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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Reading, Listening, and Note Taking

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Active listening is all about thinking, asking questions, and making connections. That's the take-away from a lesson about active listening. Participants learn techniques for identifying important information, including how to ask...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

"Three Stones Back": Using Informational Text to Enhance Understanding of Ball Don't Lie

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
"Three Stones Back," a passage from Matt de la Pena's best-seller, Ball Don't Lie, allows readers to practice their close reading skills as they compare the passage to an information text about wealth inequality. 
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Penguin Edition of John Steinbeck's The Pearl

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The guide to John Steinbeck's The Pearl suggests ways instructors can help readers see below the surface of the novella to the parable beneath. Through a variety of activities, readers come to appreciate the complexity of the tale.
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of Mark Twain's The Prince and The Pauper

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Imagine how the world would be different if all diplomats' children were required to serve in the military. Or if all high school graduates were required to do two years of community service before post-secondary education. A 30-page...
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Lesson Plan
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1
Overcoming Obstacles

Managing Your Time

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Wouldn't it be great to have a device that would stop time for everyone else but would let you catch up? Alas, there is not such a device yet. However, there is a way to make every minute count. That's the big idea in a lesson about time...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Walden and "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
According to Henry David Thoreau, every citizen must object to unjust laws. The teacher's guide to Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" begins with a detailed essay synopsis to help readers understand Thoreau's rationale in the challenging...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Overcoming Obstacles

Identifying Your Learning Style

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How many different learning styles are there? Four? Five? Seven? Twelve? It depends on who you ask. But the point of this lesson plan is that people learn differently, and most have a way or ways that work best for them. To help identify...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac has enjoyed popularity since its debut in 1897 due in large part to the themes it addresses. Instructors planning on using the play with their classes will find much to like in this teaching guide. The...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

Educator's Guide: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed Standards
Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code is filled with secrets. Help readers find the clues, solve the riddles and puzzles, and unwrap the mysteries with a six-page guide that includes before, during, and after reading discussion questions and...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Overcoming Obstacles

Identifying Goals

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Effort does not necessarily equal accomplishment. What's missing from the formula is a goal. High schoolers learn the importance of identifying short-term, medium-range, and long-term goals that are both realistic and challenging. After...
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of George Orwell's Animal Farm

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
Not all teacher's guides are equal, but some are pretty good. This guide for George Orwell's Animal Farm includes chapter synopses, chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, journal and essay prompts, and suggestions for various activities.
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Study Guide
Penguin Books

Teacher’s Guide: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man tops the reading list for the AP Literature exam. A five-page guide offers instructors and book clubs discussion questions designed to get readers to think deeply and critically about the inspection of...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Navigating Modernism with J. Alfred Prufrock

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Learners explore the role of the individual in the modern world by closely reading and analyzing T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock."
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Resolving Conflict

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Win-lose, lose-lose, or win-win? The final lesson in the "Resolving Conflict Module" brings together all that participants have learned in the module. They first list and prioritize the steps in conflict resolution, then develop a plan...
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Creating a Win-Win Situation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
As part of a study of ways to resolve conflicts, class members examine the characteristics of win-win solutions and then practice win-win negotiations. They also examine the role of a mediator in conflict resolution and then script and...
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Managing Anger in Conflict Situations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The third activity in the "Conflict Resolution Module" teaches participants strategies to reduce or control their anger. Class members first list situations that make them angry and then brainstorm a list of techniques that can lessen or...
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Introducing Conflict Resolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Conflicts come, and conflicts go, but it's how to resolve those conflicts that learners need to know. After identifying the states of conflict in a news article and engaging in a role-play activity, class members reflect on recurring...
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Problem Solving at Home

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The final lesson in the "Problem Solving Module" focuses on finding creative solutions to problems that might arise at home. Individuals then create a storyboard that illustrates how they would apply the six-step problem-solving process...
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Problem Solving on the Job

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The truth is there are consequences for actions. The third lesson in the "Problem Solving Module" asks class members to brainstorm a list of problems, select one and invent a system, process, or object that might solve the problem. They...
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Problem Solving in School

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Scholars learn how to be part of the solution to problems high schoolers face. After identifying problems at their school, participants list cues that indicate each problem, note campus resources available to help solve the problem, and...
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Lesson Plan
Overcoming Obstacles

Problem Solving Techniques

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Participants in the first lesson of the "Problem Solving Module" discover that the techniques used to solve problems follow the same steps they practiced in the "Decision Making Skills Module." Groups focus on different characters in a...
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Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Obstacles

Learning to Be Assertive

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After defining passive, aggressive, and assertive, class members role-play different scenarios demonstrating these behaviors. Individuals then identify a weakness they wish to improve and, using what they have learned throughout the...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Overcoming Obstacles

Accessing Resources

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Everyone needs help achieving their goals. The trick is to figure out how to access resources that will be of help. Participants engage in activities that teach them how to identify what help they need to achieve their goals and how to...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Overcoming Obstacles

Developing a Positive Attitude

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The third lesson in the Goal Setting series looks at the impact of a positive attitude on achieving one's goals. Participants create and then share visuals that represent positive attitudes. They then brainstorm ways to develop positive...