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Setting the Story: Techniques for Creating a Realistic Setting
“It was a dark and stormy night.” Thus begins the 1830's novel Paul Clifford and, of course, all of Snoopy’s novels! Encourage young writers to craft settings for their stories that go beyond Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s often-mocked phrase...
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Holes Comprehension Companion
Here is a one-stop planning resource for Louis Sachar's Newbery Award-winning book Holes. You'll find 21 links to worksheets and various activities designed to span the entire book. Learners draw to help analyze settings and make...
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Destination of Slaves in 1800
In this slave trade worksheet, students use the provided Atlantic Slave Trade statistics to create a pie chart and a bar graph. Students also respond to 4 short answer questions.
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Heartbeat Project
High schoolers enter information about their heartbeats into a spreadsheet. They construct data displays and calculate statistics. They describe and justify their conclusions from the data collected.
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Johnny Appleseed
Students engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple seeds and...
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Ordering Rational Numbers and Finding Their Approximate
Middle schoolers explore the concept of ordering rational numbers on a number line. They represent rational numbers as decimals and percents. Pupils create a foldable about converting fractions to decimals to percents, and use a...
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Graph It
Elementary and middle schoolers engage in a lesson of graphing in quadrant I of the coordinate plain. They use the graph to create shapes and symbols. While using a graphing calculator, they locate the points on the coordinate plane. In...
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Coordinating Coordinates
Third graders explore coordinate pairs and coordinate grids. They use a grid on which each letter of the alphabet is assigned a coordinate pair, 3rd graders decipher a coded message. Pupils compare coordinate pairs on a coordinate grid...
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Adapting a Musical
High schoolers transform literature into musical productions. In this integrated arts instructional activity, students discuss how musicals are written and produced. High schoolers then select literature they are familiar with to adapt...
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Charlotte's Web
Fourth graders focus on fluency by reading the book Charlotte's Web. In this reading strategies lesson plan, 4th graders partner read, do guided reading, and independent reading to increase fluency. Students use Venn Diagrams, discuss...
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Battery Power
Sixth graders examine how much energy they use in the form of battery power. They examine the cost of using regular vs. rechargeable batteries and examine the effect on the environment of the two types of batteries. They discover that...
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The Chocolate Touch
Students read a book. In this story elements instructional activity, students share their favorite food, predict what the story will be about and discuss how they would feel if they got to eat their favorite food everyday. Students...
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The Glory Field
Students examine the power of inner strength and fimily ties as they read through Walter Dean Myers' story, "The Glory Field." Milestones in African-American history become the focus of this lesson.
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Create a Playbill!
Students examine the variety of elements for a written play and create a playbill. They read about and define literary elements on a worksheet, and participate in a dramatic reading. Each student then creates and publishes a playbill.
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Intro to Witch on Blackbird Pond
Fourth graders read Witch on Blackbird Pond and understand the difficulties of traveling to America during the colonial period. In this Witch on Blackbird Pond lesson, 4th graders compare the choices we have in traveling to America...
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Cinco De Mayo
High schoolers make a graph identifying the immigration of Mexicans to the US. In this algebra lesson, students practice graphing as they review different trends in immigration over the past 100 years. They interpret and analyze their...
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Beyond Book Reports
Book study activities can inspire page turning literature analysis of point of view, author's purpose, and much more.
Orange County Department of Education
Black Cowboy, Wild Horses
Fifth graders read the selection Black Cowboy, Wild Horses and identify characteristics of self-discipline shown by story's main character, Bob Lemmons. Students then identify some of their own traits of self-discipline and reflect upon...
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Teaching Story Elements: Jack and the Beanstalk
Students define fictional story elements. In this reading comprehension instructional activity, students read Jack and the Beanstalk and view an included SMARTboard instructional activity. Students use the SMARTboard to match the story...
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Compare and Contrast Creation Stories
Students compare and contrast creation stories. In this Bible studies lesson, students work in groups to read and summarize creation myths and share with their peers. The class goes on to create a chart to compare and contrast these...
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Shakespeare Project
Learners research the life and times of William Shakespeare and present their research in a variety of ways. They make timelines, act out the story of one of his plays or create word searches.
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Dracula
Students read the book, Dracula and complete a variety of listed activities including: class discussion, vocabulary study, rewriting a section of the book in modern language, drawing characters, making a family tree of the characters, etc.
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The Wave Essay Assessment
For this language arts worksheet, learners look over The Wave and go through the book with the corresponding page number found on this page.
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Establishing a Point of View in Narratives
Fourth graders investigate the concept and take the opportunity to both identify and to construct point of view in narratives. Additionally, 4th graders practice identifying and sequencing main events.