National First Ladies' Library
Designing the Common School: The First Educational Reform
Middle schoolers perform preliminary research to explore education before public (common) education was in place. They design a public educational system of their own. Students construct a report outlining challenges and solutions for...
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Teaching Students to Run Their Own IEP Meetings
Students who have IEP's for emotional/behavioral disorders are trained how to participate in and even conduct their own IEP meetings. They study the purpose of the IEP, definitions of special ed. related concepts, and the components of...
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Animal Action
Students construct descriptive sentences. In this cross curricular music and descriptive writing lesson, students listen to classical music and pantomime actions that correspond to the music. Students write descriptive sentences...
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Sunrise Sequencing
Students examine sequencing events by discussing what they do each morning. They complete a four-panel sequence of events assignment, drawing a picture and writing a sentence for each box in the panel.
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Interview! Magazine
Students interview a subject and write a biographical sketch for a fictional magazine. In this interview lesson, students choose a person to interview and create two sets of questions. Students conduct the interview. Students then write...
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Mardi Gras Madness
CStudents create a sensory chart in on the topic of Mardi Gras. They design a brainstorm web using Inspiration and complete creative writing assignment. Students write a poem about Mardi Gras that is presented to the class at the final...
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There's a World of Science to Read Today!
Students read a current science article. They write a summary of the article, take notes, write and edit a summary, and print their work.
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Undercover Vocabulary
Fourth graders, in groups, create a skit using identified vocabulary words and perform the skit for the class. They choose a place and a person to become such as Batman, Romeo and work all the vocabulary words into their skit. They...
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Timely Tolerance
Eighth graders examine issues of prejudice and intolerance in the context of historical and comtemporary events. They discover the structure and tools necessary to plan, write, and create a museum exhibit.
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Fourth graders research and write an author report on Roald Dahl, including books written by him, birthplace, family life, and other information on his writing. Students read aloud chapters in the book. Students create a newspaper...
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Describing Patterns
Fourth graders investigate repeating and growing patterns. Models, graphs and words are used to describe, extend and represent patterns. Students use evidence from models and graphs to support the identification of patterns.
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The Raven: Creator of the Universe?
Students explore biology by researching birds in class. For this raven identification lesson, students utilize the Internet to identify the anatomy, habits and habitat of ravens. Students write descriptive paragraphs about ravens and...
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Awesome Alliterations
Students review examples of alliteration in Shel Silverstein's poems. They are assigned a letter of the alphabet and then write an original alliterative poem using that letter.
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Anagram Family Time
Students unscramble four anagrams by spelling the words correctly and then they figure out what the words have in common. They participate in this activity as a whole class, in pairs, or individually with spelling or vocabulary words.
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Novel Analysis
Students read the novel, Lord of the Flies, then write an essay analyzing the novel. They analyze, in small groups, characters, plot, setting, style, symbolism, theme, critical responses, and historical influences
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Connecting Characters and Themes in Julius Caesar
Fourth graders prepare for the literary analysis. They locate, interpret, evaluate and analyze the relationship between a character and the theme. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders write topic and detail sentences, then correctly put...
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What About Us? Women in the Civil War
Students research the role of women in the Civil War. In this Civil War unit, students research the role women played during the war. This unit includes eight different activities including vocabulary, writing prompts and a literature...
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Ancient History Cyber-Journalists
Learners describe and assess circumstances surrounding a major historical event from the ancient world by using Internet (and other) resources to research its location, people, and repercussions, & write a newsletter that summarizes...
Orange County Department of Education
Integrity and a Boy Called Slow
Fifth graders identify the character trait of integrity in the main character, Slow, in "A Boy Called Slow." They participate in a discussion to determine what steps the main character took to earn his new name. Students write an essay...
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The Great Kapok Tree Debate
Young scholars participate in a read aloud of the story, "The Great Kapok Tree" in which a logger decides not to cut down a tree. In small groups, they discuss and write about their opinion on the logger's decision. Each group then...
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What is Communism?
Eleventh graders explore Communism. They explore Communism's roots in economics and discuss the spread of Communism in the Eastern Hemisphere. They evaluate a Communistic and a Capitalistic society. Students reflect upon the positives...
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Give It a Whirl
Students examine and identify polyhedron shapes on a math website. They write journal reflections about two- and three-dimensional shapes, and transform a square into a pinwheel.
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Paragraph
Fourth graders work through detailed steps to complete a paragraph on the story "The Great Kapok Tree." They gather details from the story, and choose a standpoint for the paper using the details as a defense. The students write their...
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Learning Style Inventory
Learners investigate their own personal learning style with the use of a personal inventory. They access the inventory by using the internet. Students write reflectively and discuss in class personal style of learning and how they prefer...