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Poetry Alive! Interpreting Poetry Using Digital Images
Students investigate poetry by incorporating images into the words of a poem. In this language arts lesson, students discuss poetry writing devices and self expression with their classmates. Students create a film about the...
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Short Story Inspiration
Tenth graders write an original story using a picture of a scene inspiration. In this short story instructional activity, 10th graders write short stories using a picture.
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Review of Personification and Alliteration
Students study personification and alliteration in various fiction texts. In this literary devices lesson plan, students use various texts to identify the literary devices of personification and alliteration. Students use examples of...
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"Quack Said the Billy-goat"
Second graders read the poem together, "Quack Said the Billy-goat" and discuss what makes the poem funny and which words rhyme. They observe the teacher writing a new first verse, changing some of the text, but leaving the original rhyme...
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Understanding Idioms
Students explore figurative language. In this idioms activity, students research the origin of instructor-selected idioms. Students literally interpret the idioms. Interpretations are photographed and then presented to the class.
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"Trails, Rails, and Roads" Lesson 1: "Language and Transportation"
Students, in groups, identify the origins of a number of transportation idioms. They search for current transportation idioms to have a partner explain.
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Poetry
Fifth graders read several poems by famous poets and identify what about their style makes them unique. They then analyze and compare poetic style, use of forms and themes. Next, 5th graders investigate and collect different examples of...
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April Fool's Day
Students research how April Fool's Day began. They identify and discuss various theories, interview family members, write original myths about the first April Fool's Day and design a wild goose chase for another class.
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Creating Your Own Ad
Students analyze the effective advertisements in print and Internet ads. In this advertisements lesson, students create a collage of original and repurposed words, graphics, and images of advertisements. Students create a poster for the...
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Onomatopoeia
Fifth graders investigate onomatopoeia. In this reading lesson, 5th graders create a list of onomatopoeic words from books read and brainstorm words of their own in small groups.
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Getway to More Descriptive Writing
Students use more precise descriptive words in their writing.
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Connecting Poetry with Philanthropy
Students use their knowledge of philanthropy and poetic conventions to write original poetry about philanthropic giving. In this philanthropy instructional activity, students write poetry based on philanthropy using poetic conventions....
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Defining Moments
Seventh graders use context clues to define words. In this language arts lesson plan, 7th graders engage in a class discussion regarding how we determine the meaning of words that we aren't familiar with. Then, students complete a very...
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Now, Unto Thy Bones, Goodnight.
Students read Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing to learn about epitaphs. In this Shakespeare lesson, students read sections from the play and piece together Shakespeare's epitaph using index cards. Students create a 4 line...
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What's So Nice About Fairy Tales?
Seventh graders modernize a fairy tale, then compare their version with he original version and determine whether or not they've changed the author's original intent.
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Introduction to American Literature
Pupils discuss the topic of freedom and what the National Anthem means to them and to our country. They create a new and original verse for the National Anthem.
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Using Descriptive Language
Students explore the technique of descriptive writing. As a class, they observe a poster and describe it using adjectives. They discuss how descriptive words can be used literally and figuratively in the world of advertising. After...
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Culture Creation vs. Culture Consumption - Finding Voice Through Digital Storytelling
Ninth graders explore the power of media in culture and Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence. In this nonviolence and media instructional activity, 9th graders analyze Gandhi's nonviolent methods for social change and discuss the media's...
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More Choices
Fourth graders create onomatopoeia for a variety of things such as a mean dog, a crying baby or a doorbell ringing after exploring word choice as used by authors in selected books. They complete a Word Choice worksheet that is attached.
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Analogies In Action
Learners practice skills to determine the relationship of words. In groups of two, classmates complete a chart to match vocabulary words into specific groups such as synonyms, antonyms, or familial relationship. To reinforce word...
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Long Vowels With Clifford
Learners recognize long vowel sounds by reading and listening to a story that highlights words with long vowel sounds. They then construct an original story. They use picture clues to aid comprehension, and match words with similar vowel...
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Preposition Pizazz
Students examine examples of poems and identify the prepositions in them. They write original poems using prepositional phrases and create illustrations to go with them.
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A Life Lived Well
Learners write poems based on words and phrases found in an obituatuary. They write autobiographical obituaries that imagine their own lives and future accomplishments.