Education World
Human Nature- Good or Evil?
Students explore the philosophical nature of good vs. evil. In this literacy/philosophy lesson, students read and discuss media articles that illustrate human nature as inherently "good" or "evil." Students practice debating skills and...
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Synonymous Sharks
Students locate and read an Internet article on sharks. They write a summary of the article, and complete a Concept of Definition Map using information from the article.
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NASA's Mars gamble pays off
Students read an article about NASA and Mars and complete short answer questions about the article. In this Mars lesson plan, students also create a scale model of the solar system.
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Current Events Poster
In this language arts activity, students choose a current event topic and look for newspaper and magazine articles. Students read the articles, highlight key points and important words, take notes and write a summary. Students design a...
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I, Spy
Fifth graders utilize the library in order to find the answers to three questions about The Revolutionary War. In this writing and library skills lesson, 5th graders pretend they are a Spy, and write the answers in a fictional letter to...
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Discover the science of archaeology
Students research archaeology. In this archaeology lesson, students conduct research about archaeology and one ancient culture. Students write a magazine article about an archaeological dig.
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"Let's Write a Song"
Fourth graders analyze, brainstorm and practice playing a melody/pattern with rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and instrumental pieces of many styles. In addition, they create an original piece of music.
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Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe: What is Beautiful?
Young scholars consider the notion of beauty and what impact the media and popular culture have on it. In this cross curricular lesson, students examine print ads, write down and share their thoughts on them. Then young scholars form...
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Security Guards: Are They Needed?
Students discuss the need for some school districts in their area to hire security guards. Using the internet, they identify the severity of the problem in the other districts and discuss what else could be done to make schools safer....
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Another Look at School Safety
Students research crime and violence in their district, including finding out what has been discussed about safety and addition of surveillance cameras.Students conduct interviews and explore the legal issues involved. After all...
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Jack-O-Latern Lesson
Have a Happy Halloween and build strong oral language skills. Special needs Pupils functioning at a moderate level can practice sequencing, writing lists, and using oral language by explaining how they carve a pumpkin.
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"Let's Write a Song"
Fourth graders brainstorm ideas that answer the question, "What is a song?" They determine the parts of a song, read lyrics, and listen to a song while identifying the chorus. They repeat the procedure with a new song before working in...
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Creative Writing - I AM A FISH
Ninth graders write a letter to the editor about the impact of people on marine life from the point of view of a fish.
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Mini Research Report
Sixth graders select a topic to research. They gather information from at least 3 sources and take notes according to the categories chosen. Students write a rought draft using the notes. They edit, revise and publish the information....
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Choosing the Right Strategy
Fourth graders record words in their word journal that were difficult to decode from a magazine or newspaper article. In this words lesson plan, 4th graders also write down what strategy they used to decode it.
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Different Ways We Celebrate
Students examine a variety of ways that families celebrate winter holidays. They complete a graphic organizer comparing Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and write a five-sentence paragraph about one of the holidays discussed. Students...
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Making a Memoir Lesson Memorable
Memoir lessons can give students a format for writing about their experiences, and a way to tap into their inner author.
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My Favorite Things
Students create a body portraits to depict their favorite things. In this self-expression lesson, students use drawings, paintings, and magazine clippings to fill in their life-size body portraits with pictures representing their...
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Take Service Learning Online
Fourth graders research ways to use technology to raise awareness for refugee camps and the conflict in Darfur. In this world conflict and technology lesson, 4th graders work in groups as researchers, writers, and artists to create a...
Black History Month Report
Black History Month Report
As part of Black History Month, class members investigate in depth the life and work of an African American musician.
Media Smarts
Truth or Money
Two compelling texts about tobacco companies' influence over editorial content in print media introduce readers to the concept of advertising censorship. After study and discussion, class members compose a mock "final column" by a...
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Guided Reading Organizer for Chain Reaction
The class uses Chain Reaction, a magazine, to build a better understanding of Latin and Greek roots found in scientific vocabulary. They use two attached worksheets to help them read a scientific article, using visual clues and their...
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Nonfiction Text: Comprehension Practice
A New York Times article about a 15-year-old style maven who in 2011 launched the fashion magazine "Rookie," based on her blog, makes high-interest nonfiction reading for secondary learners. This page asks 9 comprehension questions...
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Super Summarizer!!!
Emerging readers summarize a nonfiction text using a five step process. After a brief demonstration of the five-step method for summarizing text, they read a nonfiction article and write their own summary. A checklist of each summary is...