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Captain's Quest
Fourth graders, in groups, participate in a game in which they are assessed on their ability to work together to gather communication skills, leadership, trust, respect and creativity.
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Storytelling
Students explore the origins of folktales, fairytales, myths, legends, fables, and folktales in the ten lessons of this unit. A storytelling festival is held to feature the results of the variety of activities presented in the unit.
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Time Management
Students are taken through the design process to develop a system of time management for themselves and others. They practice participating in a critique of other students' time schedules and modify and improve their initial time...
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Every Object Tells a Story
High schoolers read the story behind objects in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and create a story about an object in the exhibit. In this design lesson, students explore the "Design for the Other 90%" exhibition and create a...
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Animals in Research - Right or Wrong?
Students research animal testing in scientific research. They role-play a research scientist, teacher, animal rights activist, or cosmetics manufacturer, and develop an argument for or against animal testing.
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Poetry Interpretation and Figurative Language
Fifth graders discover how figurative language is used in poetry. They read selected poems and identify the figurative language with handouts and worksheets included in the lesson. They write poems of their own using figurative language.
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Celebrate Reading!
Students improve their reading skills by completing at home reading assignments. In this reading skills lesson, students participate in a bulletin board competition to help them track and progress with their daily reading. Students...
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Stadium Voices
Students watch NEW YORK VOICES special "New York Sports: Big Shots and Bad Guys," read excerpts from famous novels/essays in hopes of understanding the feelings that sports stadiums inspire, and create a tourist brochure that highlights...
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"Et tu, Brute?" - The Characters, Conflict and Historical context of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar
Students analyze the Shakespearian play, "Julius Caesar" in this seven lesson unit. Through readings, hands-on projects, and the study of plot development, comparisons are made to the movie and the historical records available.
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Discovering New Species
Students identify animals observed by Lewis and Clark while evaluating the animal's habitat and describing the animal's behavior. Students construct a food web mobile to illustrate the animal's position in the food web in the 19th...
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Poetry for Kids
Sixth graders be immersed indirect experiences which are opportunities for students to reflect, look back, debrief or abstract from their experiences what they have felt, and thought, and studied.
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How Does Ancestry Affect Folklore?
Students break into groups of 4 or 5 and choose an option to demonstrate a different cultural perspective in a fairy tale or other folklore that they are familiar. Possible choices are: PowerPoint presentation, video, digital...
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Designed to Scale
Seventh graders study ratios, scale and distances according to a three dimensional model. In this exploratory instructional activity students create their own constellation and prepare an oral presentation that describes their...
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Water, Glorious Water
Students identify the various uses of water. In this water conservation lesson, students read the book, The Drop In My Drink: The Story of Water On Our Planet and write down their favorite uses of water. Students illustrate how they can...
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Air Pollution
Students research and find information on air pollution. In this air pollution lesson plan, students answer short answer questions about air pollution.
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Natural Catastrophic Phenomena
Sixth graders examine the ways natural phenomena are monitored to avoid disasters. They find out about instruments used in measuring disasters and prediction of future events from data.
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Adjectives in Dialogue
Ninth graders use adjectives to depict setting and reveal character and incorporate adjectives into dialogue appropriate for setting.
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Henry Luce: Turn Me Luce
Learners research the life of Henry Luce, Time Magazine's founder, and examine the impact his magazine has had on the way American's see the world. They create a photo-essay, magazine or video to present their research.
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So You Want to Be A Poet?
Fourth graders study different types of poetry and then write examples in this unit. They write, among others, free verse, Diamante, Clerihew, and color poems.
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Pirate Unit
Students complete a unit of lessons on pirates. They read and analyze the novel, 'The Stowaway: A Tale of California Pirates,' define key vocabulary terms, participate in a literature circle, and write a report on pirates.
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Butterflies
Students will explore the life cycle of the Painted Lady butterfly by raising their own. They will incorporate math, science, and language arts as they graph, pattern, journal, observe, and artistically create.
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Hoaxes, Scams, Chain Letters and Urban Legends
Learners explore the evacuation of New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina. Using the internet, they research stories they may have heard and verify a story's authenticity. Students discuss rumors and urban legends. Given a worksheet,...
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Language Arts: Character Comparison
Fourth graders, using Kidspiration, compare and contrast the two main characters from Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. They use a teacher-created template to describe their characters. Students then create their own character analysis.
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Language Arts: Character Analysis
Fourth graders identify the character traits of Peter in Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. They find quotations in the story that illlustrate the traits. Students use Kidspiration to write their reports on a template.