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Thornton Wilder's Our Town: The Reader as Writer
Students read a play and create their own play using Thornton Wilder's Our Townas a resource. In this play lesson, students analyze how theatrical elements contribute to a play's meanings and effects. Students recognize differences...
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Number the Stars, Lesson 10
Middle schoolers analyze the literary element mood in Chapter 10 of the novel Number the Stars. They explain why the literary element mood is a feeling that a story creates in readers. Students share their thoughts on the topic of mood...
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Gateway
Students practice listening to math problems in a foreign language. In this number sentence lesson plan, students listen to the teacher ask them a question in a foreign language that has some type of number combination for an answer....
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Lesson 11: Comprehending the Classified Ads
In this language arts worksheet, students receive direct instruction in how to read and comprehend newspaper classified advertisements. They reflect and review after reading the advertisements. They explore different sections of the...
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Investigative Journalism
Students choose newsworthy topics to research and investigate, narrow focus of investigation, get information from the source through interviews, write stories, and submit to media outlets.
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How Do Authors Use Imagery to Shape Their Writing?
Esther Forbes' award-winning Revolutionary War novel, Johnny Tremain and excerpts from Julie Otsuka's When the Emperor Was Divine are used to model how imagery brings alive the setting of a story. The young writers then craft their own...
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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Explore Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in this literature analysis instructional activity. Middle schoolers read and summarize the plot of the story. They then adapt passages for a contemporary audience and analyze the...
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Like It Or Not?
Write a review of the film adaptation of Holes. After viewing the film, your young reviewers make recommendations about viewing the film. Using details to support their opinions, they highlight the important parts of the movie without...
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Sentence Construction: What is a Sentence?
What must a sentence contain in order to be complete? What different types of sentences exist? Look at declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences with this 17-slide presentation. Several example sentences are shown, and the...
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Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events
Teaching current events can be an amazingly-rewarding part of your teaching week. This resource presents twenty-five ways to incorporate current events into your curriculum. It offers some outstanding ideas, such as providing your...
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Determining Importance
Students hone their skills at identifying the principle story in a work of art and text. Through discussion, students assess the central and supporting stories of a work of art that is characterized by multiple layers of action and meaning.
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A Call for Change
"Come gather round people, wherever you roam..." Bring the voice of Bob Dylan to your class with this lesson plan, which takes Dylan's song "The Times They Are A-Changing" and analyzes both the message and voice in the lyrics. Your class...
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The Ultimate Survivor Using Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
What items would you need to survive if you were stranded in a remote place? Using chapter 10 of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet, middle-schoolers work through a Six Trait writing activity to create a story about their own survival in a similar...
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Persuasion: Analyzing Persuasive Writing
Students examine and create persuasive essays. In this writing instructional activity students engage in activities that allow them to understand how a persuasive essay is constructed so they may compose their own.
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Imagine That! Analyzing Imagery
Poems by O. Henry, Marion Dane Bauer, Monty Roberts, and Langston Hughes provide the text for a study of symbolism, hyperbole, and imagery. Employing the “think-pair-share” strategy learners generate definitions of these terms and locate...
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Visible Speech: A Short Course in the Fundamentals of Writing (Lesson 5)
Of these five slides, two consist of the title and directions; the other three list the parts of an essay and their purpose, as well as how to best begin an essay. In essence, this is a very brief PowerPoint that can be used as a...
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Number the Stars, Lesson 11
Students analyze point of view in the novel Number the Stars. Their writing prompt is how would this chapter(11) be different if Peter were telling the story? Students create a class concept web about pride on the board.
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Getting Ready to Write
Students watch an online slideshow that shows Cornelia Funke's transition from an illustrator to a writer. They discuss her writing process from the way she gathers ideas to how and where she writes. Next, they work in groups to choose a...
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Reaching Across Borders In Southern Africa
Young scholars gain a greater understanding of how political borders impact human and environmental development. Then, either individually or as a class, establish a correspondence with a Peace Corps volunteer working in Africa.
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Writing to Persuade
Young scholars discover effective writing techniques to create persuasive essays. In this writing lesson, students investigate ways to express facts and points of view through persuasive essays. Finally, the young scholars write their...
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Rosa Parks Autobiography
Students write the story of Rosa Parks from the perspective of someone who was sitting on the bus that day. For this Rosa Parks/biography lesson, students read the story of Rosa Parks and discuss it in small groups. After each group...
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Ivan the Fool
Young scholars read a classic folk tale, Ivan the Fool, and complete shared reading activities. In this reading activities lesson, students complete a shared reading of the folk tale and write a summary for the story.
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KS3 Bitesize
Learners complete exercises using their five senses to improve their writing skills. In this writing skills lesson plan, students complete activities blindfolded and using their five senses. Learners then select an abstract noun and...
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The Witch of Goingsnake
Students write an essay comparing and contrasting Frank Parris and George Ballad. In this The Witch of Goingsnake lesson, students brainstorm vocabulary used to show comparison and create a model thesis statement. Students write their...