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Cinquain
Students create an original Cinquain (five-line poem) and choreograph movement to their poem, performing movement for class and video. This lesson addresses standards in the arts and requires a video recorder.
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A Picture's Worth a Thousand Notes
Students listen to classical music and create a listening map for each piece. In this classical music lesson, students select a piece of classical music and create a visual map for the piece. Students set their pictures to music in a...
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During Reading Strategies
Middle schoolers employ strategies to increase comprehension while they are reading. In this language arts lesson, students must infer, predict and visualize in order to improve comprehension.
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3-D Ribbon Letters - Pencil Shading
Students examine the art of Edward Ruscha and make a three-dimensional model of a single word. They explore shading and value, and create a drawing of the model. They render ribbon strip letters in varied values to show 3-D quality.
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Building Believable Characters
Learners use descriptive strategies such as physical descriptions, background, and comparison of characters when writing narratives. They develop the topic with supporting details and precise diction to paint a visual image in the...
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Good Will - Three Chinese Stories
Students listen to The Seven Chinese Brothers and identify tall tale elements in it. They brainstorm ways they could help each other in school. They create a banner reflecting the style and art of Chinese decorations and clothing in the...
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Dance Transitions
Students create a small group dance that addresses free-flowing techniques and transitions for in-class performance. This activity meets state arts standards and includes rubric for assessment.
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Painting Without A Paintbrush
Learners sketch a landscape scene and paint that scene using unconventional "paintbrushes" including forks, knives, squirt bottles, cotton swabs, toothpicks, water containers, and mat board.
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McDonald's and 'Spiked' Coffee
Students define whistle blowing and research its consequences, interview both employers and student employees for their opinions on reporting wrongdoing in the workplace, and write article that explores situation locally.
Media Smarts
Teaching TV: Television Techniques
As part of a five-lesson unit on how television uses technology and film techniques to communicate meaning, elementary students create their own media productions that demonstrate their understanding of these concepts.
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Alphabet Poems
Develop fluency with a variety of works. Help kindergartners use multiple strategies to understand text and decoding. They will create an alphabet poem book on Kid Works 2 to illustrate and write their own poem. In the end, they will...
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Introduction to Ludwig van Beethoven
"Ode to la Tortilla" and "Ode to Joy"? Sure! Use Gary Soto's poem to introduce learners to the ode format. After examining the descriptive words Soto uses, class members study a poster of Ludwig van Beethoven, suggest words that describe...
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Write a Short Story
Students compare two paintings, depicting urban life in America in the 1940's, answering a series of questions, then create a short story about the paintings' characters. They compare 'Nighthawks' and 'Nightlife.'
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Postcards For Your Ears
Here is a great way to have your students make audio postcards to share by recording a message on the computer. They write and revise an appropriate message about an object from home, choose a background, and font colors for the...
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Israel
The class creates and performs a movement performance of the creation story found in the Jewish tradition. This lesson begins with the research of Israeli culture and culminates in a performance of the narrated creation story....
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Ban That Book!
Take advantage of Banned Book Week to pique students' interest and get them reading! Create a classroom display of previously banned books and allow each member of your class to choose one to read. After they have read their book, get...
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A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
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Reading Comprehension 5
Is the hamburger in that fast food commercial real? Interest your class in this reading assignment by playing a short fast food commercial using YouTube. Then, give your class this reading passage, and have them complete the multiple...
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Modern Visions
Students explore the many art movements considered to exist in the realm of 'modernism.' students explore, in pairs, key elements of different modern art movements and design posters presenting their movements.
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Cell Phones Create Dangers
Students research what laws relate to cell phones. They interview local law enforcement personnel to find out if cell phones have caused accidents. Students survey classmates to determine how many talk on their phones when driving. They...
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Costco and Zoning
Students research zoning laws in the community. They interview city planners to find out necessary steps for approval. Students collect information about facilities being proposed. They write an article on their findings.
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Campaign Signs and Pranksters
Students interview a selected candidate and find out his or her views on important issues and what he/she hopes to convey to voters. They write and design campaign flyers. Students create final mock-ups of the materials.
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Zero Tolerance and Toy Guns
Seventh graders write a short reaction to the "Zero Tolerance" policy in regards to students and play guns. They read several news articles about the problems associated with the zero tolerance and students with play guns. They write a...
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"Leap, plashless": Emily Dickinson & Poetic Imagination
Students examine different poems from Emily Dickinson. They practice listening for meter in the poems and make connections between the texts. They also practice their own creative writing skills.