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"Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes
Young scholars use Langston Hughes' "Thank You Ma'am" as a reading and vocabulary improvement activity. In this reading and vocabulary lesson, students review the related vocabulary and read the poem. Young scholars discuss the story...
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Comprehension
Fifth graders take part in a panel discussion. In this character lesson students show their understanding of the connection between events in a story and the development of characters. Students provide evidence from the story to support...
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Writing a Movie Review
Students view a classic movie in class while taking notes. They write a summary/ review of the movie which includes the name of the movie, who wrote it, the characters and a retelling of the story. They include their opinion and how the...
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Wycinanki and Polish Folktales
Students, with the use of the Internet among various other resources, research/locate Polish folktales and re-tell the Polish folktales in their own words. In addition, they examine the art of Wycinanki, Polish paper cutting.
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Stain My Days Blue
Students read several poems related to the life and culture of the Appalachia region. They are introduced to the poetic forms of simile, alliteration and onomatopoeia and respond to the poems through journal entries and poetry of their own.
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School Day
Learners participate in a lesson that involves writing a persuasive essay. They use the prompt of "extending the school day". The paper should contain correct elements of sentence structure with clear purpose that is supported with...
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An Ancient Greek and Roman Festival
Third graders label a map of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and do a written report on one element of these two cultures. They participate in discussions of food, farming, daily life and government (among others). Students use the...
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Spaceship Earth
Students develop an understanding of our planet as a system by designing a very-long-duration space mission in which the life-support system is patterned after that of earth.
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"Once Upon a Time": Tearing Down Fences
Ninth graders study how individuals take responsibility in reducing societal misunderstandings. They discover the irony in thinking that building fences provides security and solves societal problems. They consider the fences that every...
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Zero Tolerance and Toy Guns
Seventh graders write a short reaction to the "Zero Tolerance" policy in regards to students and play guns. They read several news articles about the problems associated with the zero tolerance and students with play guns. They write a...
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Be a Vishnu Avatar
Students write a story about a problem on earth. They imagine themselves as one of Vishnu's avatars or create another avatar for Vishnu who can solve the problem.
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Cause and Effect
Students identify cause and effect relationships in a short story. After reading a short story, they participate in a discussion of how one event in a story can lead to several others. Students are then paired for a matching task that...
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Setting And Plot
Students engage in study of plot and setting with the reading of many familiar texts. They identify the plot and setting with the help of a worksheet. The teacher works with the class for scaffolding and helps them to recognize the...
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Critic's Choice
Third graders read three to five genres and choose one as a favorite. They write an essay persuading the class to read the genre. This lesson serves as a nice introduction to different styles of literature.
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Mood and Tone
In this literary elements worksheet, students fill in the graphic organizer by writing down the mood and tone of the writing piece. There are three boxes for students to fill in details about the mood, as well as the tone.
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Genetics
Students identify literary elements in each selection while learning about diversity and the struggle for equality in the United States. They use their knowledge to express the emotion and key literary elements in each piece through...
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A Formal Analysis of Science Fiction
Students write a five paragraph expository theme. They explain in their theme how the story they read qualifies as science fiction. Students write using all the conventions of English correctly.
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Speak What We Feel, Not What We Ought to Say
Students examine and create their own interpretation of a particular character from the play, King Lear. They read the speeches, write a paragraph about their character, and present a short performance of their scene.
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Story Plot Flow Map
In this story plot flow map worksheet, learners complete the flow chart through short answers writing about the beginning, middle, climax, and conclusion of the story.
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Chinese Folktales: An Illustrating Activity
In need of a really good lesson that incorporates literature, art, and cultural themes? After hearing a traditional Chinese folktale and discussing cultural themes and symbolism, learners create original illustrations for the story. This...
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Camera Movement
Students focus on different ways director and cinematographers use the camera to convey meaning, setting, tone, point of view, personal style, as well as telling a story.
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The Class Garden Essay
Fifth graders use a class garden as inspiration for a specific writing assignment. They conduct research into different types of flowers in photo images taken with a digital camera. Students write a creative essay and draw a picture to...
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Problem and Solution Lesson
Students explore problems and solutions in literature. In this literature activity, students identify problems and solutions in short guided and independent reading samples. Students also discuss characterization techniques used to...
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Learning Plot
Tenth graders identify certain literary elements such as conflict, and exposition within the text of a variety of studenT books. Aspects of literary elements such as theme, and allusion are explored in this lesson.