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The Harlem Renaissance Births a Black Culture
Students examine the men and women who were a part of the Harlem Renaissance. Individually, they recreate their favorite pieces of art from the time period and create their own original works after reading poem from the movement. In...
Facing History and Ourselves
What Shapes Your Identity?
Sixth graders explore their individual identities. For this personal identity lesson, 6th graders write biopoems using the provided template. Students share their poems and respond to the poetry shared.
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Character Education: Caring
Students create a bookmark with reminders of simple acts of kindness. In this character education lesson, students participate in a mini-lesson that serves as a great introduction to a service project. Students first brainstorm ways to...
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Jazz in America
Students participate in a class discussion about jazz music, compare improvisation with regular conversion, listen to various jazz musicians and compare and contrast their individual sounds.
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Lesson: Looking Closer: The Artwork of Wangechi Mutu
Social issues of gender and media stereotypes, begins with a multi-sensory experience. Learners view the painting Backlash Blues and make critical comments based on what they see. They then read the Langston Hughes poem and listen to the...
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Magazine Production
Analyze magazines as a class, looking carefully for the target audience, advertisements, and topics presented. Small groups then work as a publication team and receive a magazine that they have to "sell." Each individual has a different...
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A Modest Proposal: Irony Made Understandable with Rock and Roll
Who doesn't love music? Poems and songs will engage your high school class in a discussion about irony. Use songs like "Rockin' in the Free World" or "Born in the U.S.A." to illustrate the ironic point of view. Print the lyrics so...
Discover Earth
Weather Stations
Transform your classroom into a fully functioning weather station with this series of hands-on investigations. Covering the topics of temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and cloud formation, these activities engage young...
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Angel Island
Eleventh graders understand that the experience of Chinese immigrants is exemplified as one of many other immigrants' experience coming to the United States.
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Journeys
Pupils write a story using their journey to school as the setting. In groups, they discuss their experiences and browse through books to get ideas for their story. They practice using a thesaurus to find new verbs or adjectives they...
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"Integrating the Internet with the Literature Lesson"
Young scholars utilize the work of W.H. Auden Brugel's "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" as an introduction to work on the Internet. The Web is searched for a Greek legend, a painting, and a virtual trip to support data about Brugel.
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The Odyssey: A Deeper Appreciation
Students read "The Odyssey" and identify the ways it relates to their own lives. As a class, they also examine the history of the story and identify the various Greek gods and goddesses. In groups, they focus on the geography of the...
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Poetry To My Ears
Students investigate the 50 States Quarters Program. They use the state of Idaho as a basis for creating context for the lesson. The image on the coin becomes the subject. They differentiate between the reverse and obverse side of the...
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6th Grade: Express Yourself, Lesson 2: Close Read
The second lesson of a pair about Paul Laurence Dunbar, this plan focuses in particular on his poem, "We Wear the Masks." After a short historical introduction, class members conduct a series or readings, marking up the text and...
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Carl Sandburg's "Chicago": Bringing a Great City Alive
Students examine the historical and cultural context in Sandburg's poem. The poetic devices of personification and apostrophe are utilized in the poem and identified by Students.
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Electricity
Students explore where electricity comes from and how it is used in their everyday lives. Through discussion and hands-on activities, they define electricity and explain how it travels to our homes. Students make informed choices based...
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Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe
Here’s a 19-page Things Fall Apart teacher resource packet from the UK that includes background information on Chinua Achebe, the culture of the Ibo people before and after colonization, and activities designed to prepare learners for...
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Cinquain Poems
Students write five-line, diamond shaped poems that are very easy to write then submit one through an automatic PIZZAZZ form.
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To Honor All Children from Prejudice to Discrimination to Hatred....to Holocaust, Part 1
Students analyze different perspectives of the history of the Holocaust. They experience primary and secondary sources along with pieces from literature, documentaries, songs and letters. A commitment of honor and dedication is expressed...
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The Wilderness Concept: Our National Parks, History and Issues
Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they...
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Up From the Streets: Hip Hop as a Recognized Art
Students discuss the historical roots of Hip-Hop to the present as an example of an art form that arose from the street into popular culture. Emphasis is placed on in-class discussion and written reflections in this introductory lesson...
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I've Just Seen a Face: Portraits
Young scholars examine portraits for different images they project, cite three purposes a portrait can serve, analyze portraits of historical figures, and relate biographical research to portraits.
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William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: Fate versus Free Will
Tenth graders explore Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. After reading specific scenes, they brainstorm and discuss free will. Students observe a clip from the Dr. Phil television show entitled, "Afraid to Age" and make connections from the...
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Traveling the Transcontinental from Yesterday to Today
Students examine the impact of the train on the physical landscape and spatial organization of America. They read and analyze various poems, analyze maps, and develop a list of the positive and negative changes brought by the...