Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 4: The Psychological Approach
Readers apply Sigmund Freud's theories of the unconscious mind and the psychological approach to literary criticism to analyze and evaluate the relationship between two characters in A Separate Peace.
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Purpose Statements, Thesis Statements, and Outlines
What are the characteristics of a good purpose statement for a speech? Of a thesis statement? After considering the characteristics of good and bad opening statements, viewers identify the best example in a series of models.
English Resources
Buddy by Nigel Hinton
The lessons that come from reading the novel Buddy by Nigel Hinton might be masked by how much you have just enjoyed the story, but don’t let an opportunity for learning pass you by. Let this learning scheme bring clarity to the ideas...
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The Kite Runner: Four Corners
To generate interest in some of the major issues in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, class members engage in a four corners activity that asks them or agree or disagree with a series of statements and provide reasons for their stance.
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Turning Literature into News
Learners examine the newspaper. In this writing purposes lesson, students read the newspaper and discuss the purpose: to inform, entertain and persuade. Learners identify facts and opinions. Students write an article and discuss acts of...
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What's My Point?
Sixth graders move through the process of defining persuasion, identifying persuasive arguments and techniques in writing and evaluating their own use of accurate details. Students also define an author's point of view.
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Rhetorical Devices
Eleventh graders consider rhetorical devices in speeches and then make an informed selection of effective rhetorical devices for a controversial topic presentation. Students present their findings using presentation software.
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The Parts of an Editorial
Students take notes as the teacher goes over the contents of an editorial and four types of an editorial. Students view an editorial and identify the structural elements in the sample as well as identify the type of editorial they are...
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Compare and Contrast Culture
Fifth graders compare and contrast the cultures of American culture with that of the other cultures of North America. Using traditional and Internet research, 5th graders gather data on one element of culture for comparison. Data...
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Rhetorical Devices
Twelfth graders identify and analyze examples of rhetorical devices as valid or invalid inferences. In this text analysis lesson, 12th graders research a controversial topic in teams and identify rhetorical devices for the topic....
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To Declare Independence or Not??
Young scholars debate and role play about whether the colonists should declare independence from England or not. For this American history and oral communication lesson, students read informational text about the colonists and their...
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Helping the Adolescent Cope with Family Life
Students are introduced to the proper ways to deal with conflict at home. In groups, they define family based on what it means to them and identify factors that lead to a breakdown in communications. They participate in role-playing...
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Isolation or Intervention?
Students research the attitudes and politics of pre-World War II America. They become isolationists or interventionists and present their points of view during a simulated city council meeting.
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Northern and Southern Differences in 1856
Fourth graders investigate differences between the ideology of the Northern and Southern states in 1856. In this states' history lesson plan, 4th graders examine the needs for slaves in the Southern agricultural economy, and compare it...
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Turning Literature into News
Students analyze the format and structure of various newspaper articles. Then, they rewrite events from literature into news stories about acts of kindness.
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Legislative Debate: The Importance and Role of Debate within the Legislative Process
Students learn the legislative process as they debate real-life issues that affect students within their age group. To prepare for the debate, students consult newspapers, selected articles, case studies, and other media resources....
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Biotechnology
Young scholars introduced to the genre of science fiction and the theme of biotechnology within that genre.
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What Did You Say?
Twelfth graders identify main ideas in reading selections. They read newspaper letters to the editor, identify the main ideas, list the supporting details, and present each side of the issue to the class.
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Life Stories
Fourth graders create a brief video presentation documenting their research of an impactful African American or woman from history. Students research and identify their accomplishments and create a 2-5 minute iMovie documenting their...
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Frederick Douglass
Fifth graders are introduced to the novel "Frederick Douglass" and conduct research about his life. The lesson integrates technology while using a library database. It is used as a source of information with access to a reference...
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Emlyndo Word Search Puzzle
In this literacy worksheet, middle schoolers look for the words in the puzzle that are related to the theme of the word search. The vocabulary and spelling are emphasized.
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T-Charts
In this literacy worksheet, students use the t-charts that are designed for the specific activity. The sheet is a teacher's guide to making them.
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Pictographic Poetry of Current Events
Students discuss recent currents events as a class. Using one of the events, they write a poem about how they feel about the event in question. They choose specific symbols that relate to event and write a poem about it as well. They...
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Social Studies: War and the Media
Students examine the impact of the media on various wars, especially the Iraq and Vietnam wars. By examining cartoons and popular music as primary sources, they suggest motivations for the conflicts and propose reasons for public...