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A New Point of View
Analyze point of view and how it affects a literary work with this lesson. Middle schoolers create a written piece that focuses on point of view. They review the literary term "point of view," and explore examples of the term in text....
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Capitalization
Teach your class the rules of capitalization with this fun, engaging lesson. Children participate in a learning activity, collaborate with peers, and practice their writing as they learn three specific rules: to always capitalize the...
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Say Aaah!
Students complete a variety of activities as they explore/review the letter 'o' as it makes the short /o/ sound. They recite short /o/ tongue twisters and practice writing the letter 'o'. They rewrite 'Skip to My Lou" using short /o/...
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Disease Lesson Plan
Students research the bubonic plague including disease facts, the time frame of outbreaks and the impact it had on society. They examine the work of Edgar Allen Poe and write an essay explaining why the plague was a subject of interest...
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Going Buggy
Students identify the parts of a dragonfly that they drew. They write a very short non-fiction story (mainly with pictures) about the adventure of a dragonfly. They interview a person dressed as a dragonfly to find out some things about...
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Illinois Biodiversity
Students examine the amount of biodiversity in the state of Illinois. They practice using new vocabulary and listening to stories about animals. After given time to reflect, they write their own haiku. They work together to create a...
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D.E.W. (Drop Everything and Write!)
Learners gather, determine validity and reliability of, analyze and organize information. They employ the most effective format for purpose and audience. Students write fully developed paragraphs that have details and information...
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Civil Rights: Rosa Parks Centers
Research the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Rosa Parks. Set up different centers and have learners rotate through the activities aimed at researching Rosa Parks. They read The Bus Ride that Changed History: The Story of Rosa Parks, write a...
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Personal Safety
Students read a tragic true story about personal safety and devise ways to reach a public audience with the message of personal safety in this Drama instructional activity for the high school classroom. Emphasis is placed on cooperative...
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Beowulf: Songs of Ancient Heroes
Introduce your class to epic heroes with these activities for Beowulf. After watching a video clip, taking notes on heroes, and tracking characteristics of heroism throughout Beowulf, class members retell an episode of Beowulf using a...
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Before Rosa Parks: Ida B. Wells
The contributions of Ida B. Wells to the Civil Rights Movement are the focus of this social studies lesson. Middle schoolers read a handout regarding Wells, discuss the handout, and write about non-conformist behavior.
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What's Fair?
Students investigate the concept of fairness. In this fairness lesson, students discuss fairness and how different people view it in different ways. They read stories which deal with fair and unfair.
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A Gift for Mama
Students read a novel about savings and complete activities to define short and long term saving goals. In this income and savings activity, students read A Gift for Mama and answer discussion questions for it. Students define the terms...
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Translation Into Reality
Students read a variety of short stories that focus on teenage protagonists. In groups, they answer comprehension questions and discuss the characters and setting for each story. Individually, they choose one writing assignment to...
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Cause and Effect
Students identify cause and effect relationships in a short story. After reading a short story, they participate in a discussion of how one event in a story can lead to several others. Students are then paired for a matching task that...
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Because of Winn-Dixie
Students make connections with the book Because of Winn-Dixie through writing. In this writing lesson, students pretend to be the main character and write a letter to her mother, using very descriptive language. Students also...
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The Dentist
Learners read a short story about visiting a dentist. Then they use toothbrushes in order to demonstrate the correct way to brush teeth. Students use the internet to investigate how some foods are healthier for teeth than others. Then...
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Message in a Bottle
Sixth graders write a short story about being stranded on a deserted island. After a brief geography review of locations at various latitudes and longitudes, 6th graders draft their story about being stranded. They use sensory and...
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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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Colors, Characters, & Clues: White Socks
Students examine the process of making inferences. They define inference, view a Powerpoint presentation, and as a whole group locate clues in the pictures of a short story, locating written clues to reinforce their conclusions.
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Narrative Prompt
Second graders are introduced to the style of a narrative writing. After being read a story, they use a graphic organizer to plan their writing. With a partner, they share their ideas and decide on one topic to write about. To end the...
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Cinderella Map Key
Students design a map key in order to show where the different Cinderella stories have taken place. In this map key lesson plan, students place symbols on a map to show the diversity of the stories.
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Haunted House
Students are read the story "That Terrible Halloween Night". Using their senses, they describe what it is like going into a haunted house for the first time. They write their own ending to the story and share it with the class to end the...
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Giving a Voice to Literature
Students explore podcast design. In this literacy and technology lesson, students read a novel during book club and design a promotional podcast to recommend the book to their peers. Necessary technology expertise and an...