Albert Shanker Institute
Dream Under Development
As part of their study of the 1963 March on Washington, class members do a side-by-side comparison of the original text of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" with a transcript of the speech he delivered. The take away from the...
Curated OER
Dollars and Sense
Fourth graders read "Starting a Business" and answer the question: "How could you design an ad to let the community know about the business described in the story?" Then, they illustrate a written ad that could be posted in the...
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Do You Have Character?
Sixth graders read Katherine Paterson's novel, Bridge to Terabithia, and watch a video of Maurice Sendak's book, Where the Wild Things Are. They examine the characters in both stories that share similar characteristics. Students use the...
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About Life: The Photographs of Dorothea Lange Going to the Promised Land
To better understand the migrant experience during the Great Depression, pupils analyze two primary resources: photographs by Dorothea Lange and a U.S. Map that shows the Dust Bowl. They compare and contrast Lange's images to Steinbeck's...
Polk Bros Foundation
Common Core Constructed Response Organizer
Get your writers ready to compose a constructed response essay in response to either an informational or fictional text. Pupils note down the big idea they wish to address as well as up to nine examples from the text that they wish to...
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Express Yourself Lesson Seed 10: Character Development
Make a study of Timothy and his development as a character over the course of the first half or so of The Cay. This idea focuses in particular on chapters 10 through 12. Learners start out by working on double-entry journals created in...
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Express Yourself Lesson Seed 8: Character
Characters often change over the course of a story or novel. Use the sample graphic organizer provided here to track how the narrator has responded to the sequence of events in chapter four through six of The Cay. In addition to this...
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Individuality: India Arie Music Video
Students examine individuality. For this music video lesson, students listen to music by India Arie to determine how music shapes our ideas of what normal is as well as how music is a form of poetry. Activities are related to Stargirl.
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A Penny For Your Thoughts: Cross-Curricular Journal Writing
Students are introduced to the importance of journal writing. After creating their own journal, they write their thoughts and feelings about different subjects. If they choose to they can share their writings with the class to end the...
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Internet Investigations: Unsolved Mysteries
Students conduct Internet research to investigate the facts and fiction of various unsolved mysteries. They examine the facts and opinions of the mysteries, and create a Powerpoint slide show to present the theories and the group's...
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Whose Buffalo?
Seventh graders examine how the Plains Indians vied with white commercial buffalo hunters for the millions of Great Plains buffalo. They create an illustrated broadside supporting the interests of either the Indians or the commercial...
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Bag It
Young scholars create a book report in a bag. They include items that explain the elements of the story and share them with the class.
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Creating Comic Strips
Students create comic strips to communicate ideas that cannot be expressed through words alone.
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Going to the Promised Land
Students analyze primary resources and map in order to draw conclusions regarding the migrant-worker experience during the Great Depression. They explain and explain the impact of economic and ecological events on individuals.
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Folklife Around the Year and Around the State
Research how seasonal changes in Louisiana affect learners' lives and the folklife of their communities and the state. They investigate differences in the seasonal round in the regions of Louisiana, including celebrations, festivals,...
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Do We Have to Do This?
Learners conduct Internet research, and read articles about education to determine why particular educational practices are used, and why they are important in terms of No Child Left Behind. Students create PowerPoint presentations...
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Your Trash, My Treasure
Students create their own sculpture representing the idea of environmental responsibility and recycling. In this science lesson, students observe Les Constellations des Voisines du Pole by Joseph Cornell, make recycled paper, and use...
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Propaganda Flyer
Fourth graders create a persuasive flyer to sway the opinion of the class on a controversial issue. They read assigned editorials representing the viewpoint that they must defend.
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Making a Treasure Your Own: Lesson Two
High schoolers write an essay describing the Curtis Center and what they learned there. In this descriptive writing essay, students discuss the five paragraph essay and review sensory discoveries from their trip. High schoolers draft an...
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Changing the World: Social Entrepreneurs Part Two
Students explore the work of social entrepreneurs. In this entrepreneurship lesson, students research a specific entrepreneur and create a presentation introducing him or her to the class. Students design a seminar on social...
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Dwellings Around the Globe
Students explore dwellings around the globe and conduct collaborative research on cliff dwellings, igloos, longhouses, and yurts. They then explore how different dwellings reflect environmental and cultural conditions, and they create a...
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The Bus Ride Teacher's Guide
Students examine and respond to the text, The Bus Ride. In this African-American literature lesson, students explore pre-reading questions that focus on fairness of laws. Students read the text based on Rosa Parks and answer 11...
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The Importance of Plants to Native Cultures in the Past and Present
Eighth graders investigate the founding and history of Sluice Boxes State Park. They use both primary and secondary resources to collect data. The focus is upon the use of native plants to make medicines. They write reports about several...
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Going to the Promised Land (Dust Bowl Migration)
Students examine Dust Bowl migration. In this Great Depression activity, students research primary sources regarding migration issues in the United States during the Great Depression. Students discuss their research findings and...