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"Size 6: The Western Women's Harem" by Fatema Mernissi
Intended for a mature, advanced placement audience, this set of questions accompanies an essay by Fatema Mernissi regarding clothing size and the possible implications for not fitting in with what is considered the norm. A very...
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Assignment # 1: Merry-Go-Round Story
Class members use e-mail and the merry-go-round story format to create a science fiction story. Each writer begins by selecting one of three prompts, crafting the introductory paragraph and sending the paragraph to the next person on the...
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Creating a Collage
Fifth graders identify and describe the characteristics of collages. They familiarize themselves with the history of collage making. They select pictures from magazines that relate to their chosen word of the week. They design a collage.
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Persuasive Advertisement For A Novel
Sixth graders engage in a project to persuade classmates to read a certain novel. They create a poster using persuasive advertising language. Media can be included in the form of pictures and other graphics to make the visual...
Starfall
Not too Little to Help
In this language arts activity, students write two short paragraphs: one about how they could help someone bigger than themselves and one about how someone littler could help them. A picture of a lion and mouse is on the page; this could...
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I Spy (Camouflaged Animals in Art!)
Make connections about animal characteristics and the animal's environment. In this animal characteristics lesson, students use a piece of art as a springboard for a discussion about animals and camouflage. Students choose an animal that...
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Civil Rights Leaders
Tenth graders investigate three American leaders from the Civil Rights Movement while they examine the early 1960's and the topic of racial equality. They listen to music from the era, read speeches, and look at images of Martin Luther...
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Fairy and Folk Tale Museum
Students create tales about items that might belong to fairy tale characters. The items and writings are displayed in a class-created museum for parents to visit and observe.
Curriculum Corner
8th Grade ELA Common Core Checklists
How close are your eighth graders to mastering the ELA Common Core standards? Keep an eye on progress with these charts, which include every eighth grade identifier and full standard text. As you move through the year and teach, reteach,...
Museum of Tolerance
Music Evokes Memories and Emotions
Dim the lights, take a deep breath, and press play to explore the emotions and memories that music elicits. Class members begin using relaxation techniques designed to create a positive listening experience. As music plays, learners...
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Studying the Life of Henry Bibb
After reading primary and secondary source materials about the life of Henry Bibb, individuals identify a core democratic value Bibb demonstrated and give examples drawn from their readings.
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Using New Vocabulary in Context
Sixth graders analyze new vocabulary from a narrative. In this vocabulary lesson, 6th graders read a narrative and create a paragraph as a group using words from the text. Students then create another paragraph using the vocabulary...
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The Important Things About Nouns
Students create pages to be published into a eBook. Students read a story and identify nouns and attributes that describe the noun. Using a creative writing process, students write paragraphs and combine them for their eBook. Students...
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Printable Story Starter: Grandmother's Cottage
This writing prompt provides students with an introduction paragraph about a trip to Grandmother's house for Thanksgiving. Students can finish the story in a creative writing exercise. The prompt could be a good addition to a...
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Printable Story Starter: Collision
This writing prompt provides students with the introductory paragraph to a creative story about a sledding accident. Students can use the provided prompt, or they can choose to begin a similar story with their own ideas. They are also...
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A Day in the Life of a Leprechaun
Young scholars investigate creative writing by reading Leprechaun stories. In this Irish culture lesson, students listen as their teacher describes what a leprechaun is and where the idea for the creature came from. Young scholars write...
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Class Mascot
Students create their own tales to tell using a class mascot and their imaginations for inspiration. They each take turns bringing home the mascot and a notebook. In the notebook, they write their own tale about an adventure the mascot had.
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Using Word Referents
Students edit an existing piece of writing focusing of improving word choice. They create lists of words that can be used in place of the main topic and rewrite the piece using the new vocabulary.
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That's The Story!
Images can inspire powerful writing. Engage your class in narrative writing with the idea included here. Individuals each snap a digital photograph that includes action. The teacher then mixes these up and hands each class member a photo...
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"Theseus and the Minotaur"
Learners analyze the features of myths and legends. They read the myths "Theseus and the Minotaur" and "Orpheus and Eurydice," identify the myth story elements, evaluate each story for the overall theme, describe the characters, and...
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Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
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Conflict Resolution in the World Today: Introduction to Current World conflicts, their Antecendents, the Progression, and their Potential Conclusions
Young scholars write a paragraph describing a conflict they had with a friend or a family member and a paragraph explaining how it was resolved. In this social science instructional activity, students share their paragraphs with a...
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Language Arts: Digital Commercials
Students create commercials using a digital camera. After brainstorming their ideas, they spend three days writing their commercials. Students practice and edit their commercials and then present them for review.
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Natives of Indiana
Fourth graders participate in discussions about the Native Peoples who inhabited what is now Indiana. In this Native American lesson, 4th graders discuss the social and cultural structures of these Native Americans. They locate the...