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Metaphor
High schoolers identify the distinction between literal and figurative language with a focus on metaphors. They complete a metaphor analysis chart, then practice expanding metaphors by composing their own comparisons of elements of the...
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Exploring Contrasting Story Elements Through Tapestry and Poetry
Young thinkers view two narrative art tapestries and study the images included that tell a story about the Roman Emperor Constantine. As they examine the details of the tapestries, pupils use a Venn Diagram to record the similarities and...
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Mix and Match Poetry
Third graders compare boring and vivid words: adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. They list them and come up with 10 vivid words on cards. They shuffle all the cards and use 10 to write "vivid" poetry.
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Jabberwocky-Identifying Adjectives
Elementary learners identify adjectives in sentences. They read the poem "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll and highlight the adjectives. A good supplemental instructional activity if you are studying Lewis Carroll and/or "Jabberwocky."
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Poetry: Metaphor
Ninth graders investigate the uses of metaphor in poetry. They construct poems demonstrating the correct usage of metaphors.
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Language Arts: Bringing Verbs to Life
Kindergarteners create action words collections to use in their own writing projects. After listening to several books, they select action verbs to dramatize and take digital photographs of their acting. Once the photos are printed, they...
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Fall
Students read "Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf" then they brainstorm words about fall that begin with the letters F, A, and L. They compose and decorate their own acrostic poem then they write a Fall story and complete a final copy in the computer...
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Language Arts: Writing Diamante Poems
Third graders discover how to write diamante poems and review the parts of speech contained in them. After writing poems about their teacher, they create ones about themselves. The poems, assessed for creativity and handwriting, are then...
ReadWriteThink
Alliteration All Around
Discover alliteration found in picture books by Pamela Duncan Edwards. Then, dive into a read aloud of Alligators All Around by Maurice Sendak. This practice sets the stage for budding poets to create their own acrostic poem, write an...
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Poems Put to Use
Students listen to sample poetry recitations. They discuss times when poetry might be used in real-life situations to move/motivate other people or audiences. They identify particularly moving passages and then quote them effectively to...
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Jack Be Nimble
Students recite the poem "Jack Be Nimble". In this poetry lesson, students read the poem and discuss other action words to use instead of jump. They rewrite the poem using their own name and a new action word.
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Number The Stars Diamante Poem
In this language arts worksheet, students read the rules and format for a diamante poem. They fill in the lines on page 2 while following the guidelines.
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Diamante Poems
In this language arts worksheet, students are guided in the process of creating diamante poems. Then they create their own from the choices given.
John F. Kennedy Center
Jazz music, Dance and Poetry
Students view video and become familiar with the type of movement in jazz dance. In this jazz dance lesson, students write a cinquain about jazz dance. Students recognize the elements of jazz dance and the type of music associated with...
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A Close Reading of Learned Hand's "I Am an American Day"
Judge Learned Hand's "Spirit of Liberty" speech delivered during the July, 1944 "I Am an American Day" celebration is the subject of a close reading activity that models for learners how to approach a dense, difficult text.
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Louisiana Cinquains
Students enhance their understanding of parts of speech by writing a cinquain poem about Louisiana. In this cinquain poem instructional activity, students read example cinquain poems and study the format for a cinquain poem. Students...
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Character Impressions
Whether you are planning a unit on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, or simply want to improve your pupils' descriptive writing, this lesson could be a good addition to your class. Using the Six-Trait Writing process, pupils use...
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A Sneaky Poem
Third graders incorporate a subject and its synonym, and the parts of speech to create a Sneaky Poem. After a lecture/demo, 3rd graders begin writing their poems, and have their classmates act as peer reviewers before final submission.
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Acting Out Verbs
Students act out verbs. In this verbs lesson, students identify and highlight the action words in a poem. As a class, the students act out the verbs, reinforcing the idea that verbs are action words.
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Using Poetic Images to Initiate the Exploration of Resistance During the Holocaust
Students explore the role of resistance during the Holocaust. Viewing images, they complete a set of notes on the Holocaust and discuss the feelings they get from looking at the photographs. They identify the parts of speech used in...
Film English
Missing U
Explore the relationship between U and I with a video and related activities. First, pupils have some fun with the alphabet and discuss text message language. Next they practice coming up with words that have the same sound a I and U....
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Who Can Achieve the "American Dream"
Exploring the idea of working to achieve the American Dream, the class reads an excerpt from How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents by Julia Alvarez. Following, the class analyzes the excerpt and discusses the theme of the reading using...
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Hailstones & Halibut Bones: Using Color to Teach Adjectives
Students write a color poem with a color, a noun, and their two adjectives in each line. They can start each line with the color or the noun, as long as the adjectives are put where they make sense.
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Cinquain
Students use poetry Cinquain to help review nouns, adjectives, verbs, and synonyms. They follow up by composing their own Cinquain.