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Primary and Secondary Sources - 7th
A link to a beautiful Animoto presentation is included, giving examples of primary sources that a student might want to contact when doing research. Using the Topaz Internment Camp in Utah as a sample topic, middle schoolers view a slide...
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A Primary Source Picture Book
Travel through Europe with ten-year-old Teddy Roosevelt in this writing activity, which uses the picture book My Tour of Europe: by Teddy Roosevelt, by Ellen Jackson. After reading the book, readers compare it to passages from The...
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Using Primary Sources: Letters from the Presidents
Young scholars find out about the minds and thoughts of presidents through reading their actual letters. They explore the personal lives of presidents. They answer questions about a primary source. They write essays.
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Picture Fists Full of Kisses
Ease children's back-to-school jitters with this primary grade lesson based on the book The Kissing Hand by Ruth E. Harper. Starting off with a singing of the song "I Wish I Had a Little Red Box", children go on to discuss and create a...
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Social Studies Wonders: An Exploration
Help middle schoolers conduct Internet research and develop a working definition for the discipline of social studies. From a list of websites, they develop classification skills and differentiate between primary and secondary sources....
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What a Character!
Guide your readers to explore character traits. As a class, discuss and record the traits of a commonly-known fairy tale character. Then do the same with the main character in the class novel. Finally, have learners use magazines and...
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Alphabet Sensation
Students research different websites to obtain information about the alphabet. In this Internet lesson plan, students use their knowledge of the alphabet to navigate certain websites.
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Creating Dramatic Monologues from The Grapes of Wrath
The characters in The Grapes of Wrath come to life through an activity that asks groups to craft a dramatic monologue for a character in John Steinbeck's National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize winning novel. Writers are challenged to...
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What's Civil About War?
Students study about the Civil War through primary sources used in the PBS production of "Freedom: A History of US" based on Joy Hakim's books, "A History of US", and the companion PBS Web site.
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Minnesota-China Connections: Writing Prompts
Students write a short essay in response to a writing prompt related to a theme or issue raised within the Minnesota-China Connection Web site.
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Will the Real Ben Franklin Please Stand Up?
Students explore the life of Benjamin Franklin. In this American history lesson, students research primary and secondary documents regarding Franklin's life. Students should examine the point of view each of the accounts is written from...
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Dino Hunt
Students use the Internet to gather information about dinosaurs. They practice navagating through the different websites. They also practice listening to directions and also explore how to fill out a KWL chart.
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In Search of Dracula: History and Imagination
Students evaluate sources, understanding the difference between primary and secondary sources as well as recognize between reliable and unreliable information. They access Internet sources and investigate mystery stories and supernatural...
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Draw the Three Little Pigs Houses
Students conduct Internet research on The Three Little Pigs. They explore various websites, and create a drawing of the house they think is the strongest using Kid Pix software.
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The Alphabet of Coins
Students use letter/sound relationships of initial consonants to complete sentences that follow a given repeating pattern. These sentences be based on coin terms found on the U.S. Mint H.I.P. Pocket Change™ Web site.
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"Pray, Why Speakest Thou Thusly?"
Examine popular language and slang and how they have changed over the course of American history. Conduct Internet research, use an online interactive Colonial House website to translate 17th century language into 21st century language,...
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The Invention of the Printing Press
Students are guided through a series of websites which teach about the history of printing, the invention of the printing press, the trials of Johann Gutenberg, and advancements in printing. This 20 question multiple choice quiz is...
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Deerfield Debates Its Future: Education
Students consider the effect of technological development, industrial growth and changing population on education in historical Deerfield Connecticut. They review many primary resources to investigate history and write a response to...
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Importance of American Flag in American Literature
Betsy Ross - fact and myth. As an introduction to American Literature, class members become detectives and search web sites to find information about the flag, prominent places it has been displayed (on the moon, at ground zero, in...
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The People of Kansas: Where did they come from and why did they come?
Students review census data to correlate to emigration in Kansas. For this Westward Expansion lesson, students analyze a painting and create definitions for emigration and discuss why people emigrate. Students read and analyze 1855...
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Fun, Fun, Fun
Students participate in playing online games. In this practice lesson, students play online games to practice skills learned throughout the week.
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Nellie Bly's Newspaper Club: Introducing the Science of Writing
Students evaluate a video about Nellie Bly, a famous reporter from the 19th century. They consider what makes a high-interest news article, write an essay in pairs and present it a literary tea.
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Martin Luther King Jr.
After listening to a story about Martin Luther King Jr., first graders answer questions about the text. They discuss the importance of the illustrations, identify the beginning, middle, and end of the story, and complete a writing...
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A Picture is Worth...
Students use their photo analysis skills to gain an understanding of what pioneer life in Canada may have been like by examining historical photos. Students are then given an opportunity to present their findings to the class in a...