Japan Society
Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure
What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...
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American Families: Portraits of African-American Families
Students develop a greater understanding and appreciation for their families. They increase personal self-esteem and pride as a result of studying about families through literature. They assess the importance of family values and...
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Music With a Message
Students write a line by line analysis of a song which they feel expresses a powerful message that can change society for the better. They then present their analysis to the class in an oral report.
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Lesson Plan for Granny Will Your Dog Bite and Other Mountain Rhymes
Sixth graders practice choral reading of poetry. In this creative literature instructional activity, 6th graders incorporate elements of performing arts into their choral readings of various poems. They discuss musical instruments,...
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Going on a Bear Hunt
Students discover the value of Internet safety. Through various traditional and multimedia presentations and stories, students explore the ways in which they can gather information on the Internet with an emphasis on safe searching and...
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Treasures of the Silk Roads
Students examine and discuss art objects from the Silk Roads. They analyze images of artifacts, create a word map, and develop and write a short story or poem based on the slides viewed.
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Gingerbread Baby
Young scholars explore gingerbread stories. In this poetry lesson, students read the folk tale "The Gingerbread Man" as well as Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett and identify rhyming words. Young scholars also make art projects, dramatize...
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Norse Mythology
Third graders read several selections of Norse mythology and compare this mythology to others studied in the past. They are introduced to runes. They read poetry and compile a class book of favorite poems. They define idioms and cite...
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Japanese Culture
First graders research information about Japanese people and culture. They read a Japanese story listening for rhyme schemes. They create their own rhyme schemes. They discuss Japanese food and sample rice cakes. They read Haiku and then...
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Getting to Know You
Third graders explore different types of poetry and illustrate their own experiences through creating their own poem. In this getting to know you lesson, 3rd graders create and recite their poems with a self-portrait.
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Reporting Live From...
Young scholars examine the many disasters in West Virginia. In this US history lesson, students write about and give an oral presentation of one of the disasters as if they were reporters.
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Picturing Family History
Tenth graders interview their parents for a sense of place. They use the information received to write a poem.
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Free Speech Comes At a Price
Learners use communicative activity strategy, Go, Ask and Tell, or more traditional whole text comprehension activity to read, discuss and explore issues in article, Free Speech Comes at a Price, by Hugh Mackay.
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"Raise the Red Lantern" by Su Tong
Students read and analyze the novella, "Raise the Red Lantern," by Su Tong. They compare/contrast the story with other works of literature, answer discussion questions, conduct research, and in small groups develop oral presentations.
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Exploring Arthurian Legend
High schoolers investigate the evolution of the King Arthur stories and analyze them as a window into the culture that preserved them. They trace the legends through their earliest versions through medieval and Victorian times and into...
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Discovering Yourself
Students explore Aboriginal storytelling. In this literature lesson, students read Knots on a Counting Rope and then create a story line as they discuss the attributes of Aboriginal culture. Students retell the story in their own words.
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Tales of King Arthur
Middle schoolers discover how historical events led to the stories of King Arthur and his Court. Students read stories about chivalry and the Round Table, discuss the Holy Grail's symbolism, and role-play an Arthurian character.
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Fahrenheit 451
Students agree on a definition of censorship and then discuss incidents of censorship with which they are familiar. They might consider incidents in present-day America, elsewhere in the world, and in the past. Bradbury's novel serves as...
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Introducing Tolkien and His Words
Students identify and describe the types of narratives that made Tolkien the writer he was. In groups, they examine different myths and folktale motifs. They discuss what Tolkien meant by "faerie" and "eucatastrophe." As a class, they...
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The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
Sixth graders demonstrate the ability to process and evaluate content from a variety of sources and apply comprehension skills to the material read. They organize information for practical use and design and develop an informational...
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Three Arts in Retrograde
Learners make connections between music, the other arts, and other curricular areas. They compare characteristics of two or more arts within a particular historical period or style and cite examples from various cultures.
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Grandparents Are Grand
Students to interview their grandparents. It uses the book, "Just Grandma and Me." students brainstorm and select the questions they each ask their grandparents.
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The Roadmap to the Jewish Golden Age of Spain
Learners discover, through analysis of media and of primary source historical documents, how Jews achieved high levels of assimilation and acceptance under Islamic rule during the Golden Age of Spain, from the tenth to the twelfth century.
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Understanding Genres
Young scholars identify genres of literature. For this literature instructional activity, young scholars read definitions of the various genres. Young scholars choose books and list clues in the texts that help them identify the...