Orange County Department of Education
Trapped by the Ice
Third graders read the story "Trapped by the Ice" which is about the Antarctic adventures of Sir Ernest Shackleton. They identify, write and share examples of respect and responsibility demonstrated by the stories' characters. Students...
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About Life: The Photographs of Dorthea Lange - Images of Children in Dorothea Lange's Photographs
Students examine how visual artists tell stories with their work. In this visual art lesson, students study two of Dorothea Lange's photographs to find elements of art and narrative content, use descriptive language when discussing...
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Color Coding Richard III
Tenth graders use color-coded annotation or text-marking to analyze a passage from Richard III. In this text analysis lesson, 10th graders read a passage from Richard III and use colored pens to analyze the text. Students then devise a...
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Historical Fashions - Interdisciplinary Experience, Art & Social Studies
Seventh graders research styles, construction, fabrics, colors, and cost of Colonial era clothing. They create a life-sized model of themselves wearing Colonial period clothing and write a report about the clothes they designed.
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The Big Mo
Students develop media literacy and critical thinking skills to analyze trends and determine the extent to which their decisions may be influenced by manipulation. They examine the mathematics of trends and write about a time they...
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Populations and Ecosystems
Sixth graders examine the factors that influence the stability of ecosystems. They construct a miniature ecosystem in a jar that includes plants, small fish, and snails, record the population changes over a period of four weeks, and...
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Corrosion/Plating/Electrolysis
Students familiarize themselves with half cell reactions, potential circuits, etc. They participate in a lab that includes a worksheet that guides them through an inquiry pertaining to the content. They complete a series of questions...
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My Personal Improvement Plan
Students investigate what is necessary to design a personal improvement plan including making web using software. They research the meaning of Body Mass Index and how to measure it before accessing assigned web sites that discuss health...
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What Can We Lose? What Do We Lose as we Gain Force With A Lever?
Third graders view a demonstration of a teeter totter as a basis for assessing pre-knowledge of a lever. They create a KwL chart. Students work in small groups to conduct a variety of experiments. The first requires students to tie books...
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In Their Own Words: Slave Narratives
Young scholars identify primary sources, explain the strengths and weaknesses of personal accounts in history, and negotiate the Library of Congress Database. They also analyze documents and write a summary that compares and contrasts...
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Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment: A Primary Source Document Activity
Eighth graders explore the effect of the Fourteenth Amendment. In this US History lesson, 8th graders read and analyze primary source documents. Students write a three minute paper demonstrating their understanding of the fourteenth...
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Reading the Biography
Students explore the lives of famous Americans. In this biography lesson, students read biographies about famous Americans and keep reading journals as they read about setting, main events, and character sketches.
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Microarrays: Chipping Away at the Mysteries of Science and Medicine
Students research microarrays on the internet in cooperative groups. Students write an essay describing the use of microarrays in environmental research and in medicine.
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Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter"
Eleventh graders read Hawthorne's, "The Scarlet Letter" prior to doing the project. They find a contemporary person who has been shunned by society, write an essay, and give an oral presentation about the person.
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Comparing the 1945 Vietnam Declaration of Independence and Constitution of 1992 with the United States Declaration of Independence and Constitution
Students compare and contrast the Vietnamese and American plans for government. In this government systems lesson, students analyze and compare excerpts of the 1945 Vietnam Declaration of Independence, the Vietnam Constitution of 1992,...
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Discrimination on the Menu
Students study discrimination in the workplace. In this discrimination lesson, students define the term 'fair' and work in groups to find ways all people are alike and different. Students write sentences defining a fair classroom, a fair...
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Make Your Own Constellation Myth
Students examine constellation myths. In this constellation myth lesson, students read "Orion, the Hunter", "Ursa Major, the Great Bear", and Taurus, the Bull". Students discuss similarities and differences in the 3 myths, create...
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Diaries From the Holocaust
Sixth graders find similarities and differences in two different diary entries. In this Holocaust history meets literary skills lesson, 6th graders read the diary of a soldier or prisoner from the the Auschwitz concentration camp and...
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Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party
Seventh graders collaboratively research the life and times of Charles Dickens as it relates to a character from the story, and write and present a first-person character analysis.
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What are the Chances: A Game of Chance!
Sixth graders experiment with dice, playing cards, pennies and computer-generated simulations to calculate probability. They use compiled data to make predictions.
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Make it Snow
Sixth graders investigate snow using pieces of literature, experimentation, and studying images by Wilson Bentley. They view snow from its artistic, geometric and literary expressions.
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"i Have a Dream" As a Work of Literature
Students read and analyze Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. They answer discussion questions, and write and compose a speech that addresses an injustice in society.
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Where are your borders?
Young scholars explore the meaning of borders, both real and symbolic. After viewing film footage and visiting poetry websites, they develop their own point of view. To express their perspective, they are to write a journalism poem, or...
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Third Parties and the American Party System
Twelfth graders examine the role of third parties in American politics. Individually, they use primary source documents to write an essay on how third parties emergered and why. They also discuss the influence third parties have on...