Maine Content Literacy Project
Introduction to Literacy Criticism
As learners continue to examine a short story of their choice, they take some time to look at analysis completed by others on the same story. In the eleventh lesson in a series of fourteen, pupils explore various sites for literary...
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Huddled Masses Still Yearning to Breathe Free
Young scholars examine the experience of modern-day immigrants through learning about the personal experiences of a variety of immigrants.
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The Twentieth Century
Fifth graders summarize a decade in the twentieth century and compare it to another decade. They present facts in a Hyperstudio document that includes text, photos, and audio to describe the decade.
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In the Heart of Your City
Students analyze the changes in the community described in "Still a Contender on the Waterfront" and evaluate how the history of a city can be seen, regardless of changes, in a city as it exists today.
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Fish Stories
Students conduct background research about a Pacific Rim country to develop a premise for a documentary film about the fate of traditional fishing industries in the area.
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A Civil Action
Students explore the roles of law enforcement officials, the news media, and civilians in crime prevention and criminal apprehension. They envision ways to build and strengthen community partnerships to address concerns about crime.
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Wheeling and The Big City Lesson 1
Eighth graders consider how immigration impacted the East. In this West Virginia history lesson, 8th graders research the effects of immigration on Wheeling, West Virginia. Students also gather information about immigration on a field...
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Traits of Nonfiction
Here are some lesson ideas for teaching students about the traits of nonfiction text.
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Step by Step
Learners analyze the importance of each step, person, and technology involved in the production of goods from raw materials to finished products.
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Faces Behind the Guns
Students use the New York Times article profiling ordinary citizens who legally own guns as the basis of a role-playing exercise in which they explore the types of people who own firearms and their personal reasons for doing so.
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Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
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Calamity Sane
Students observe responses to emergency situations by participating in and making observations about a fire drill. They then analyze the fire drill proceedings from the perspective of a sociologist investigating social order during...
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A Nation in Mourning
Young scholars reflect on what the deaths of John F. Kennedy Jr., Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and Lauren Bessette mean to them. They then work to compose and read aloud found poems from The Times' coverage of the burial and memorial services.
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Rights-Minded
Young scholars expand their knowledge and understanding about the civil rights movement by investigating the lives of some of the people who contributed to it.
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The Taming of the Few
Learners consider the cultural, historical, and social implications of domesticating animals as pets. They create informative posters of various animals, illustrating their histories as pets.
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The Nash Case -- Identifying, Choosing and Using Genes
Students complete a variety of exercises as they examine the case of the Nash family who conceived one child in order to provide cells that may be used in a cell transplant for a dying sibling.
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Bud, Not Buddy
Fifth graders read the book Bud, Not Buddy and participate in activities that generate understanding of the Great Depression. In this realistic fiction lesson, 5th graders read about a boy who grew up during this time. Students...
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Who Is J. K. Rowling?
In this J. K. Rowling worksheet, students read the passage about J. K. Rowling, fill in the blanks, choose correct words, write antonyms and synonyms, and more. Students complete 8 activities.
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Literary Criticism
Students evaluate and debate whether movies, television shows, and other mass media cause violent behavior in students and whether books are the same as or different from these other media in their potential for causing violent behavior...
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Tour de Force on the Tour de France
Students explore the incredible obstacles that Lance Armstrong overcame to become the second American winner of the Tour de France. They choose a person whom they admire as the subject of a 'Man in the News' or 'Woman in the News' article.
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In the Melting Pot
Students work in small groups, each group examining a different aspect of the immigration process (such as visas, work permits, and citizenship exams) or of illegal immigration (such as deportation), to better explain the immigration...
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Kid-Created Biographies
Students create biographies on the people they know best-- their teachers! students use various skills to collect information, organize details, publish the biographies and present the information.
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Winning Tickets
Students research background, personal interests, family history, and positions on current issues of the leading presidential and vice presidential candidates. They create unbiased presentations aimed at informing voters about...
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Separation of Church and Class?
Young scholars examine the changing socioeconomic status of the evangelical Christian population in the United States. They discuss the relationship between class and religion in American society.