EngageNY
Making a Claim: Moon Shadow’s Point of View of the Immediate Aftermath
Body paragraphs are the building blocks of every essay. Pupils view and discuss a model essay using a rubric to evaluate one of its supporting paragraphs. Next, scholars use what they've learned to continue drafting their own literary...
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Who Wrote That?
Scholars creatively respond to writing prompts. They respond to writing prompts that reveal clues regarding their personalities and then use the prompts written in class to guess the prompts that belong to their classmates.
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Critical Thinking & Writing: Brainstorming
Have your young writers organize their thoughts before writing. They generate ideas through various brainstorming activities prior to writing a mock feature news story for USA Today. A series of USA Today articles debating the level of...
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Collaborative Editing
With the use of an online editing site, budding authors revise their writing. This is a creative way to have your class practice essay revision. Instead of being a tedious process, editing and revising can be fun.
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Studying Anchor Papers
Students examine the Florida Writes! Rubric and discuss the basic elements of the scoring system. In small groups, they use the rubric to discuss and score several student essays.
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By Jove, I Think You've Got It
Students author a problem and solution essay. In this environmental stewardship lesson, students conduct research and write an essay regarding an environmental topic of their choosing.
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Inventors and Scientists
Students research a scientific breakthrough. In this science lesson, students write an essay on a technology that has changed the world.
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American Civil Rights Movement, Photo Essay
Young scholars view photographs from the Civil Rights Movement and write an essay from the point of view of someone in the photograph. They artistically represent various aspects of the Movement.
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Playing with Puns
Students examine the wit of characters in two plays. In this drama lesson, students read The Shakespeare Stealer by Gary L. Blackwood and Twelfth Night by Shakespeare. Students analyze the puns used in both plays and write essays that...
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The Magical Ring
In this creative writing worksheet, students read about finding a ring with magical powers, write a description of the ring and its powers, and tell the who, what, where, when, and how details. Students write 1 essay.
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T-shirts Build School & Community Pride
Students explore ways to promote community pride by creating t-shirts. In this community activity, students utilize a digital camera to take photographs of their hometown and transfer them to a t-shirt. Students complete a...
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What Are They Thinking?
In this Tudor life writing worksheet, students examine a picture that depicts a stagecoach that has just arrived from the countryside to a town. Students write a creative story about what they would be thinking when they see the Tudor...
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Fantasy Creature
Middle schoolers, in groups, create three-dimensional sculptures from found objects. They paint their sculptures and write essays that reflect on the collaborative creative project.
Annenberg Foundation
Migrant Struggle
The American Dream is a goal that many pursue, but is it truly attainable for all people? An in-depth lesson explores the plight of migrants in twentieth-century America. The resource includes a video and author biographies and...
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Create Your Island Paradise
Sixth graders create a descriptive essay and map describing their island paradise. They try to evoke the reader's senses: seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. They revise their paragraphs using their partner's feedback.
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Photo Essay
Young scholars examine the process of writing a photo essay. They examine and select a personal photo or photo from a magazine, and brainstorm a story that can go with the photo. They identify an emotion to go with their picture, then...
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News View
Students read and analyze three different news sources that describe the same event. They compare/contrast the similarities and differences of the news sources, and write an essay describing the main event.
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Dance: Discovering the Culture of Gullah
It's wonderful to see a lesson that incorporates art, movement, and writing. These three forms of creative expression are explored as learners dance to music from the Gullah people of West Africa. They analyze several paintings, listen...
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"Blackbeard's Ghost" Differentiated Lesson Plan
Develop a better understanding of "Blackbeard's Ghost" with this differentiated lesson. Working in groups on a creative project, middle schoolers can reinforce their reading comprehension and literary analysis skills. Use this...
Creative Educator
Dream Room Design
Junior designers brainstorm the elements that a bedroom might have, such as a bed, television, and dresser. They identify which items are needs and which are desires. They practice measurement skills in the classroom by determining its...
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Hatchet: Before Strategy- Problematic Situation
If you were stranded on a desert island, what items would be the most important to have with you? Decide whether you'd want a five gallon can of water, a radio, shark repellent, or any other item with an activity designed to prepare kids...
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Developing Student Web Pages for Showcasing Research
Learners employ information literacy skills to research topics. They develop topics using a graphic organizer. They draft, revise and edit research projects. They write an expository essay. They create a web page in Microsoft Publisher.
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Writing - Combining Ideas to Write Descriptive Paragraphs
Students develop a strategy for combining various ideas into well formed sentences which then combine to produce effective descriptive paragraphs.
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Separate is Not Equal: Brown vs. Board of Education
Brown vs. Board of Education was a landmark case, but what other cases were influenced by its decision? By researching 1 of 14 civil rights legislative events, scholars follow this court case through recent events. Keeping in mind 6...