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Writing - The Persuasive Essay
Students, in groups, work together to develop a five-paragraph essay that defends the group's viewpoint on an assigned topic. Each student in the group writes one paragraph.
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Heroes
Tenth graders participate in research and class discussion before attempting to write a traditional five paragraph essay. They use the examples of 16 other hero stories to consider. Students use examples and descriptive details to...
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Philanthropy and You
Students define and discuss philanthropy. They research a philanthropist and write a three-paragraph essay summarizing what they have learned , including their own roles as philanthropists. They also plan and initiate personal acts of...
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Capturing the Moment
Students create photography timelines of the Civil Rights movement and write journal entries reflecting on the capacity of photographs to evoke personal and collective historical memory.
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Across Five Aprils/Civil War
Eighth graders study the Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. They review vocabulary and literary elements and write a "Brother Against Brother" essay about coming face to face with a brother in one of the battles of the...
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A Photo Essay
Students analyze photographs, then create their own photo essays by using photos, magazine pictures or drawings to illustrate their stories.
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Primary Source? What is That?
Students examine the use of primary sources. They read and discuss excerpts from the "Diary of Anne Frank," write journal entries, identify examples of altruism from the book, write an essay, and complete a worksheet.
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Rubric Rating
Learners develop a rubric or scoring guide to assess newpaper articles. They rate the story and write the reasons for the rating. An Essay Scoring Guide is attached for reference.
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"How To Build A Snowman" Expository Writing
Fourth graders write a "how to..." or an expository essay on building a snowman. They practice giving directions by explaining how to draw a person using shapes without mentioning that it's a person being drawn. They revise through the...
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Cultural Creation Myths
Young scholars analyze various cultural creation myths, write essays on three different societal stories, and create a play based upon one of those stories in this cross-curricular Theatre project for High School students. Cooperative...
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The Structure of DNA
Students will demonstrate knowledge of the structure of DNA by constructing simple models of DNA with materials given to them in class. They will also discover that some female scientists such as Rosalind Franklin have not been given...
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The Play's the Thing: The Drama of Cyrano de Bergerac
Students practice dramatic 'living' through various drama activities. In this drama lesson, students define drama, view examples of dramatic elements in Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne, define characterization within the dramas, study the...
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The Music and Message of Lauryn Hill
Students explore the music of artist Lauryn Hill and analyze the way she uses her music in a socially responsible manner. In this music artist lesson, students read the lyrics to Hill's songs and listen to some example songs. Students...
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What Does This Have To Do With Me?
Learners examine how to make a difference in their community. In this philanthropy lesson, students discuss if one person can make a difference, brainstorm a list of actions individuals can take to make a difference and write an essay...
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Showtime! Profit or Non
Students perform a production. In this job lesson, students perform the production they created about jobs in the profit and nonprofit sectors. Students write an essay describing the advantages and disadvantages of working in these sectors.
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The Meaning of Disability
Students discover the different types of disabilities. They examine the stereotypes and stigmas associated with them and hear from a person who lived in an institution.
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Creative Inventions
Ninth graders develop ideas for an invention and write a persuasive essay explaining why their invention is best. In this invention essay instructional activity, 9th graders review persuasive essay writing. Students create a graphic web...
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Beany Goes to Camp Chapter 1 Arrival
In this reading instructional activity, students show their comprehension after reading Chapter 1 of Beany Goes to Camp. Students match 6 vocabulary words with their definitions and answer 3 essay questions.
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It's Your Birthday! Expository Writing Unit 2
Students create an expository essay. In this writing instructional activity Students are assigned a country and must conduct research surrounding a historic event that occurred in that country at the time of their birth.
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Native American Interaction with Other Peoples
Students examine the relationships between Native Americans and the Europeans who settled America. In this cultural diversity instructional activity, students analyze primary documents and respond to essay questions regarding the...
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Inquiring Minds
Students review examples of questions that represent different levels of thinking. They then focus on the contributions of leaders from different eras and generate interview questions that a contemporary leader might ask of a...
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Recognizing Similes: Fast as a Whip
Students review basic knowledge of similes and engage with similes on a more abstract level. In this similes instructional activity, students define similes and identify examples. Students read and analyze the similes used in poetry by...
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Mood and Tone
Students describe their current mood in several complete sentences. They compare their moods with moods set by authors through the tone of their writing. Students read a teacher prepared handout about mood/tone of writing. They write...
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Spiritual, Educational, and Physical Resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto
Students review the organization of the ghettos in Eastern Europe. Using the internet, they gather more insight on the people who lived in the ghettos. They discuss the reaction of some members to join resistance movements. They also...