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Music and Lyrics
Eighth graders analyze lyrics from songs from a variety of genres. In this musical analysis activity, 8th graders write an essay about their life plans in which they discuss the lyrics of U2's song, "One." They tell how the writings of...
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Where in the World is Cinderella?
Students read several versions of the Cinderella story and examine variations from different cultures. They consider how point of view affects a story and develop a multimedia presentation with their observations.
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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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Writing a Narrative
Sixth graders read the short story "Eleven". They write a narrative composition focusing on the use of voice. Students use a computer to create a pre-writing graphic organizer and type their final draft.
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Ida Tarbell: Hysterical Woman vs. Historical Facts
Students examine journalism and its different styles. For this effective communication instructional activity students create an editorial message and articulate an article.
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Heart (and Arm) of Darkness
Learners read and translate a 19th-century American ghost tale into a Japanese hanging scroll in this exciting lesson for middle-level Language Art classes. The lesson can be completed in four or five days.
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Folktales (African American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean)
High schoolers participate in a variety of activities that are concerned with comparing different cultures through the literary genre of folktales. The stories are used to stimulate student interest and provide a context for how a...
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Rising Tensions Over The Nile River Basin
Students analyze the concept of global commons dilemma. In this investigative instructional activity students read an article on the Middle East Media Research Institute and answer questions accordingly.
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Fables and Trickster Tales Around the World
Students analyze fables and trickster tales from various cultural traditions. In this fable analysis lesson, students identify the elements of fables and trickster stories. Students read Aesop's fables and Ananse spider stories....
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Thornton Wilder's Our Town: The Reader as Writer
Students read a play and create their own play using Thornton Wilder's Our Townas a resource. For this play lesson, students analyze how theatrical elements contribute to a play's meanings and effects. Students recognize differences...
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Dawdle Duckling
Students read the book Dawdle Duckling and complete different activities about the book. Students research the wetlands, research ducks, complete an oil and water experiment, map a cove, and more.
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Look Around You
Students make predictions about a book they are reading and use their background knowledge to make inferences. In this predictions lesson plan, students complete a worksheet that they are given.
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Memior: The Stuff of Our Lives
Fourth graders reflect upon the significance of remembered events and to keep a "notebook" of their thoughts and feelings. They read books that exemplify memior writing. They write their memiors, taking it through the writing process.
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Break the Pentomino Code!
Learners read and analyze the book, Chasing Vermeer. They discuss the main story elements, analyze how pentominoes are important to the story, use a pentomino code to decipher a message, and create a secret code of their own.
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Comparing Characters Across Two Short Stories
Ninth graders listen to a read aloud of two short stories focusing on literary devices. The write about the settings and realism of the stories, and decide each main character handles the conflict he faces with nature.
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Disease and Culture through Literary Time
Students select books to read that include disease as a plot or theme component. They fill out a matrix for the disease in their novel and write a five-paragraph paper about their book. Students use the rest of the week's classes to...
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A Little Trouble in Amsterdam
Students read A Little Trouble in Amsterdam and discuss their reading. For this reading comprehension lesson, students complete pre-reading activities and post-reading activities for the book A Little Trouble in Amsterdam by Richard...
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Batter Up
Students explore personal achievement by reading a children's book. In this story analysis lesson, students read the book Batter Up, by Sue Muller Hacking and discuss the main character in the story and the actions that she takes to meet...
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What's the Point? A Lesson on Point of View
Fourth graders read the book, Good Dog by Alexandra Day. In this writing lesson, 4th graders re-write the story from a chosen character's point of view. This lesson can be used with many other wordless picture books.
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"you Can't Order a Poem Like You Order a Taco": an Introduction To Poetry
Students explore what poetry is and certain aspects within it. They write their own knowledge and perceptions of poetry and the expand that knowledge and experience through listening to, reading, and writing poetry and exploring poetic...
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Comparing Fairy Tales
Students read and review common fairy tales and come up with a list of characteristics from them. The Teacher models filling out either a compare & contrast graphic organizer comparing two fairy tales.
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Chocolate Chaos
Second graders demonstrate the ability to examine the elements of a story (theme, plot, setting, mood) and characters, by discussing and writing about each. They have fun with chocolate related activities and enjoy reading about some...
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Setting And Plot
Students engage in study of plot and setting with the reading of many familiar texts. They identify the plot and setting with the help of a worksheet. The teacher works with the class for scaffolding and helps them to recognize the...
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Poetry
Fifth graders preview different poetry selections form different poets to narrow their criteria for a favorite poem. They use the web and written sources to find a favorite poem and then give an oral interpretation of their poem in class...