Dream of a Nation
Creating Awareness through Action Oriented Writing and Research
Middle schoolers aren't too young to feel strongly about politics, social issues, consumer rights, or environmental problems. Demonstrate the first steps toward social change with a project about action-oriented writing. Eighth graders...
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Convey Ideas in Writing
Use the platforms of the 2004 presidential candidates to bring persuasive writing to your class. Young voters identify the three issues most important to them in the election and research the issues and candidates' positions. They write...
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Unit 3: Scientific Writing
Write-on! Demonstrate a writing model and support learners as they write an informational essay on a water resource issue of your (or their) choosing. The lesson plan provides a well-scaffolded summative writing experience that wraps up...
Madison Public Schools
Journalism
Whether you are teaching a newspaper unit in language arts, covering the First Amendment and censorship in social studies, or focusing on writing ethics in journalism, a unit based on the foundations of journalism would be an excellent...
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Boogie Woogie with a B: Using Alliteration while Exploring Patriotic Tunes
Are you looking for a way to bring writing into your history lesson - or history into your writing lesson? This cross-curricular activity is helpful and fun, no matter what class you're teaching! Using "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the...
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Writing a News Story
Students practice using their target language by writing a news article. In this foreign language writing instructional activity, students create a fictional "hero" in their city which they write a fictional news article about in their...
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Pictures and Slogans Persuade an Audience!
Students understand that writers utilize various techniques to persuade an audience. They develop an awareness of how the media works to persuade them as the consumer. They create a visual representation of various feelings and emotions...
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The Rooms in a Home
Enhance your foreign language students' skills to describe a house. After reading a description of rooms in a house in their target language, they work to answer corresponding questions correctly. Additionally, they view a PowerPoint...
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What Makes Our Community Special?
Explore websites, complete research, and use technological tools to create a final multimedia presentation on what makes a community special. Learners of all ages work with a partner to research an interesting aspect of their community,...
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Digital Storytelling
Scholars of all ages can use the various tools of technology to construct and illustrate a story. Utilizing this resource, learners work with a partner to brainstorm and draft a story based on personal experience. They use computer...
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My Ideal Partner
Learners write about their ideal mate. In this ideal mate writing lesson, students listen and then help the teacher describe the characteristics of an ideal mate. Learners write about their ideal mate and share with a partner. Students...
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Marketing to Teens: Marketing Tactics
Enlighten young consumers to advertising techniques aimed specifically at their generation. Have learners answer questions about how advertisements are geared for a younger audience, then have them practice selling to other teenagers....
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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....
Take the challenge
Connecting with Natural/Open Spaces
Get your class outside, away from the television, and maybe even learning something about nature while they're at it. Individuals will chose an open, natural space to spend time in for several days. Each day they will complete a page in...
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Rehearsing the Fashion Show
Students edit written work about a fashion show. In this fashion show lesson, students write a presentation piece and works in groups of 4,6, or 8 to edit what they have written. Students rehearse by pair sharing and give their short...
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The Effects of Slavery
The emotional and spiritual oppression of slavery in the African-American experience is the focus of this instructional activity. Middle schoolers analyze various texts by Frederick Douglass and Maya Angelou related to freedom and...
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Disco - Voices of a New Generation
Students analyze lyrics of selected Disco songs for content, theme and vocabulary. They write an extended response citing specific lyrics in response to three general themes.
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Classified Advertisements: Target Language Practice
Foreign language learners decipher the meanings of classified ads in the target language. They investigate a large collage created by the teacher of foreign language advertisements and discuss the content with classmates. Then they...
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Letters and Photos
Young scholars practice using a new language by reading letters. In this foreign language lesson, students read a fictional letter by a young person from the target language's country. Young scholars read the letters separately, but...
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Unit 10: Going Shopping Day 1: Buying School Supplies
Students, who are second language learners, develop a story about shopping. For this language development lesson, students brainstorm in their native language about the items they purchase at the beginning of the school year. They work...
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Taking a Closer Look (Critical Viewing)
Students explore persuasive writing in advertisements. In this advertisements lesson, students evaluate tobacco advertisements for persuasion techniques. Students then create a counter advertisement against smoking.
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TV Talks, We Listen?
Students recognize and analyze the link between advertisements and commercial programs as well as their influence on the audience. In this television and advertisement analysis lesson, students watch television to research the audience...
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Extreme Work Makeover
Students revise paragraphs for effective word choice. In this effective word choice lesson, students analyze a paragraph for purpose, audience, development, and conventions. Students identify commonly overused words and rewrite a...
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Planning a Community Service Project
Students practice using a new language to plan a community event. For this civics lesson, students practice writing a proposal for a community project using their target language. Students brainstorm in small groups what their project...