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Making the World a More Beautiful Place
Students discover how they can contribute in a positive manner in their community. In this service learning lesson, students experience literature through the lens of responsible citizenship.
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Harry Potter: Middle Grades Activity
Middle schoolers identify inferred and recurring literary, cultural and social themes such as bravery, loyalty, friendship and the notion of good vs. evil.
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Making Inferences and Drawing Conclusions
Second graders make several inferences based on the reading of Shel Silverstein poems. They write their own poetry and complete an assessment in which they differentiate between sentences that are stated or inferred.
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Character & Integrity
Students brainstorm a list as a class the characteristics of someone having character and integrity. Individually, they write about how self-concept is built and preserved. To end the lesson, they discuss how self-concept is related to...
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Poet for a Day
Fourth graders, while in the computer lab after reading the poem, "H is for Hoosier," create an acrostic poem about Indiana. They list words that are unique of Indiana and choose one of those words to create their acrostic poems to share...
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Screwing Courage in Macbeth
Learners read, analyze, and act out the scenes 1.7.29-79 of the William Shakespeare play, "Macbeth." They discuss motivation, tactics, and obstacles, and improvise scenes suggested by the class.
Orange County Department of Education
Katie's Trunk
Fifth graders read the story of "Katie's Trunk". They identify the traits of integrity and fairness in the characters John Warren and Katie. Students explore how people can experience the same event but interpret it differently. They...
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Story Writing
Students work in groups to create a story that will be presented to the class. In this story writing lesson, students complete a project planning sheet, work together to create a story that includes a hero and at least two other...
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To Be Or Not To Be... (Hamlet)
Students complete a unit of lessons on William Shakespeare's Hamlet. They analyze the plot, themes, and characterization, relate songs to thematic issues, develop plot summaries and translations, and compare the play to a movie version.
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Storytelling
Pupils compose a story and tell it to the class. In this storytelling lesson, students work in small groups to create an illustrated story. Pupils are given a checklist of elements to include in the assignment. Students...
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Making the World A More Beautiful Place: Earth Day
Students study ways to take care of the environment as part of an Earth Day activity. In this environment lesson plan, student listen to a read aloud of Barbara Cooney's, Miss Rumphius, before discussing how she works alone but is part...
Orange County Department of Education
Dear Mr. Henshaw
Fifth graders read Dear Mr. Henshaw and identify the character trait of self-respect as exhibited by Leigh throughout the story. They evaluate the author's use of letters to tell the story and discuss how the story would be different if...
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Editing the Conspiracy: Julius Caesar
Students practice close reading skills to edit the text of Julius Caesar as they read. They identify the features of the conspiracy. They discuss use of image of dark and light in the text.
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Stone Fox Plot Frame
Fifth graders recall the major plot points of a chapter book. After reading the chapter book "Stone Fox," they students describe the plot framework through use of a worksheet. Students are then divided into group to act out selected...
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Nature’s Fury—Myths and Drama
Fifth graders explore the elements of theatre. In this dramatic performances lesson plan, 5th graders discuss the structural elements of theatre and dramatize "The Origins of the Season," an explanation myth.
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The Macbeth Tango
Students examine how Macbeth and Lady Macbeth relate to each other in individual scenes and throughout the play. By taking elements of that relationship and making them physical, students analyze the Macbeths' marriage on many different...
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Be a Viking!
Students research the history and culture of the Vikings. Students complete a variety of lessons in which they use maps, discussion, lecture, vocabulary lists, worksheets and quizzes to investigate the culture and traditions of the Vikings.
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Growing Pains of the Yearling
Fourth graders read The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.
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Moving In Character
Eighth graders compare and contrast the motivations and reactions of literary characters from different historical eras confronting similar situations and conflicts. For this history lesson, 8th graders read excerpts from the books,...
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Macbeth
Young scholars discuss the changes the characters go through in Shakespeare's play Macbeth. They discuss the themes of the play write an essay comparing current events to the themes of the play.
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Thinking About Money
Students explore the concept of a personal budget. In this philanthropy lesson, students use a Venn diagram to compare 2 stories in which the main characters spend money in different ways.
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Protest Art in Pre-Revolutionary Russia
Young scholars study the social class conflicts that existed during the Russian Revolution by reading the short stories of Anton Chekov and Leo Tolstoy. They analyze the stories to find criticisms of pre-Revolutionary Russia before...
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Romeo and Juliet
Students read Romeo and Juliet and then write an essay from the point of either Lord Capulet or Friar Lawrence persuading someone to adopt their views concerning marriage.
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Literature Circles
Fourth graders work in groups in order to motivate one another to develop reading comprehension and literacy skills. The skills are built through the sharing of fine literature. They maintain a reading log to keep accountable for the...