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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newspapers in the Digital Age

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Is journalism more or less reliable with the influx of Internet sources? Learners investigate the issues of freedom of speech, journalistic ethics, and social responsibility in the age of Twitter and Facebook. After examining the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

To Kill A Mockingbird: Study Guide Part I

For Students 7th - 12th
Readers of To Kill a Mockingbird summarize events, identify characters, and analyze actions in the first 11 chapters of Harper Lee’s novel. The carefully crafted questions could be used to guide reading or as the basis of group or...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Socratic Seminars in English Class

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What is a Socratic Seminar? Discover this type of discussion and it functions. Split the class into two groups with Group A sitting in an inner circle and Group B in an outer circle. Each person in Group B is assigned to a person in...
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Curated OER

Training Students for Literature Circles

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Role sheets clearly define expectations of all group members in this introduction to literature circles. By using a variety of picture books or short texts, readers can practice roles while the teacher circulates to each group observing...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Character: Holocaust Survivor Testimonies

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Host a fishbowl discussion to help your class recognize and articulate the relationship between words and the character traits they describe. They analyze Holocaust survivor testimonies and apply the character traits they observe. No...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forming Open-Ended Questions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Help readers learn to create their own open-ended questions for any text you are working with. Using Bloom's Taxonomy, learners begin on the lower levels and work their way up to form questions that focus on synthesis instead of simple...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Boys Will Be Boys...Right?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Through this exercise, high schoolers identify character traits present in Romeo and Juliet. They listen to an excerpt from "The Office of Christian Parents: Showing How Children Are to be Governed" and participate in a Socratic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Asking the Questions and Questioning the Answers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What would you ask a presidential candidate if you had the chance? Bring politics to your language arts classroom with this lesson, in which young readers brainstorm questions they would have liked the presidential candidates to answer....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Socratic Questioning

For Teachers 7th - 12th
If you are new to the technique of Socratic questioning, check out this resource that details the five steps in the Socratic method. The examples of each step are drawn from Brave New World.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Night: Socratic Questioning Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
We construct meaning through discussion, so help your readers of Elie Wiesel's work Night with a socratic questioning activity. The strategy is outlined on the first page, and the second page offers some example questions you give to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn Introductory Lessons

For Teachers 9th - 11th
“What is the role or function of controversial art? And, should children, our children, be required—forced—to study certain works they may find painful or humiliating or offensive?” Robert Zalisk’s question, found in his article, “Uproar...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading Blog Log

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Bring technology to your novel unit with this lesson, which prompts readers to analyze a book they are reading in a Socratic discussion with their classmates. They create a live blog online in which they can give their opinions and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Search for a Meaningful Dialectic

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore a framework of political and social values to evaluate the validity of any public policy debate, bill, or law. They participate in cooperative learning in terms of the group investigation model.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dangers of Labeling and Stereotyping

For Teachers 11th - 12th
The content of this instructional activity is intended for a mature group. Participants imagine that they must decide which eight of fourteen people on a doomed cruise ship will be allowed to board the only life boat and survive. A list...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do You Recall?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students share reactions to Mattel CEO Bob Eckert's message to consumers. They identify how Mattel is responding to several product recalls by reading and discussing the article "After Stumbling, Mattel Cracks Down in China." Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shades of Gray

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine their own strengths and weaknesses and try to determine if it is a result of nature, nuture or both. After reading an article, they discuss how gender may or may not account for differences in intelligence. They...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

After the Fact

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate summaries of the "9/11 Report" and examine questions relating to its findings in a fishbowl discussion. They reflect in writing on how they wish the outcomes of this report would be resolved and how these outcomes...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mobius Strips

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discuss the scientific method and construct their own Mobius Strips. They examine their Mobius Strip, and write observations and a hypothesis on how many strips of paper they have when they cut the strip in half length-wise.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Losing Face or Saving Face?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the recent partial face transplant in Ameiens, France and the ensuing public debate on extreme plastic surgery. They participate in a fishbowl discussion on the ethics and implications of future face transplants.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Press-ing Freedom

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider how free speech applies to journalistic practices in light of a legal case involving two reporters. They participate in a fishbowl discussion about journalism codes of ethics and write response papers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do Ask? Do Tell?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore debates regarding gay rights following the Supreme Court's Lawrence v. Texas decision. They participate in a fishbowl discussion, exploring questions on marriage, adoption, custody, employment, and military service.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bootleg Bytes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners conduct background research to explore the positions of different groups involved in the digital piracy debate, then participate in a fishbowl discussion that seeks to find a consensus on the issue.
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Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Literature Circles: Preparing for Literature Circles through a Fishbowl Discussion

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners examine the attributes of productive conversations. In this fishbowl discussion lesson, students observe a modeled discussion of a literature circle. Learners watch a discussion of "The Bear That Wasn't" and note how individuals...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feeding the World

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students participate in a Socratic discussion about world hunger. In this world hunger lesson, students review the Socratic discussion method and use it to discuss an initiative to reduce world hunger. Students answer discussion...