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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Evaluating an Argument: The Polyface Local Sustainable

For Teachers 8th Standards
Who has the better argument? Class members work in small groups to compare the arguments on the Example of Strong and Flawed Arguments sheet. They then analyze Michael Pollan’s argument on pages 161–166 of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading for Gist and Answering Text-Dependent Questions: Local Sustainable Food Chain

For Teachers 8th Standards
Readers use sticky notes and a Reading Closely: Guiding Questions handout to record the gist of a different section (pages 161-166) in The Omnivore’s Dilemma. They then pair up and share their ideas. To end the activity, readers complete...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: Analyzing Author’s Purpose in Speech and Text

For Teachers 8th Standards
Part one of a mid-unit assessment relating to The Omnivore’s Dilemma includes listening to and analyzing a speech by Birke Baehr. Part two involves analyzing an excerpt from the text. The assessment ends with short response questions.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading for Gist, Answering Text-Dependent Questions, and Determining Author’s Purpose: Industrial Organic Food Chain

For Teachers 8th Standards
After re-reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma using a Reading Closely: Guiding Questions handout, class members use sticky notes to annotate and determine the gist of the text. Finally, they use an Author’s Purpose graphic organizer to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading for Gist, Answering Text-Dependent Questions, and Determining Author’s Purpose: Industrial Food Chain

For Teachers 8th Standards
A Reading Closely: Guiding Questions handout leads readers to discover the gist of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. While reading, pupils look closely at the words in the text and discuss their meaning. They use dictionaries when needed to answer...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading for Gist and Answering Text-Dependent Questions: Industrial Food Chain

For Teachers 8th Standards
Where do humans fall on the food chain? Scholars read about the Industrial Food Chain in The Omnivore’s Dilemma sections. They use word catchers to record unfamiliar words as they read and place sticky notes in the margins to annotate...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge: What IS the Omnivore’s Dilemma Anyway?

For Teachers 8th Standards
What's the best thing on the menu? Scholars enter the room, complete a gallery walk of menus to choose a food to pretend to order, and then discuss how they made the decision. Next, they read The Omnivore's Dilemma and relate their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 2: Revising the Informational Essay

For Teachers 8th Standards
Writers look at the End of Unit 2 Assessment: Best First Draft of an Informational Essay handout and use sticky notes to identify things in their work that need editing and revising. They reference their notes to finalize their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing an Author’s Craft: Carlotta’s Journey to Justice

For Teachers 8th Standards
Find your voice. Readers look at a passage from A Mighty Long Way and discuss what it means for Carlotta to find her voice. After discussing figurative language and idioms, learners listen to the song "This Little Light of Mine" and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing an Author’s Craft: Carlotta’s Journey to Justice

For Teachers 8th Standards
What's an appropriate response? Scholars open the text A Mighty Long Way to see how Carlotta responded to racism, discrimination, and abuse. They work in pairs to answer questions regarding her responses. To finish, they use the Dignity...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 1: Best First Draft of an Informational Essay

For Teachers 8th Standards
Writers work to create drafts of their end-of-unit assessments relating to A Mighty Long Way and Little Rock Girl 1957. Using computers to create the first versions of their essays, writers emphasize ideas and evidence before focusing...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Informational Essay Planning: Essay Rubric and Essay Planner

For Teachers 8th Standards
Class members dig into the expectations for the end-of-unit assessment for A Mighty Long Way by studying the rubric. The Rubric Criteria strips help pairs of readers look more closely at specific rubric points. They share ideas with the...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Informational Essay Planning: Analyzing and Selecting Evidence

For Teachers 8th Standards
Class members look again at the end-of-unit essay prompt for A Mighty Long Way. After reviewing the requirements of the essay, they use their Gathering Evidence note-catchers and color-code the evidence that matches the two questions in...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Informational Essay Planning: Studying the Essay Prompt and Gathering Evidence

For Teachers 8th Standards
Using a Gathering Evidence note-catcher, readers record evidence in A Mighty Long Way and Little Rock Girl 1957. They then use the evidence to analyze and discuss different mediums with their peers. Lastly, they look at a writing prompt...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Author’s Craft: “I Have a Dream”

For Teachers 8th Standards
It's time to make some connections! Scholars complete a close reading of the speech I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. They use an I Have a Dream Speech Gist Note-catcher, and I Have a Dream text-dependent questions to guide their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: Classifying and Evaluating Primary Sources

For Teachers 8th Standards
Let's go for a walk. Learners complete the mid-unit assessment by completing a gallery walk to analyze different primary sources discussed while reading A Mighty Long Way. After viewing the sources, class members complete organizers and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Events: Carlotta’s Journey

For Teachers 8th Standards
How does one talk silently? Class members participate in a silent communication activity known as a Chalk Talk. During the activity, they answer text-dependent questions analyzing Carlotta’s Journey. They use markers and chart paper to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Different Mediums: Advantages and Disadvantages

For Teachers 8th Standards
How do authors play to people's moods? After briefly reviewing mood using a Conditional and Subjunctive Mood handout, learners practice identifying conditional and subjunctive sentences in the Montgomery Bus Boycott speech before reading...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing the Power of Different Mediums: A Mighty Long Way

For Teachers 8th Standards
Weigh the pros and cons. Class members continue sharing their thoughts on media and events by watching the video John Chancellor Reports on the Integration at Central High School. They discuss the advantages and disadvantages of gaining...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing the Power of Different Mediums: Little Rock Girl 1957

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars begin the instructional activity by watching a video of media history and discussing it in a Turn and Talk. They then look at the texts A Mighty Long Way and Little Rock Girl 1957 to make a connection to the role of the press in...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Language in a Speech: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Speech

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars analyze the use of active and passive voice in The Montgomery Bus Boycott speech and refer to an Active and Passive Sentences handout while viewing the text. Pairs of learners then work together to identify passive and active...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Speech

For Teachers 8th Standards
How did Martin Luther King, Jr. sway people with his speeches? Scholars carry out a close reading of the Montgomery Bus Boycott speech and use the Close Reading Guide to help them work through the powerful text. While reading, they...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading: Brown v. Board of Education

For Teachers 8th Standards
What's the connection? Scholars complete a close reading of Brown v. Board of Education and identify connections to Carlotta in A Mighty Long Way. Classmates learn new vocabulary, answer text-dependent questions, and complete a...
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Activity
PBS

Cemetery Information

For Students 6th - 12th
Cemeteries hold a lot of clues for history detectives. Using the provided outline as a guide, scholars research tombstones and inscriptions to learn more about those who came before.