Art Institute of Chicago
Act It Out
Examine two works of art and use these pieces as inspiration for dialogues. The whole class discusses Renoir's Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise and Toulouse-Lautrec's At the Moulin Rouge. Then, in groups of either three or ten, pupils...
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Speak Up
Bring back some of your favorite kids for this activity. Emerging speakers observe older learners making effective and ineffective oral presentations. They discuss each presentation and then prepare a speech of their own to deliver to...
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A Storytelling Festival
Students explore the native cultures of the Americas, to learn some aspects of oral storytelling, and to share their knowledge with others. They, in groups, write a story that should say something important about the culture from which...
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Unicorns, Dragons, and Other Magical Creatures
Students exoplore the world of imaginary creatures (dragons, unicorns, etc.) They discuss the creature's special attributes and read stories about them. They create their own magical creatures in the form of puppets.
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The Miracle Worker
Students examine the senses and their communicative abilities in this story of Annie Sullivan's heroic efforts to teach her pupil, Helen Keller. William Gibson's novel, "The Miracle Worker" forms the focus of this lesson.
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Illuminating Our Human Experiences: Soliloquy from Hamlet
Students determine the meaning of a soliloquy and examine the themes in Shakespeare's, Hamlet. In this literature lesson, students read Hamlet's soliloquy and watch a Photo Story 3 text model of such. They write a personal soliloquy...
Facing History and Ourselves
What Shapes Your Identity?
Sixth graders explore their individual identities. In this personal identity lesson, 6th graders write biopoems using the provided template. Students share their poems and respond to the poetry shared.
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Weather Dance
Fourth graders discuss the many elements of weather. They research an aspect of weather they find most interesting. They create movements to go along with the element they have chosen.
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Cinderella Stories
Students listen to the Scottish tale, The Princess and the Golden Shoes, creating a character chart. They develop a newspaper containing news stories, personality profiles, and editorials regarding The Princess and the Golden Shoes.
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Sun, Shadows, Surface Structure...and the Face on Mars
Learners use light and shadow information to make inferences regarding the three dimensional shapes of specific objects photographed on the surface of Mars. Limitations of the of the data provided are discussed and entries made into the...
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It's About You
Students explore the U.S. Census and come to understand more about it. In this census lesson, students build reading confidence, explain who is counted in the census, and recognize the connection between census information and community...
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It's About You
Students build connections between census information and community decision-making by reading a reader's theater script. In this reader's theater activity, students practice reading fluently and learn about the government. The reader's...
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Much Ado About Nothing Plot Lesson Plan
Young scholars explore tone in "Much Ado About Nothing." In this literary elements lesson, students list the main points of the plot, identify shifts in tone, and select love songs that reflect the tone of events and/or characters.
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Geo Jammin' - Day 4, Lesson 12: Geo Gee-Hawin'
Students review geometry unit content through a vocabulary/word game. They demonstrate understanding using geoboards to answer questions. They work in groups and it's a race to the correct answer.
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Parliamentary Newsroom : Developing Media Literacy
Students explain and examine the selection, development, sources, transmission and impact of news on the public. They write a brief essay on the topic: "The Public Must Be Critical In Their Assessment of the News Before Drawing...
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Fahrenheit 451
Students agree on a definition of censorship and then discuss incidents of censorship with which they are familiar. They might consider incidents in present-day America, elsewhere in the world, and in the past. Bradbury's novel serves as...
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Pablo Neruda
Eighth graders explore the life and works of Pablo Neruda. They complete an author map concerning his personal and professional life. Students identify the key components of an ode. They write an ode to a common object around their...
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Global Peace Lesson Plan
Fifth graders recognize the characteristics of poetry. In this poetry lesson, 5th graders listen to poetry by Dionne Brand and discuss the meaning of the poems. Students construct their own poems and present them as an assessment.
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Geo Jammin' - Day 4, Lesson 15: Geo Jingo Jivin'
Second graders explore how musical instruments h ave varying geometric shape, and how those geometric shapes correspond to three-dimenaional shapes that students have studied.
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Sight Words on a Snowy Evening
Learners read various poems by Robert Frost. In groups, they use the text of one poem to identify sight words that are new to them. As a class, they listen to a recording of the poem and then repeating it outloud practicing their...