Santa Ana Unified School District
The Giver
Wouldn't it be great to live an a community without pain, without danger? Such a society is the goal of the community in The Giver. Using Lois Lowry's dystopian novel as the core text, class members read primary source materials about...
University of Wisconsin
Teaching Things Fall Apart in Wisconsin: A Resource Guide for Educators
“There is no story that is not true, . . .” And uncovering the truths in Things Fall Apart is the focus of a 68-page resource packet designed to provide instructors with a wealth of materials that enhance understanding of Chinua Achebe’s...
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Go Fly a Kite!
Students study kites. In this social studies activity, students discover the history of kites and what kites are made of. Students create their own kites to fly.
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Horse Sculpture (or animal of choice)
After a discussion on horse in art and a presentation on safety techniques using materials, students construct a horse sculpture (or other animal of their choice) from sticks and natural fibers.
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Instructors Lesson Plan for Oh Sew Easy Pillows
Class members learn to make the basic 12" x 12" square pillow with overlapping back panels for easy insertion of a pillow form. Whether you choose a lively print or more subdued stripe, it's sure to add interest to your room!
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Clowning Around: Drawing
Kids create a clown out of shapes. They work to show emotions while practicing their drawing skills. Pupils use circles, triangles, squares, oil pastels, and their imagination to draw, color, and decorate a sad or happy clown. Tip: Have...
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Fabric Scrap Flower Garden
Crafting is fun, it increases eye-hand coordination, and it is a great way to accent any lesson. Celebrate Earth Day by creating scrap fabric flowers for a pop-stick flower garden. Children of all ages will love gluing, cutting, and...
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Native American Flutes - Activity 1
Students discuss Native American culture and musical techniques after viewing a video of Charles Littleleaf, a member of the Warm Springs tribe and a creator of Native American wood flutes.
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Tornado Brainstorming
While the focus of this lesson is on writing about tornadoes, any topic could be substituted. The lesson provides a well-thought out overview of the writing process. Learners come up with a thesis statement, supporting details, and a...
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Paper Flowers
Here is a great art project to use at the onset of spring. Little ones use paper towels, tempera paint, and glue to create free-form flowers. Tip: Use this idea to make the front of a Mother's Day card.
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Nesting Bird
Your class will love this lesson! Learners discuss the birds they have seen in their region and create a collage. The collage contains a picture of a tree, a bird, and the bird's nest. As an extension, they can learn about the specific...
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Shizuko’s Daughter: List-Group-Label Strategy
Help your learners navigate the vocabulary of Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori with a lesson on categorizing words. After coming up with a list of things that grow from the earth, learners decide which categories each words belong in.
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What is a Noun? & When To Capitalize Nouns
Nouns are the focus of this language arts PowerPoint. Pupils will see that there are five categories of nouns: person, place, thing, idea, quality. The last two are not usually taught, but they are legitimate categories. When to...
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Kindergarten Writing: Narrative Prompt
What is special about summer (fall, winter, or spring)? Using a bag filled with season-related items (for summer items like sunglasses, a swimming suit, etc.) the class take turns taking out one item. A discussion of how each item might...
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Expressing Our Thoughts Through Poetry
Students create a poem on about spring. They read final version of their poem chorally. They write reflections of their experience in creating the poem.
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The Life And Times Of The Apple
Students engage in a study about the biology of apples that includes growth and reproduction. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students write a description of an apple brought to class by answering several questions....
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James Taylor: "You've Got a Friend"
Play James Taylor's song, "You've Got a Friend" to kickstart this lesson. After the initial play, encourage listeners to record the missing verbs in the lyrics provided. A word bank is included, but consider challenging your learners and...
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Descriptive Writing: Parrot in the Oven
After reading a selection from Victor Martinez's Parrot in the Oven, pupils use the graphic organizer to decipher the sensory details within the descriptive paragraph. They list various details under the appropriate sense ("see," "hear,"...
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Seasons
Third graders draw a picture. In this seasons lesson, 3rd graders name the seasons of the year, discuss what happens during each season, read a poem for each season and draw a picture for each season.
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Life Giving Rivers
Students examine the world's rivers in this six lessons unit which mingles science with social studies. The dynamic forces that create erosion in nature are also seen as habitats and ecosystems that are affected by environmental and man...
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Sun Catching Eggs
Students create wax crayon "eggs" using wax paper, crayon shavings, and an egg template shape in this early-elementary Art instructional activity. Included with the instructional activity is an idea for diplaying finished art projects. ...
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Create a Family Crest
Students create their own family crest using prior knowledge and Japanese and Native American examples of symbolic art. Lesson extensions include the creation of a school crest or woodblock examples of crests.
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Moving With Your Roots
Students dissect common words to study the origins of those words. In this language arts lesson, students study the Greek and Latin roots found in many words within English language. Students use dictionaries to fill out worksheets...
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April Showers
Students create a rain scene. In this visual arts lesson, students use tempera paints and bubble warp to make an April rain mural. Students also write about what April showers bring.