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Oh, Let the Rain Fall Down
Fifth graders explain the three phases of the water cycle in a narraive paragraph where they describe the journey of a single raindrop. They are introduced to five science vocabulary words and personfication.
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Teaching Selected Poems from Jim Wayne Miller's the Brier Poems
Students explore the basic elements of poetry through Appalachian life poetry. In this poetry lesson, students read seven poems from Jim Wayne Miller's the Brier Poems and complete poetry analysis activities for each poem.
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Tall Tales Today
Students explore the attributes of American tall tales. In this folklore activity, students read several tall tales, describe the elements of tall tales, and then use hyperbole to write their own tall tales.
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Images of Children in Dorothea Lange's Photographs
Students look carefully at two photographs by Dorothea Lange for elements of art and narrative content. They use descriptive language when speaking and writing about Lange's photographs of studenT lives.
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Bark, Meow, Purr, Snort - Oh, What a Voice!
Students brainstorm differences between dogs and cats. They discuss the elements that make a story effective and write a story with a beginning, middle and end in the voice of a cat or dog.
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Write a Story 2
In this creative writing worksheet, students use the picture to generate ideas for a story. Students also incorporate the elements about the plot and setting for their story.
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Exploring Literary Genre Through Latin American Literature
Students explore poetry and its meaning. After reading poems, students explore the literary elements such as the setting, character, problem, events and resolution. They compare and contrast descriptions given in poems. Students...
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The Necklace Of Teeth Comic Strip
Students create a comic strip which identifies the major events in a story of the teacher's choosing in this upper-elementary classroom language arts lesson. The lesson is highly adaptable and can be used in another content area if...
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The Desert is Theirs: Adapting to Our Environment
Students determine how animals and people adapt to the desert environment. In this desert lesson plan, students review vocabulary about the desert and how humans have to make changes to accommodate their environments. They listen to and...
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Jazz in America
Students participate in a class discussion about jazz music, compare improvisation with regular conversion, listen to various jazz musicians and compare and contrast their individual sounds.
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Posing for Rembrandt
Students consider the elements of costuming and posing in Rembrandt's work. They collect various costumes and experiment with poses in the theme of the painting "Night Watch". Students take photographs of poses and write accompanying...
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And Then What Happened?
Students analyze paintings by using verbs, adjectives, and nouns. In this visual arts instructional activity, students view a painting of a storm and a calm sky. Students use various verbs and adjectives to discuss the characteristics of...
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Word Pairs
Fifth graders practice the trait of word choice and create a narrative writing with appropriate word choices. They work in pairs to write a story using as many word pairs from their imaginations as they can.
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Art as Storyteller
Students examine how paintings tell stories. They read biographies about artists, analyze paintings, research and write the art history of a painting, write a creative story based on the painting, and create a painting in the artist's...
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School Day
Learners participate in a lesson that involves writing a persuasive essay. They use the prompt of "extending the school day". The paper should contain correct elements of sentence structure with clear purpose that is supported with...
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Oliver Twist Goes to Hollywood
How does Oliver Twist, the novel written by Charles Dickens, compare with its screenplay adaptation? Although the activity doesn't require learners to have read the novel, the similarities and differences of the highlighted passages...
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The Newspaper Article
Have your class participate in an interview activity using an informational text about the Amazon. After reading a Cultural Connections story about a person from the Amazon, middle schoolers write interview questions based on the text....
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Collaborative Discussion: Common Core Basics for Back-to-School
Listening may be the most important skill of all for Common Core collaborative speaking standards. Prepare yourself for a class experience that boosts listening and speaking skills, with a great article. Attached lessons, excellent...
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Reading Stories in Art
Learners study how artists tell stories using visual images by identifying and comparing elements of narrative (setting, characters, and plot) in a painting and a Greek vase.
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Self-Assessment: Habits of Effective Readers, Writers, Speakers, Listeners, and Viewers
Fifth graders study how to read fluently. In this reading lesson, 5th graders practice reading and recording any miscues. Students time each other and graph their progress each day.
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Fables and Trickster Tales Around the World
Students analyze fables and trickster tales from various cultural traditions. In this fable analysis lesson, students identify the elements of fables and trickster stories. Students read Aesop's fables and Ananse spider stories....
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Voices of Our People: A Patchwork of Cultures
Students view a gallery of photographs online and list objective and subject observations of the photos. They develop questions about the photos and write first person narratives about them.
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Functional Public Sculpture? Let's build a"Reading Wall"!
Students interview a brick sculptor and aid in building a brick wall. They write expository paragraphs explaining the sequential process of building a reading wall. They create reading wall sketch designs. Students carve their names and...
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The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush: Native American Life
Students read," The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie dePaola and discuss the way legends are passed down orally. They then create their own legend and illustrate it on a simulated "Buffalo Skin" made from brown paper.