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Lesson: Proposal for a School Sculpture
After discussing the artistic elements and design process needed to construct the modern sculpture, Lao Tzu, kids get logical. They consider the purposeful use of space in the sculpture, design a modern piece for a specific space at...
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How Often Do You Interact with People of Another Race or Ethnicity?
Is interacting with people from different backgrounds part of a well-rounded education? A big question awaits young readers as they explore two New York Times articles that discuss modern-day segregation, population statistics, and...
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Lesson Plan: A Bird's Tale
Who wouldn't love to get a letter from a blue bird? Elementary art enthusiasts analyze the social and historical context of Ason Yellowhair's Navajo piece, Bird and Cornstalk Rug. They examine the construction and images on the rug...
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Lesson Plan: Step by Step
Young authors examine a clay figure in order to learn about the 6+1 Trait writing process. They consider how the art was made or buit up step-by-step, they then write about a process in their own lives that occurs in a similar way.
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Publish a Book
Help your autistic learners to create a story and publish a book. They write simple stories, then turn their stories into books. A picture is drawn for each page of the book and the story is written below. Note: This is a good activity...
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Do You Have Good Manners?
Who cares about manners anyway? According to the New York Times, Mrs. Mason does. Learners read and consider an article which addresses the decline of manners and the impact it has on society. They answer seven critical thinking...
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Is TV Stronger Than Ever, or Becoming Obsolete?
The New York Times offers of two articles and two summaries for learners to consider. They read each article and then post a blog response to each of the seven related questions. The topic of the articles asks the question; Is TV...
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March 2, 1877: Hayes Declared Winner in Disputed Presidential Election
After reading an interesting article comparing the disputed presidential election of 1877 to a similar event in the year 2000, kids blog a response. They read the article, check out the embedded links, then respond to four related...
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What Famous Landmarks Have You Visited?
Responding to blog posts can increase written communication skills, critical thinking skills, and the use of social media as a means for discussion. Kids will compose a blog post in response to the provided article related to famous...
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Choosing Words Carefully
Use literacy tools to select precise vocabulary. High schoolers respond to discussion questions that require them to consider the denotation and connotation of words. They then read non-fiction passages and identify words in the passages...
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Brochure Writing
What do you use a brochure for? Middle schoolers or underperforming high schoolers identify the attributes of informative brochures. Either bring in a few brochures you've collected or use the sample brochures attached here. While...
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Persuasive Elements
Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...
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Civil War Letters
Students put themselves in the shoes of American Civil War soldiers. In this Civil War instructional activity, students examine letters from the time period written by soldiers, edit the letters for grammatical errors, and then present...
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Writing an Original Fable
Students discover how to write fables. In this writing skill instructional activity, students review the literary elements of fables and take all of the steps in the writing process to create their own fables.
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Workplace Communication from Two Points of View
Students explore the significance of communication in the workplace. In this written communication lesson, students review and discuss the attributes of workplace memos prior to writing their own using the provided checklist.
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Job Prompt Entries
Students explore the role of journal writing. In this written communication lesson plan, students discuss the purpose of journals as well as cohesive devices. Students then respond to 2 writing prompts that require them to write using...
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Come On Over To Maya Place
Fifth graders analyze the Mayan culture. In this Mayan culture instructional activity, 5th graders study the Mayan culture noting similarities and differences between the Mayan culture and their own. Students examine hieroglyphic writing...
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An Ancient Revolution: The Written Word
Students explore the impact of written communication. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students investigate communication from ancient Sumer and discuss its relevance today. Students watch a multimedia presentation about cuneiform...
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Writing Session: Evaluative Writing
This evaluative writing PowerPoint provides a framework for developing the critical thinking skills needed to critique literary selections. Deductive and inductive reasoning skills are featured as well tips for building a good argument...
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Persuasive Essay
Students compose persuasive essays. For this written communication lesson, students follow the provided steps to prewrite, draft, and present persuasive essays on topics of their choosing. Rubrics and graphic organizers are provided.
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Writing Essays
Students compose expository essays. In this written communication lesson, students examine paragraphs from sample expository essays and then discuss the attributes of well-written essays prior to writing their own expository essays.
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Organizing One’s Thoughts
Students take a closer look at the organization of written pieces. In this writing skills lesson, students examine transitions, repetition, parallelism, and other organizational patterns in writing.
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Note-taking and Organizational Strategies
Students practice taking notes. In this written communication lesson, students discuss the purpose of taking notes and then research note-taking methods using the provided Web site tool. Students practice using one of the note-taking...
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Review Steps in the Writing Process and Explore a Poem
Students practice their persuasive writing skills. For this writing process lesson, students write essays that meet the requirements of the included text element worksheets and analyze poetry of their choosing.