Curated OER
Teaching Summarization
Learning to differentiate major and minor textual events can help students learn how to summarize.
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Dedication to Douglass
Students study the controversy surrounding the proposed Frederick Douglass Circle monument in Central Park. They review the notion of historical inaccuracy by reading and discussing the article, "In Douglass Tribute, Slave Folklore and...
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Pop Secret Information
Students design procedures for increasing the popping rate of a set amount of popcorn kernels. They propose and test a "secret" addition to the corn popping procedure which they expect would increase the popping rate and then write lab...
Curated OER
Out of Old England in the 1630s-Flat Me Project
Students write letters to penpals. In this geography/literacy lesson plan, students become penpals with a classroom in England to learn about customs and society across the ocean. Flat Stanley by Will Holton is read aloud, and students...
Curated OER
Back to the Classics
Students closely examine chamber music as it has changed from the Middle Ages to today. They work in small groups to research the composers, instruments and typical presentation in 5 time periods. They write biographies and share their...
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STDs: You Have to Know
Students learn how to protect themselves from STDs. In this healthy living instructional activity, students define the acronyms for various STDs, work in groups to fill out charts on the most common STDs, and learn the five things they...
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Spelling Activities That Can Help Students Write a "Perfect" Sentence
Here are two ways to make your spelling program more effective.
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Ways to Start the Year Off Right
Here are some simple ways to get your year off to a great start.
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History According to Shakespeare
Middle schoolers read Shakespeare's, Julius Caesar while identifying a number of literary elements including simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. As a response activity, they simulate a mock trial, and finally, compare and...
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A Tough Act to Re-enact
Students discover the significance of various historical events. Using the information they find, groups re-enact these events, stressing their importance to history and our lives today.
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An Appointment to Remember
Young scholars examine the arguments for and against President Bush's recess appointment of John R. Bolton as the United States ambassador to the United Nations and debate the appointment. They write letters to Mr. Bush expressing their...
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When Talking About Leadership Styles Is It Better to be Feared or Loved? Let Facebook Decide.
Students use Facebook to answer the age old Machiavelli question: "Is it better to be feared than loved?"
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Reason to Celebrate!
Students consider the importance of secular holidays celebrated around the world, researching holidays in various countries and creating patchwork quilts to illustrate their findings.
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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Learners create Thanksgiving menu and pre-dinner blessing or ritual that is sensitive to five different imaginary Thanksgiving guests from a variety of backgrounds.
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Enough About I — Let’s Talk About Me
Students review parts of speech and share informative usage presentations to their classmates. In this grammar lesson, students discuss the importance of using appropriate speech and then read "The I's Have It." Students create their own...
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Organizational Patterns: Comparison and Contrast Writing
Middle schoolers write an essay comparing and contrasting their school experiences. Through guided practice, they create an outline of their elementary school experience and middle school experience. Using their outlines, students...
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All About Me-I'm My Own Research Project
Third graders see how to do a research project. They understnad how to categorize information about themselves and relate it to information on sea animals for a future research project. This lesson fits in nicely with any unit on animals.
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Teach Text Structure for Nonfiction
Young scholars explore the patterns of text structure to anticipate the kind of information that a reading might present. The lesson examines some of the components of reading writing and using nonfiction.
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Reading Comprehension: History of the Periodic Table
Although the article that launches this lesson is about the history of the Periodic Table, the objective is reading comprehension. Using the eight-page informational text, learners answer five comprehension questions and craft one essay....
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Captions and Graphic Aides
Fifth graders read a book. In this informational text features lesson, 5th graders define captions and their purpose. Students view an article and discuss the graphic aides that assist comprehending the information presented. Students...
EngageNY
On-Demand End of Unit Assessment and Bookmark Celebration
Using everything they have learned about writing paragraphs over the past few lessons of the unit, class members compose an informative paragraph independently. This is an authentic assessment of their ability, since learners have...
Curated OER
Picture This
A unique writing lesson, this plan begins with learners talking about multiculturalism in small groups. Each learner will choose a picture from a newspaper, describe it to their small group, and think about how it relates to...
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Pizza Biography
A biography writing lesson with a tasty twist! Kids create a "visual biography" in which each pizza slice represents a paragraph, and toppings represent supporting details. They learn research techniques, note-taking skills, and how to...
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Sippin' on Smoothies
Why is calcium good for the body? Where is it stored? Young chefs discover the importance of calcium and review a list of foods that are rich in the material. They then make delicious smoothies high in calcium! Teaching kids how to make...