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Improvisational Setting - "Where are You?"
Second graders explore setting through improvisations. In this theatre lesson, 2nd graders perform a variety of improvisations in different settings and chart how they established the setting in the different environments.
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Africa: Small Sounds From a Big Country
Students explore the music from Burundi, Zimbabwe, and Pygmy cultures. They listen to and discuss music from the African cultures, analyze the musical elements, write a song, and perform music.
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The Freedom to Fight
Students study the African American troop experiences in the Civil War. In this American history lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources regarding the experiences and contributions of African American soldiers who served...
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Shakespeare Shows
Students study, interpret, perform, and present various Shakespearean works adapted for middle school Students. They choose a scene from one of the plays covered in this teaching unit to reenact with a group.
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PowerPoint Short Story Report
Students make a Microsoft PowerPoint report from a short story read in class. They summarize and paraphrase a short story identifying the six story elements: characters, setting, plot, conflict, solution, tone/mood.
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Map of Ship Trap Island
Students read the short story "The Most Dangerous Game," and create maps of Ship Trap Island and justify why items are placed on their map in certain locations.
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Story Starters
Students orally tell different types of stories using the assistance of props. For more advanced students, stories may be told according to a specific genre, or the story may have to include a given condition, setting, situation or theme.
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Checkmate
Students start identifying the cause and effect relationships in games of Chess. Using the internet, they research the history of the game and how the roles for each of the pieces. They develop a skit based on the roles and...
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Getting Positioned for Fieldwork
Students examine interviewing and fieldwork through a student essay and activities that help them understand the interviewer's task of examining his or her position in fieldwork through observation and questioning. They explore cultural...
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Birth and Early Childhood
Eighth graders read and compare creation stories of different cultures around the world. They identify and define the concept of the cycle of life and collect and analyze birth and childhood folk beliefs and stories in their families...
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Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition: Corridos
Students create and perform Corridos which are oral tradition ballads. For this Passing Down Family History Through Oral Tradition lesson, students interview family members using a predetermined list of questions. In addition, students...
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Chrysanthemum
Students identify the main story elements in the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. In this literacy lesson, students listen to the book and use a guided reading ball check for comprehension. Students answer questions such as "Who are...
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Cooperative Comics
Learners create comics identifying conflicts and their resolutions. In this conflict resolution lesson, small groups of students follow specific mapping instructions to illustrate a conflict and its resolution. Learners present orally...
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Horror Tales: What Makes Them Spooky?
Before you jump into this instructional activity, be aware there is little to work with. That being said, the ideas are solid and will be brought to life with a little Halloween spirit. Learners examine horror as a sub-genre, and...
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Computer Mysteries
Who has been messing with my trampoline? Young writers choose local events as the basis for their own “Who Did It?” mystery. They then devise a plot, problem, and cast of characters and write an introduction explaining the problem and...
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Cooperative Learning Groups
Pupils become experts on various topics, researching their topics and creating presentations to teach to the rest of the class. They are grouped into expert groups, or discovery groups, then compare/contrast the information presented.
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"To Be" (Idle) or "Not to Be" (Idle)
Students define and analyze the role of idleness in 14th -century Japan and Renaissance England and examine the distinct relationship between idleness and gender in both cultures.
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Exploring Rembrandt's Chiaroscuro Technique Through Mosaic Design
Pupils compare mosaic design and pointillism. They discover the meaning of chiaroscuro by creating paper mosaic designs in Rembrandt style.
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Monsters
Students explore the idea of 'monsters' in society. In this character instructional activity, students define what a monster is, what purpose they serve and why they are necessary. They will go on the read Beowulf and Grendel and design...
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ELA Lesson Plan Focusing on Artists and Composers
Students research a selected composer and artist. They write a biography about each one and include information about at least two works created by the chosen artist or composer. Students note similar characteristics of their compared...
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Color My World
Students identify colors created by mixing primary colors and describe the process. They then design a book using the colors of a given season entitled "Colors of the Season".
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It Looked Like Spilt Milk
Class rereads book It Looked Like Spilt Milk and reviews what a good sentence looks like. They look at websites which contain cloud pictures and then use their imagination and draw on the computer their cloud pictures.
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Arthur's Tooth
Students practice their reading comprehension by reading a story in their class. In this story map lesson, students read the Marc Brown book Arthur's Tooth and discuss the story, characters and setting. Students create a story map based...
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Creating Opera
Students study the how music enhances drama in opera. They work in small groups to develop a short story that would be enhanced with music, costumes and props. They perform their operas for classmates and others.