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The Essential Brick
Pupils examine their position within their school and discuss qualities they need to be productive citizens outside of school. they culminate the unit by writing an autobiography that includes the concepts of responsibility, choice, and...
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Kid Lit Crit
Pupils explore different types of student literature; they then write their own fiction pieces, in either fantasy/adventure or memoir/realism style.
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Themes in Literature - Langston Hughes "Thank You Ma'm"
Eighth graders study Langston Hughes, "Thank You Ma'am" to discover the elements of plot, character motives and reactions. They express the effects of trust and kindness by writing a reflective personal narrative. They illustrate the...
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A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Young scholars familiarize themselves with science fiction/fantasy literature. They create an awareness of the different types of literature, develop an appreciation for them and be able to tell them apart. Students realize that science...
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Interative History Notebook Mini-lesson
Students respond to Holocaust literature. In this interactive history instructional activity, students select quotes from chapter 1 of Elie Wiesel's Night and reflect on their meaning as they record their thoughts on poetic, prose,...
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Jargon
Eighth graders investigate the concept of jargon and how it is used in different contexts in relation to the study of vocabulary. They practice interpreting jargon by concentrating on the comprehension strategy of using context clues.
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Taking a Stand - 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March
Learners examine the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March. They view pictures reflecting their perceptions of their most important rights as citizens, write journal responses, create collages illustrating courage, and read...
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It's Raining Meatballs
Learners observe and demonstrate the process of summarization using the book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" by Judi Barrett. They silently read the story, and as a class discuss the five W's. Students then write a short summary of...
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I Have a Dream
Learners use flip video cameras to film a speech about the 'I Have a Dream' speech. In this poetry and speech lesson, students listen to the speech from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Learners memorize part of the speech.
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"Compression of Emotional Power"--Responding To Unseen Poetry
Eleventh graders identify the structure, rhythm and style of a selected poem, experience utilizing poetic devices and analyze an annotated poem. They evaluate the themes and inferred meanings to a variety of poems from their textbooks.
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The Lorax
Third graders identify environmental problems. In this natural resources lesson students participate in several activities that support critical thinking about the environment and natural resources. The students write, list, and verbally...
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Philanthropy in A Christmas Carol
Students explore philanthropy in literature. For this cross curriculum literacy and character development lesson, students read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and note charitable acts described in the story. Students relate story...
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Mini-Unit: Natural Resources
Students explore how their choices affect others. In this character development and ecology lesson, students debate choice-making issues. Students listen to The Lorax by Dr. Seuss and identify choices the characters made...
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Dear Diary
Students analyze a piece of writing by creating diary entries based on a character. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read an assigned book with their classmates and create a sketch of what they believe the main...
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Proud to Be of Service
Observe the National Day of Service and Remembrance with a service learning lesson plan. After discussing the events of September 11, 2001, learners plan and implement their own service learning project in honor of American...
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The Magic in Writing
Pupils watch a portion of a familiar film and write responses to a series of questions. They apply their observations to short stories.
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My Diary From Here To There: Understanding Mexican Culture Through Research and Diary Entries
Third graders explore the adventures of an immigrant as she comes to the United States. They discuss the difficulties the immigrants had and they research the Mexican culture and society. Students create a diary of their own.
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A Year of Reading
Utilize literature books for youth as a means to engage new readers and celebrate reading accomplishments.
Student Achievement Partners
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm - "The Fisherman and his Wife"
Help young readers learn to read and interpret complex text independently. Teach young children to ask interpretive questions and use the text itself to answer them. Use art, word play and drama to provide a deeper understanding of...
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Esperanza Rising - Anticipation Guide
Learn about Mexican culture while simultaneously strengthening reading, writing and computer skills. In order to get the most out of Esperanza Rising, pupils should have prior knowledge of Mexican culture. Therefore, there are links to a...
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The Raven
After a close reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" individuals copy the rhythm and rhyme scheme and rewrite the final stanzas of the poem.
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Fable Writing--Inter-disciplinary Approach To Social Sciences
Students recognize the elements of a fable and write an original fable. They make connections with morals and other law-related concepts.
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Other Voices - Latino and Chicano Literature and Identity in America
Twelfth graders analyze "Dedication" and "Child of the Americas" using a double-journal format. They compare responses and infer meaning from the connotations of select images in the poems write a paragraph describing the importance of...
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All About Me
Young scholars examine their own personality traits and preferences. They use this information to write an autobiography.