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Harriet The Spy
Fourth graders investigate the style of diary writing as its own genre of literature. They read Harriet The Spy in order to have a text for this literature study. Students use the skill of prediction to preview the story, and then...
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Enrichment Activities - "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"
Fifth graders read the novel "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH."  They discuss the various characters in the book, and the different types of conflict that take place within the book.  They also research owls and rats to make comparisons...
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Cloud Watchers
Second graders read "The Cloud Book" by Tomie dePaola to jumpstart their cloud study. They offer examples of liquids, solids, and gases and chart them. They observe the making of a cloud in a demonstration. They discuss and draw...
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Stain My Days Blue
Students read several poems related to the life and culture of the Appalachia region. They are introduced to the poetic forms of simile, alliteration and onomatopoeia and respond to the poems through journal entries and poetry of their own.
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I Highly Recommend It
Sixth graders read, "The Watsons Go to Birmingham", and submit a critical review to Amazon Website online by copying and pasting their text onto the site.
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Reader's Workshop - Expression - Day 3
Second graders come up with motions to put with their poem and read their poem with expression. In this expression lesson plan, 2nd graders work in groups to complete this task.
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Esperanza Rising
Sixth graders explore equality by reading a story with their classmates. In this discrimination lesson, 6th graders read the story Esperanza Rising and discuss the tensions between Latin America and the United States. Students view...
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The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Lesson Plan 3
Ninth graders read the story, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," and create a characterization chart to define the stock characters in the main story.  They predict whether Walter Mitty will be a static character or a dynamic character....
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Climate Change and the EU
Sixth graders investigate solutions for a cleaner environment.  In this environmental protection lesson, 6th graders discuss and list the key issues surrounding the environment.  Students read and take notes on climate change, greenhouse...
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Esperanza Rising
Students explore foreign cultures by reading a story in class. In this Hispanic history instructional activity, students read the story Radio Man by Arthur Dorros and identify the times discrimination is used in the story. Students...
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Who Serves Time? Breaking Down Stereotypes About Juvenile Offenders
Young scholars read and discuss article "Doing Time," explore juvenile justice system and juvenile hall, and discuss stereotypes of young offenders.
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Getting to Know You
Young scholars demonstrate the concept of friendship. For this character education lesson, students read the book Best Friends and discuss what friendship means. Young scholars create a picture book about their likes and dislikes.
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Esperanza Rising: Lesson 3
Sixth graders read parts of the book Esperanza Rising and define vocabulary words connected to it. In this Esperanza Rising lesson plan, 6th graders illustrate words and discuss the sections of the books they read.
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Pirate Unit
Students complete a unit of lessons on pirates. They read and analyze the novel, 'The Stowaway: A Tale of California Pirates,' define key vocabulary terms, participate in a literature circle, and write a report on pirates.
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Esperanza Rising- Metacognition
Sixth graders develop metacognitive skills while reading Esperanza Rising. In this comprehension strategies lesson, 6th graders read a chapter from the book and discuss questions with a small group. Students share with their peers. 
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Equal Shmequal by Virginia Kroll
Students read a book and complete exercises to explore the meaning of 'equals.' In this equal numbers lesson, students brainstorm the meaning of equals and read a story about the topic. Students use manipulatives to study balance and...
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Summary, Note Taking, Main Idea and Details
Students take notes from oral readings and lectures to create a summary of the material. They use different sizes of post-it notes to complete the activity. They practice pulling the main ideas out of the given material.
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Literature Exploration
Students experience a variety of literature and illustrations. They read books by Beverly Cleary and tomie de Paolo. Using Storybook Weaber, students write their own autobiography. Students give an oral report on their autobiography.
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Literature: Yoshiko Uchida Unit
Sixth graders read the books, The Invisible Thread: An Autobiography by Yoshiko Uchida and Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki about Japanese Americans during World War II. They hold discussions, take quizzes, and write essays about the...
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Where the Wild Things Shouldn't Be
Students compare and contrast wild and domestic animal needs. In this animal welfare instructional activity, students read the poem Where the Wild Things Shouldn't Be and create a list of wild and domestic animals. Students create a...
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The Marvelous World of OZ
Students investigate the major themes in fantasy maps, expand basic map reading skills, write imaginative narrative essays based on the OZ map, and create their own fantasy map detail based on a core map.
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After Hamelin
Middle schoolers discuss the story The Pied Piper.  In this reading comprehension lesson, students participate in a variety of activities designed to enhance and further their understanding of the story.  Middle schoolers...
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Families and neighborhoods
Students create their house to add to a class "neighborhood". For this lesson on family and community, students read the book Family by Todd Parr and discuss how all families and houses are different. Then, students create their own...
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Las Christmas: Favorite Latino Authors Share Their Holiday Memories
Eighth graders read Las Christmas and discuss their own cultural traditions. In this holiday traditions lesson, 8th graders write their personal story about a tradition or holiday memory. Students complete all stages of writing in...