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Reading-Author's Purpose
Students review what author's purpose is by understanding that authors either persuade, inform, describe, or entertain with their story. In this language arts lesson, students bring in junk mail and in small groups discuss what the each...
Azar Grammar
Song Lessons: I Wanna Be Like You
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's swing rendition of Robert and Richard Sherman's "I Wanna Be Like You" offers young grammarians an opportunity to examine verb tenses, noun clauses, gerunds, and prepositions.
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The Border Goes to Hollywood
High schoolers view a movie or tv show, or listen to music to analyze the ways border life is depicted in arts and entertainment.
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Cricket Times
Students design a class newspaper all about their study of crickets, including illustrations and various sections of the newspaper, like sports, jokes, articles, food, and reviews. Students create a plan to design a cricket from food...
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The Songcatcher
Students read Sharyn McCrumb's and Maggie Greenwald's versions of "Songcatcher" and use them as a springboard to explore the heritage and traditions of Appalachian folk music. They review Internet sources, conduct research and write...
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Tossing the Text Book: Teaching Modern History
Tenth graders analyze primary sources. In this Current Events lesson, 10th graders write a short two - three paged paper answering a specific question. Students prepare a fact sheet for the class detailing points that support the...
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Geometry Digital Blogging Books
Students observe geometric shapes in their everyday lives. In this middle school/high school mathematics lesson plan, students use their cell phone to record and publish their observations about the geometric shapes they encounter. ...
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Shrek
Learners watch the movie Shrek and compose a text that displays an understanding of the film. Also, they create writing that reflects a critical analysis of content and a personal interpretation of the film's meaning.
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Creating a Digital Newspaper
Learners create a digital newspaper. In this digital newspaper lesson, students review the sections of a newspaper and brainstorm ideas for their paper. Learners complete a schools news report, student interview, opinion page, sports...
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Threats to Validity
Students review the components of the scientific habits of mind. In groups, they use this information and relate it to scientific investigations. They develop strategies to evaluate information and evidence and how to question sources...
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"Retale" Value: Exploring Plot Similarities in Fiction and Nonfiction Stories
Students explore seven basic story lines and apply these story lines to news articles in the New York Times. They write reports comparing the plot of a news article to novels, plays and movies with which they are familiar.
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Who Am I?
Young scholars utilize the tools and elements available in a multimedia application to create a 1-page document, presented in comic book form, about a famous person. The document they create may be part of a multi-faceted research...
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Plot Structure
Ninth graders review the parts of a plot sequence for a short story. They think of a famous Disney movie and plot the events of the movie in the correct plot sequence. They do the same for a comic strip, labeling the exposition, rising...
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Accepting Responsibility
Second graders identify the responsibilities involved in owning a pet at home. They listen to the story and watch the movie "Arthur's Pet Business," discuss what they are responsible for at home with their pets, and in small groups...
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Communicating Through Pictures
Students examine photographs, paintings and drawings convey meaning and mood. The ability to 'read' a picture is an important literary skill. This activity gives students the opportunity to tell a story through pictures by creating a...
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Off To the Reading Races
Learners increase their reading fluency through the use of various strategies. After reviewing good reader strategies , students complete an initial read of a novel text. With a partner, they read complete an assessment of their...
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The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Fourth graders read and discuss the book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. They create an original story that follows the Harris Burdick formula, and illustrate the story in the style of Chris VanAllsberg.
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Minding the Media
Students reflect on the fairness of rating movies, television, radio, books, magazines, Web sites and other media. They submit their own entries for a media rating guide.
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Weather "Why"
Students research weather and explore how to use their research information. In this weather information lesson, students visit a given website for weather forecasts. Students graph the weather, sing weather songs and select a class...
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Haiku, Limerick, Acrostic
Students brainstorm about favorite types of movies and why they are liked. They investigate different types of poetry from examples given in class. Using the examples they attempt to generate their own poems.
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Racial Violence in America: Lynchings, 1877 to 1920
Students are introduced to the concept of lynching as it took place in the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through class discussion and a review of lynching photographs, students explore the reasons behind...
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Changing Bodies
Seventh graders investigate the human body by viewing a movie and asking questions. In this sexual maturation lesson, 7th graders identify the ways boys and girls develop into men and women through puberty. Students view a video and take...
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Pop Art-Reflections of the Mass Media
Students select a common object or a face, and draw or paint it on a flat surface making it larger than real life. They choose a common object or simple scene and repeat it horizontally or vertically as defined rows. They create a flat,...
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Disease and Culture through Literary Time
Students select books to read that include disease as a plot or theme component. They fill out a matrix for the disease in their novel and write a five-paragraph paper about their book. Students use the rest of the week's classes to...