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Research and Technical Writing
Students summarize information from their research on to note-cards. For this technical writing lesson students examine examples of note-cards that contain main ideas from research previously conducted. They will then compose their own...
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Where I'm From: Imitative Poem
Students analyze 'Where I'm From' by George Ella Lyon. In this poetry lesson plan students examine the content and structure of the poem and mimic it to create a similar poem of their own.
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How Tragic!
Learners study and interpret a classical tragedy and role play a character from the play. In this tragedy lesson, students discuss a specific work to discover the form, structure, and characteristics of the genre and interpret the...
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Call of The Wild
Prompt your class to interact with Jack London's Call of the Wild. By analyzing the events in the novel, middle schoolers discover how human experiences create who a person becomes. They critique and analyze the reading, focusing on...
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Whose Feat?
Play a vocabulary game with words from an article about Savion Glover's contribution to the film "Happy Feet." Then, small groups of students design and create original movie advertisements using vivid vocabulary to give Glover the...
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A Whale of a Problem
Students evaluate the possible causes contributing to the decline of the killer whale population from a number of differing perspectives. They present their findings in a talk show format and in letters of advocacy regarding
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The Eyes Have It
Students explore the health risks associated with wearing decorative contact lenses. They research other cosmetic modes of expression that can pose health risks and debate whether these practices should remain legal.
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Active Voice
Learners identify the qualities that contribute to effective verbal and non-verbal communication. They use those qualities as criteria by which to judge an in-class political debate on education.
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Changing Times, Changing Strategies
Students explore the C.D.C.'s efforts to become better equipped to battle bioterrorism; they then discuss surveillance, epidemiological, and communications issues related to their program.
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Curious Crossbreeds
Students discover the diverse roles of hybridization among animals. They research certain examples of animal hybrids as a springboard to analyzing a zoo's potential exhibit of animal hybrids.
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Eating Over the Rainbow
Young scholars examine their own diets, and then redesign the USDA's Food Pyramid to reflect nutrition experts' latest advice. They read and discuss The Color of Nutrition: Fruits and Vegetables, which is an article imbedded in this plan.
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Write Like an Egyptian
Students study the discovery and import of the Scorpion Tableau. They research other examples of ancient writing systems and synthesize their knowledge of them by designing new writing systems based on these early models.
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Swinging on a Star
Students explore the issues that might arise if humans were to go on an interstellar space mission. They synthesize their understanding of interstellar travel by writing scenes from a science fiction novel that would depict such a mission.
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Gorillas In The Midst
Students consider the idea of the eco-tour, and examine different aspects of the Mountain Gorilla Project eco-tour in Rwanda. They synthesize their understanding by acting as expert panelists on a morning news show that focuses on the...
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Long-Lasting Impressions
Students evaluate how their reactions to certain images have been altered by the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent world events that followed. They share their personal memories associated with that day.
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Redefining Addiction
Students study about how addiction can have both physiological and behavioral effects. They synthesize their knowledge by creating a sensitivity training session for counselors working with teenagers who are addicted to drugs.
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Diagnosing Delusions
Students see how widespread medical myths can be potentially dangerous. They synthesize their knowledge by creating pamphlets that help patients learn the facts behind some commonly believed medical myths.
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Chilling Out
Students determine the breakdown of worldwide energy consumption by various sources. After reading an article, they examine recent research in the area of alternative energy sources. Using the internet, they research the forms of...
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Skating on Thin Ice
Students read an article describing a controversial new theory for treating anorexia nervosa, research other eating disorders, simulate case studies and suggest possible treatment for these cases.
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Moonwalking to Mars?
Young scholars examine a quote from George W. Bush's recent speech on space exploration. They evaluate one writer's stance on Bush's space exploration goals by reading and discussing "Plea to Policy Makers: Let's Take Another Giant...
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Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People
Fifth graders explore poems of African Americans. They research a famous African American, write a report, create a timeline of events in African American history, create a map of the New World, and research Molly Walsh. After...
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Surveying New Territory
Students explore recent research linking economic status with student behavior. They design their own studies that investigate how different variables are related to student performance in particular subject areas.
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Model Professionals
Students learn about one scientist's quest to make her field of canopy ecology accessible to a wider audience and to synthesize their knowledge by developing toy figures that could potentially educate children about different scientific...