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Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
Students identify the African Plains and the plants and animals that are found on the plain, which are of a benefit to humans. They listen to the story and actively participate in a choral reading of Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain.
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Letters from Rifka
Learners read Karen Hesse's book "Letters from Rifka" and explore how it presents the experiences of a Russian immigrant to America. They research and write reports on the experiences of various immigrants from different cultures, keep...
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The Middle Ages
Students read books about the Middle Ages.  They discuss characteristics of the Middle Ages.  In groups, students construct a castle and draw a map to scale.  Pupils create a Venn diagram comparing rules in different countries in the...
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The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
For this reading response worksheet, students answer questions based on the C.S. Lewis novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Each chapter has 5 questions for students to answer.
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Read On
Young scholars consider the question "Why do we read?" through creating and sharing individual timelines of their own histories as readers. They then choose a book on which to write a personal essay.
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Writing to Photography/Photography to Writing
Students improve their' writing by incorporating photography into descriptive and narrative writing exercises. They write descriptions of various professional photographic collections. Later they use their own and other classmates'.
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Life in Letters
Students explore the relationship between an author's life and their work. Students research the historical and personal events surrounding a Nobel Prize winning author and how they are reflected in the author's writing.  They create a...
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Everyday Heroes
High schoolers research how Ernie Pyle's descriptive narratives and "every man's" perspective of the war allow them to examine personal traits such as courage and heroism. The lesson can be extended to include more examples to teach...
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One * Two * Three * Story
Second graders explore sequencing by drawing events of a story in order.  In this sequence of events lesson, 2nd graders are read a story such as "The 3 Little Pigs", they recall the events from the fairy tale in order, visit an...
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Junie B.'s Muscle Mania
In this muscles worksheet, students fill in the names of 5 muscles from a word bank (with clues) in a diagram of a runner. This is related to the Junie B. Jones series and the directions are written in Junie-style language.
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Mary Had A Little Lamb
Fourth graders listen and observe the role play of the various versions of the poem. They take notes while listening and observing and develop their own versions of "Mary Had a Little Lamb".
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The Family: Louisiana Family Folklore
Students determine that all families create and pass on folklore.  They research stories of their own names and  draw parallels between their own and others' naming traditions.  They  infer characteristics of their communities' history...
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Transforming Negatives to Positives
Students write diamonte poems that correspond to the double-exposed photograph they created.  In this poetry and multimedia artwork lesson, students use the photographic process to create a double-exposed photo then create...
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Prize-Winning Prose
Young scholars develop criteria for 'Kids' Pulitzers,' awards in categories of writing determined by Students. Each student then bestow a 'Kids' Pulitzer' upon a piece of writing which they deem to be distinguished based on the...
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State of the Art
Young scholars watch and discuss a scene from 'Cool Hand Luke,' then read the actor Kevin Costner's commentary on it. Then, each identifies one work of art that he or she loves and prepares a similar commentary on the details of that...
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Where the Sidewalk Transcends
Students use titles of Shel Silverstein poems to generate their own poetry for Students. Each student then compares his or her poem to the Shel Silverstein poem of the same title.
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Classes For The Masses
Students explore how class is represented in the media by developing ideas for television pilots that deal with class issues. They compile short lists of television characters from working, middle and upper classes.
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Show Me the Story
Learners examine the elements of a story, read a review of Chris Rock's new sitcom, "Everybody Hates Chris" and create original sitcom episodes based on their own lives.
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A Critical Role
Students read a New York Times review of the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. They discuss the roles and responsibilities of a cultural critic, and prepare for a visit to a local museum in order to write their own reviews.
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Behind the Cover
Learners develop questions they would have liked to ask an author about their written works. They read an article about their forefathers and research a back story to a written work of their choice. They create posters to illustrate the...
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Progressive Era: Public Pressure and Government Actions
Students read sections of the novel, "The Jungle".  They identify the problems of the meat industry during the Progressive Era.  They discuss food concerns of today and make connections between the two time periods.
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Radical Reads
Students recreate an "American Idol" contest in which they present their favorite books to their classmates using arguments for and excerpts from the books.  Following the presentation, students will be polled and the least popular books...
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Continuing Gandhi's Legacy of Cross-Cultural Understanding: Central Asia and the Middle East
Students investigate the lifestyle of Gandhi by creating a Venn Diagram.  In this biographical lesson, students compare the philosophies of Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi while discussing their teaching methods.  Students...
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The Birchbark House Internet Activity
In this "The Birchbark House" Internet activity worksheet, students, after reading the novel, use links to web resources to answer 12 questions about the story and native American culture.  This page has numerous links to web...