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Harriet The Spy
Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...
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Patriotic Arts: Influencing Canadians At War
Students study how war has shaped Canadian life, patriotism, propaganda, and music. They research primary source documents, novels, videos, and songs before celebrating Remembrance Day.
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Biomes in a Box
Students construct a three-dimensional model of a biome which illustrates the various biotic and abiotic factors unique to that biome. They use everday materials to represent the important characteristics of a particular biome and then...
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Poetry of the City
Students explore Walt Whitman and about poetry. Most importantly, it teach them that poetry is something anyone can write and encourage them to tell the story of their own community in verse
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HIV/AIDS: Our Fear, Our Misery
Students in an ESL classroom brainstorm their thoughts, fears and perceptions about HIV/AIDS. In groups, they review how one contracts the virus and how it affects them and their families. They read true stories about people living...
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Family Portraits
Learners view and discuss realistic family portraits and respond to them by creating abstract art work, form and draw imaginative still life, prepare story about their family history or history of family in community, and write...
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Emily Dickinson & Poetic Imagination: "Leap, plashless"
Students analyze the poems of Emily Dickinson and write their own nature poem. In this poetry analysis lesson, students read Dickinson poetry and analyze the use of imagery, sound, and metaphor. Students write their own nature poem using...
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Exploring Film Genres for Telling Hero Stories: Animated Shorts
Students will create short movies. The integration of technology into the curriculum is important for learners to apply in various ways. This lesson is an example of that kind of integration.
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Have You Heard About the Clinton, New Jersey Story?
Students role play one of the three given situations. They discover how to deal with a conflict in a positive way. They discuss the role of radon in their community and complete another role-play scenerio.
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The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush: Native American Life
Students read," The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush" by Tomie dePaola and discuss the way legends are passed down orally. They then create their own legend and illustrate it on a simulated "Buffalo Skin" made from brown paper.
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Author Study
Students examine and identify the characteristics of the different genres of literature. After being read and reading various stories, they identify how different books by the same author carry the same story elements. They discuss how...
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The Joy of a Garden-Earth Day
Learners explore the purpose of a garden. In this Earth Day lesson, students read the story The Gardener and complete a Venn diagram comparing life in a city to farm life. Learners discuss Earth Day and plant flowers in a garden .
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Translation Into Reality
Learners read a variety of short stories that focus on teenage protagonists. In groups, they answer comprehension questions and discuss the characters and setting for each story. Individually, they choose one writing assignment to...
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Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction
Students read examples of mysteries and detective fiction. With a focus on Sherlock Holmes, they are introduced to the techniques for reading properly. In groups, they define new vocabulary, make predictions and summarize the stories. ...
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Hawthorne: Author and Narrator
Students read various pieces of literature by Nathaniel Hawthorne to recognize the difference between a narrator and author. Students in small groups report on the narrative point of view represented in a story they have read.
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Whose Shoes?
Students explore the meaning of objects. Students conduct research on the history of shoes, and write an imaginary story about a pair of shoes. They host a group presentation to share their stories.
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Birds of a Feather
Students investigate birds and complete a variety of bird-themed activities. They read books and observe birds noting their physical characteristics, development and life cycle stages.
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2105
Young scholars read excerpts from Jon Scieszka's novel, 2095, prior to presenting their vision of the future in a creative project accompanied by written explanation. They design a museum exhibit which shows a scene from a science...
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African-American Autobiography for the Middle School Student
Students are introduced to the characteristics of an autobiography. For each author, they research their life and works and discuss why it reflects different time periods of African-Americans. In groups, they brainstorm characteristics...
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Creepy Crawlies
Pupils participate in several insect-themed activities. They read stories on bugs, write stories about insects with student-made illustrations, sing bug-themed songs, design creepy crawlies with typical insect characteristics and make a...
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Shifting Gears
In this activity, students will write a personal narrative that is designed to help them reflect on the nature and meaning of change in their lives.
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Visual Art: Romare Bearden and Group 306
Students examine the life and art of Romare Bearden. Using his "Mill Hand's Lunch Bucket" for inspiration, they write a first chapter for a book. Students observe numerous other works of his art and discuss them from artistic and...
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Reader's Theater
Students act out and interpret the story for their peers. They study the simplest form of an organized reading to a more elaborate activity involving props, costumes, or a reinterpretation of the narrative into another art form.
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Oregon Trail Diary
Students write a diary. In this writing and creativity lesson plan, students pretend they are moving west and keep a diary about their adventures. Students study real-life scenarios about families who made the trip out west before...