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Summer Fun! Vacation Destination Postcards
Students design a postcard with a graph and text. They research their favorite vacation spot. Pupils write a friendly letter to their parents requesting to visit this vacation destination. Students use a Circle Map, to help fill in their...
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Bionic Trees
Students examine the debate about using trees to clean up the environment by reading and discussing a news article. They research the various contexts for which scientists may want to genetically alter trees and assess the validity of...
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Baseball Cards
Learners read a short story on baseball cards and reflect on Honus Wagner's decision to withdraw his card. In this baseball cards lesson plan, students study how children used cards in the 1930's and express their understanding of Honus...
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The Game of Persuasion
Young scholars study vocabulary words and explore persuasive speaking. In groups, they support a given argument and generate ideas for a a persuasive speech. They discuss powerful words and strategies for persuasion. Students write a...
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Critical Literacy in the 21st Century
Students discover world geography by writing persuasive letters. In this literacy lesson, students discuss what percentage of children are illiterate in our country compared to other geographic locations. Students utilize writing...
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Build Your Own Adventure
Sixth graders write a narrative. They choose options for plot and climax within the context of an outdoor survival story.
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Is Seeing Believing...Or Decieving
Seventh graders investigate media protrayal of railroad trespassing incidents. They write a legal action letter against one of the media companies.
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story Behind the Play
Students read Shakespeare and Macbeth: The Story Behind the Play by Stewart Ross. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the play and Shakespearian culture. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing,...
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A Sure Bet!
Ninth graders analyze Chekhov's "The Bet". They repsond to a journal quesiton and use examples from the novel. In groups, they take on different roles analyzing the novel and then write one of my prompts to complete the instructional...
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Immigration
Eighth graders examine the American immigration experience. In this immigration lesson plan, 8th graders watch a video about Ellis Island and discuss the processing that took place there. Students write letters in the voice of American...
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The Wyandotte Constitutional Convention: The Issue of Suffrage
Seventh graders discover details about the Wyandotte Constitutional Convention. In this Kansas history activity, 7th graders tackle civil rights concerns as they draft persuasive speeches to secure the rights of young voters in the state.
US Mint
Rename That State!
As Shakespeare famously wrote, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," but can the same be said for a state? In this elementary geography lesson, students are assigned specific states to research using the information they find...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Statewide Smokefree Laws
Does your state allow smoking in public workplaces? What about in bars or restaurants? Take a look at an informative map of the United States to see what states do not allow smoking indoors, what states do not have indoor air laws on the...
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Language Arts: Take Me to the Hall of Fame
Learners write persuasive letters supporting a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Once they have written the letter, they respond to it from the coach's point of view. In addition, students compose various conclusions to their letters.
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Observing Capitalization Rules
In this capitalization worksheet, students complete three activities that help them follow the rules for capitalization in their writing.
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Art or Artifact?
High schoolers analyze and discuss illustrations of the New World by John White. They examine the images, answer questions about each one, and write an essay.
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Lesson 25: The Great Chicago Fire Must Become a Movie
Students write a persuasive letter asking James Cameron to choose their disaster for his next movie.
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Looking At French Decorative Arts: Makers of Nothing, Sellers of Everything
Students compare/contrast the role of merchant to that of his modern-day business counterpart. They role-play that they are 18th-century merchants, and write persuasive letters to sell French beds for clients.
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Black History Stamps
Students explore the lives and contributions of the many black Americans who are honored on U.S. commemorative postage stamps, make a presentation that synthesizes information about a historical figure and time, and write a persuasive...
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Understanding Science Fiction
Fourth graders learn about the genre of science fiction. In this science fiction lesson, 4th graders learn about the characteristics of science fiction as a genre. They write an original piece of science fiction.
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Philanthropy in Michigan???Civil War Lesson 2: Forming Opinions
Students act out a section of the book Gentle Annie that is depicted in Chapter 4. They discuss the character position taken by each of the characters in the scene. They write a persuasive letter to one of the characters.
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Lesson 1: Design a Transportation Stamp
Students, in groups, research a certain form of transportation that has affected Maine's economic and cultural development. They write a persuasive letter that uses the research to support an argument.
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Seeing the Forests for the Trees
Students explore changing logging practices in the Congo Republic and research the many roles of tropical forests as a natural resource. To synthesize their understanding, students write letters to loggers in Africa, urging them to adopt...
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Voting and the U.S. Constitution (Past, Present, and Future)
Students discuss the 26th Amendment, then write letters to a future guest speaker. Students listen to the guest speaker and ask them questions about voting and voter turnout. Students then create handbills urging citizens to vote.