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Definition Poems
“Hope is a tissue, wiping away your problems and fears.” Use a Definition Poem Web worksheet to model for your class how to craft a free verse poem based on an emotion. After brainstorming topics, groups use the sheet to make comparisons...
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How to Write A+ Essays!
This lesson, which promises to improve the essays of your middle schoolers, contains a list of characteristics an essay should include. It breaks it down into the introduction, thesis statement, body, etc. There's also a list of things...
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Dreams, Stars, and Beaches
Compare and contrast ideas, hopes and dreams with those of Cassie in Faith Ringgold's, Tar Beach. your students can entries in their journals expressing their ideas.
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Writing: Narrative, Expository, Persuasive, and Descriptive
If you are interested in having a basic framework for teaching expository, narrative, persuasive, and descriptive writing, this resource may help; however, you will have to find information on the different forms of writing to share with...
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Writing Process
Introduce primary graders to the writing process. After reviewing the steps, they practice using the process by writing a book report. Before writing the draft, they complete a graphic organizer. The completed draft is reviewed by peers....
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"All About Me" Webpage
Students conduct interviews and write about the interview. The information from these interviews is used to create a webpage on Netscape Composer. Students cite Internet sources for any images downloaded from the web. Students also use...
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Persuasive Elements
Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...
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Truly Amazing Mammals
Explore the world of amazing mammals with your kids with special needs. Each child identifies one mammal from a previous instructional activity and writes a short paragraph on that mammal. This instructional activity states that it is...
Novelinks
The Cure: Guided Imagery
Prepare class members for a discussion of Sonia Levitin's dystopian novel The Cure, by leading them on a guided imagery exercise designed to encourage visualization of written descriptions.
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Autobiographies: A Jigsaw Puzzle
Learners read The Autobiography of Ben Franklin. Using construction paper, they cut out five jigsaw puzzle pieces in different shapes using the entire sheet of paper. They write events from their own lives on the puzzle pieces, thus...
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Front Page News
Students write original earthquake articles typically found on the front page of a newspaper. Each student has the freedom to write in a variety of writing styles (lead story, human interest story, editorials, etc.). They research...
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Drawing a "Life Map"
Students create an autobiography. In this writing activity, students use a life map as a graphic organizer to develop their autobiography.
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A Year (a Day or a Week) In My Life as a Shorebird
Students describe the basic life history of one shorebird common to their area. They use the writing process which includes brainstorming, rough draft writing, peer editing, and re-writing to create a factually and grammatically...
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Pieces of Me
Eighth graders explore themselves and their community. In this writing lesson, 8th graders brainstorm ideas about their childhood, middle years, family, and future goals. Students write an autobiographical sketch about themlseves.
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My Favorite Room
Young scholars practice describing a room. In this descriptive writing lesson plan, students use all of their five senses to describe their favorite room. The teacher will model for the class by creating a word list that describe the...
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Story Starters
Sixth graders examine the pictures on a chart and relate to their own experiences. In this story starters writing lesson, 6th graders explore the pictures presented by the teacher and then create an original story based on the picture...
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The Rest of the Story
Third graders make predictions about the story "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" based on background knowledge. They read the story, stopping to verify or reject predictions. They write their own opinionated fairytales.
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If I Could Have Lived in Another Time or Culture
Third graders develop multi-paragraph compositions. They include an introduction, first and second level support, and a conclusion. They use a variety of sentence structures (e.g., simple, compound/complex) and sentence types (i.e.,...
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Picture the Process
Students read Chasing Vermeer and relate the book to the author . For this writing process lesson, students view Blue's Photo Album and see how the author writes and revises her work. Students discuss the process that all good writers...
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The Desert is Theirs: Adapting to Our Environment
Learners determine how animals and people adapt to the desert environment. In this desert lesson, students review vocabulary about the desert and how humans have to make changes to accommodate their environments. They listen to and...
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Writing: Lesson 7
Teacher reads aloud to the students the material that is printed in boldface type inside the boxes. Information in regular type inside the boxes and all
information outside the boxes should not be read to the students. Possible
student...
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Just Sandwiches
Second graders design sandwiches for all meals, courses, and occasions. They list or draw many, different, and unusual sandwich creations. Basic ingredients should be identified for each idea.
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Paragraph
Fourth graders work through detailed steps to complete a paragraph on the story "The Great Kapok Tree." They gather details from the story, and choose a standpoint for the paper using the details as a defense. The students write their...
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Getting Your "Hands-On" a Great Outline
Students write with controlled and/or subtle organization. They learn three ways to arrange a formal outline. Students demonstrate this knowledge by creating an outline as class. They cover the concepts of anticipation, investigation,...