Penguin Books
Teacher’s Guide: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
At first glance Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street seems to be a charming collection of vignettes about a young Latina's observations about the people in her Chicago neighborhood. Developing questions that prompt readers to think...
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Weather Journal Log
Students discuss the weather each day and log it on a class chart for a month.
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When I Was Puerto Rican
Students are read passages from When I Was Puerto Rican and asked to respond to the passages in their journals. They decide on a topic for researching and they use this topic to develop their own memoirs.
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Wrapping up The Stone Cutter
Students write a paper in which they detail the daily routine of an architect. In this The Stone Cutter lesson, students discuss the end of the novel and share journals with peers. Students choose a time period in which to place their...
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The Sun: An Introduction
Students write entries in their Science Journals as they explore the Sun.
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Self-Esteem through Literature and Music
Learners research representations of self-esteem in music and literature, reflect on their meanings and use in developing positive attitudes. They make a presentations based on their research. They also keep a daily journal.
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Personal / Group Magazine
Sixth graders complete the magazine template in the Macmillan "Writer's Journal" available through the basic skills department using word processing, spreadsheet, graphic, and electronic resource (i.e.-Internet) skills
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The Incident of September 11th
Sixth graders identify and write in their journals in order to activate prior knowledge on the events that surround September 11th. Students, with a partner, read various essays, articles and personal experiences of September 11....
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Global Eyes
Twelfth graders consider global issues and their effects. They identify the themes of human needs, human rights, and the environment, select a topic and research articles for a Global Current Events Portfolio. Working in small groups,...
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Diamante Poems
Third graders discuss what diamante stands for in English. They discover the elements of a Diamante poem by observing the teacher writing a poem. Using their journals, 3rd graders create their poem using different parts of speech and...
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Say It with Meaning: Applying Sayings and Phrases
Students complete a unit of lessons on well known sayings and phrases. They create a journal, write paragraphs, sequence events, and analyze key vocabulary for various sayings and phrases throughout the school year.
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Searching Near and Far Learning
Students explore locating information on the Web. In groups, students research a variety of topics to determine the effectiveness of various search engines. Students write a review of their team's search engine.
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Moby-Dick
High schoolers take on the persona of a sailor or a captain of a whaling vessel in New England in the 1800s and write five journal entries as that person. For this Moby Dick lesson, students research the whaling industry in 19th century...
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All About Me
Students are introduced to the characteristics of an autobiography. After reading excerpts from "The Diary of Anne Frank", they discuss how two people can see the same event in different ways and write about the event in the journals...
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Japan and The Ring of Fire
Middle schoolers engage in a study of the volcanic forces and earthquakes associated with The Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean. The people of Japan are researched in how they have dealt with living in the area. Also students write in...
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Water Properties introduction
Students list items they know and want to know about water on personal K-W-L charts. They describe what happened during the warm up activity in their science journal. Students travel to four different stations and perform the different...
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Literature: Yoshiko Uchida Unit
Sixth graders read the books, The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography by Yoshiko Uchida and Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki about Japanese Americans during World War II. They hold discussions, take quizzes, and write essays about the...
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Let's Start Growing
Students investigate how a tree grows from a seed. In this plant biology instructional activity, students use potting soil, tree seeds, and a paper cup to observe seeds growing into plants. Students record observations in their science...
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The Middle Ages
Students discuss the Middle Ages. In this social science lesson, students role-play that they are medieval lords, knights, and ladies who keep diaries. Students write what they would have put in their diaries and decorate their diaries.
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Presentation of Research Project
Students deliver oral presentations using appropriate visual aids and PowerPoint. In this oral presentation lesson, students research a topic and deliver a clear oral presentation on their topic. Students use PowerPoint to create a...
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Growing Flowers
Students grow flowers from seeds. They plant quick-growing seeds in a flower pot and consider what a seed needs to grow. They observe and record the growth of the planted seeds in science journals.
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Race and Genetics: An Integrated Approach
Students analyze racial issues related to the Human Genome Project. They participate in a mock symposium and write a reflection/position paper based on specific ethical principals.
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Seasons of Trees
Students examine how trees change over time. In this forestry activity, students read the book The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree and choose three trees to observe over a period of time. Students record observations and seasonal changes...
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What We Need
First graders identify basic needs of plants. In this plant growth lesson, 1st graders observe types of plants and review the parts of a plant as well as the development of a seed. Students review related vocabulary and read The Carrot...