foreign cultures by reading a story in class. In this Hispanic history lesson, students read the story Radio Man by Arthur Dorros and identify the times discrimination is used in the story. Students discuss labor...
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Super Sellers
Practice listening skills with the novel Max Malone Makes a Million written by Charlotte Herman. Read a chapter a day and answer daily questions such as predicting how Max makes his money.
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Homesick
Students are read the books "Tanya's Reunion' and "Christina Katrina". As a class, they recall events of the stories in the correct sequence. They discuss the traditions they have within their own families and are introduced to the...
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Reviewing Literary Elements
Students identify the elements of fiction, and work on compare and contrast skills.. In this comprehension instructional activity, students read different versions of Cinderella. Students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
6 Traits: Word Choice
Students explore language arts by participating in a vocabulary usage activity. In this word choice lesson, students read examples of great word usage in literature and discuss with the class why some words appear stronger than others....
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Making Predictions by Analyzing Key Ideas and Details
Young scholars make predictions. In this language arts instructional activity, students read nonfiction texts and make predictions about what they are going to read. Young scholars confirm and revise their predictions as they read the text.
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Plot Structure
Ninth graders review the parts of a plot sequence for a short story. They think of a famous Disney movie and plot the events of the movie in the correct plot sequence. They do the same for a comic strip, labeling the exposition, rising...
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Through the Forest and Home Again: Maps Help Us Find Our Ways
Students read Little Red Riding Hood, focusing on her path home to Grandma's house. In this language arts and geography instructional activity, students perform a reader's theater, re-creating the walk home and possible routes that could...
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Butterfly Life Cycle
Students read books about animals and describe their structures, how they grow and change, and their life cycles. In this animals lesson plan, students also make animals out of pasta.
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Peer Editing
Sudents read and critique three of their fellow classmates' science fiction short stories on three consecutive days for mechanics, short story elements, style, and informational elements.