Lesson Plan
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A Family Apart

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students create an abc book, acrostic poem, diary, caricature, haiku, and more for the story A Family Apart. In this A Family Apart lesson plan, students also have vocabulary words to use.
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The Uluburun Shipwreck Project: Interconnections through Trade in the Late Bronze Age Mediterranean World

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine causes and effects of the Uluburun shipwreck. In groups, they develop their own ways to categorize the artifacts found on the ship and decide on the research questions they are going to focus on. They use the...
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Endangered Species Research

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders research animal species using the library.  In this research instructional activity students are given an animal species to research in the library.
Lesson Plan
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Air Pollution: What Can You Do?

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read the book "Air Pollution" by Gary Lopez. They reflect on what causes air pollution and write about it in their journals, learning new vocabulary and using it each day.
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Recipes from Africa and Asia

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders research Internet sites that provide recipes from Asian and African countries. They compile the recipes in a database. After compilation, they can sort the database for similarities and differences in ingredients.
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Disease Research Project

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore the human body and how disease affects man. After using the internet and other reference materials to complete research, 9th graders write a paper on the cause and effect of a selected disease. In preparation for...
Lesson Plan
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Inventions Multimedia Time Line

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders research the impact of particular inventions on various times throughout history. They compile information from the Internet and a database to create a multimedia timeline of important inventions. The program Timeliner is...
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Dream Vacation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research cities, states, or countries using the internet and other resources to learn about a vacation spot. They make a final presentation of their findings in forms other than a written report.
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I'll Trade a Ponce de Leon for a Columbus...

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders research the discovery of the Americas by various explorers. They create a multiedia presentation about an explorer of their choice including their motivations, obstacles, and successes. Their explorer information will be...
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How Many M&M's

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore sets and collections. Students find the colors of M&M's and the amount of M&M's each student has. They organize this information into an Excel spreadsheet. Students use the chart wizard to create a graph.
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Weather Wise

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate weather and how to forecast it. They discuss the three types of clouds and the kind of weather they bring. After setting up a database, they reearch weather-related websites to check cloud conditions and weather...
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Life Stories

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders create a brief video presentation documenting their research of an impactful African American or woman from history. Students research and identify their accomplishments and create a 2-5 minute iMovie documenting their...
Lesson Plan
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Introduction of Primary Sources

For Teachers 1st
First graders are introduced to photographs and newspaper articles to be used as primary sources. Using a projecter, they are shown photographs of a famous person to prove they were real and not make believe. In groups, they use...
Lesson Plan
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World War One- Lesson #1 of 3

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders search an online database for World War I posters, newspapers, magazines and other media. They write an essay about public sentiment of the time based on the research.
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World War Two- Lesson #2 of 3

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders search an online database for World War II posters and other propaganda materials. They write an essay about public sentiment of the era based on their research.
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Illinois County Dragonfly Poster

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students identify the dragonflies found in their Illinois County by using the Odonata database list to find the scientific names, searching field guides and the Internet for (1) the common name (2) description (3) life habits and (4) a...
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The Civil War - Lesson #1 of 3

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders design a newspaper, with images, that reflects historically accurate information about how Illinois residents felt and acted during the Civil War.
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Nothing to Fear

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders read from the book, "Nothing to Fear," and discuss living in New York during the Great Depression. They write entries and summaries in their learning logs to share with the class. They work in groups to create a database...
Lesson Plan
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Pre-Reading Preparation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore a given historical fiction story. In groups, they research selected topics dealing with the story and determine what is fiction and what is fact. Students create a multimedia presentation about their findings and...
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Using The Catalog to Locate Information

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders identify prior knowledge of the Public Access Catalog. They identify parts of a catalog record. Students use the Public Access Catalog to locate an item. The teacher place 6-8 books on the tables. Students locate several...
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Louisa May Alcott

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore life of author Louisa May Alcott, define Transcendentalism, discuss the children's books Alcott wrote, read two selections she wrote, and compare the writing style of one of her children's stories with a story she wrote...
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Studying the Great Depression Through Novels

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders view pictures of life in a small town during the Great Depression in Illinois to gain an understanding of living conditions during the era. They read novels based on life of this era.
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My Favorite Story

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students share their pictures on an online database. As a class, they discuss their favorite books and why they like it. They review the elements of a story and brainstorm ideas for each category. To end the lesson, they complete a...
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Class Celebration of Primary Sources (Lesson 6)

For Teachers 1st
First graders participate in a celebration to end their examination on primary sources. In teams, they guide special guests around their classroom to show what they have done with primary sources. They share their peronal primary...