Curated OER
Haunting Music
Students discover music that was inspired by the spooky and bizarre. In this music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens lesson, students identify elements of music and listen to the Symphonie Fantastique and Danse Macabre....
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Lecture 6 - Oral Interpretation - Verse
Students discuss how oral interpretation varies with prose and poetry. They select a piece of prose or poetry to present to the class, and then assess each other on the organization and delivery of their speech as well as on their...
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Extreme Weather
Tenth graders explore how to avoid problems that occur during extreme weather and how accidents can be avoided by not taking risks.
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Looking for Newton
Students discuss the rhyming pattern of various types of poetry. With a focus on limericks, they follow the specific rhyme scheme and create a limerick about Newton. They share their poem with the class and write another one related to...
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Storytellers: Dave Matthews Band
Young scholars listen to the music of the Dave Matthews Band in order to discuss and analyze the lyrics. They examine how the songs are presented and determine if the Dave Matthews Band does a good job of presenting the meaning of the...
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Story Telling
Students, through the use of 4 different improvisational exercises, discover how to tell effective stories. They chose 2 selections and perform them, using the interesting methods they learned.
National Endowment for the Humanities
The World of Haiku
Middle schoolers complete a study of Japanese culture through haiku. They read and interpret haiku poetry and write haiku of their own.
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Oliver/Kenyon
Students, through two pieces of writing, identify poetic/language devices through the speakers, personification , imagery, metaphor, etc. They assess the patterns those devices are used in and analyze the theme of each. Each student...
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Connecting Rembrandt and J.R. Tolkien
Students trace continuous thread of art from the 17th to the 20th century. They compare and contrast the painter Rembrandt with the writer Tolkien. They prepare and deliver an individual presentation.
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Browning's "My Last Duchess" and Dramatic Monologue
Students read and analyze the poem, "My Last Duchess," by Robert Browning. They examine the use of dramatic monologue as a poetic device, and write a character profile of the Duke.
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Language Arts: Stylistic Devices
Young scholars are able to define given literary terms, such as metaphor, simile, imagery, personification, symbolism, etc. They are able to identify the use of literary elements in a given text. Students are able to interpret weather...
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Early Industrialization
Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.
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Personify This
Eighth graders study personification in published works of poetry, then create their own through the use of diamante or cinquain poetry. They read and discuss poetry by Shel Silverstein, William Jay Smith, and Elinor Wylie.
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Making Connections: I Know Why Caged Birds Sing
Students discuss equality and fairness by reading a Maya Angelo poem. In this U.S. history lesson, students read the poem I Know Why Caged Birds Sing, and discuss how the era it was written in affected the words. Students...
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I'm A Poet and Now I Know It
Eighth graders gather ideas generated from other poems and their own inspiration, to create original poetry. A celebration is included as students bind and submit poems for publication.
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The Element of Color
Eighth graders study and analyze the elements of color by creating an personalized color wheel. Emphasis is placed on constructive criticism of student work by others for assessment. Students create short poems for their color wheel...
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Symbolism Bookmarks
Young scholars create a bookmark about symbolism. In this literature-based lesson plan, students study the meaning of the word symbolism. Young scholars read and analyze the symbolism found in "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe. Then they...
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Literature: Isabel Allende
Students watch and respond to a Bill Moyers Now video on the Chilean author, Isabel Allende. They brainstorm a list of recent events that might inspire writers and choose one to write about in poetic, diary, or short story form.
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Under Joni Mitchell's Influence
High schoolers view the AMERICAN MASTERS entitled Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind, examine the concept of influence, and explore how Joni Mitchell and her work have influenced others. Students read, interpret, and analyze her...
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Freedmen's Bureau
Students examine the African American experience after they received their freedom after the Civil War. They complete a Mind Map, read and analyze a poem, and write a paragraph using key vocabulary words. They analyze the impact of the...
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Global Warming Statistics
Students research real-time and historic temperature data of U.S. and world locations, and analyze the data using mean, median, and mode averages. They graph the data and draw conclusions by analyzing the data. A spreadsheet is used to...
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Environmental Rhyme and Reason
Students employ poetry as a medium to relay information and express views about significant environmental issues that exist today and to assess their effects on The State of the Planet as we enter the next millennium.
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Al Gore Heats up a Debate
In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons about Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." Students respond to 3 talking point questions.
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When Things Fall Apart
Students examine the impact of colonialism on African nations, researching and analyzing post-colonial literature from those countries. They develop and present a creative display of their novel and its historic parallels.