NPR
Same-Sex Marriage
The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...
Curated OER
Plot and Conflict
Students review the literary elements of plot and conflict. In this plot and conflict lesson plan, students read a story and answer questions about the plot and conflict within. Students create a concept map for the novel to identify the...
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The Editing Process
Students in upper-level college-bound English classes review the editing process and terms such as, tone, diction, transition, and conclusion. They read and evaluate a sample essay and identify parts they feel they could improve on. ...
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Science Current Events Lessons
You can use current events to increase student understanding of both science concepts and language arts skills.
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Writing about the world's fisheries (Calibrated Peer Review)
Students summarize the findings of the Pew Ocean Commission report "America's Living Oceans," contrast it to an opposing viewpoint, and recommend a fisheries policy based on their understanding. It includes a scoresheet that was created...
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Summarizing is Fun with Flat Stanley!
Students read the book "Flat Stanley" by Jeff Brown. Through modeling and guided practice, as a class, they complete a story map and 1-paragraph summary of the first chapter in the book. Then, in groups, they follow the same procedure...
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Presenting the Geologic Timescale
Students model the geologic timescale using distance as a metaphor for time. They write a summary of a major event or fossil organism. and station themselves and their summaries along a path within a gymnasium, and present their...
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L.R.C. Learning Reading Comprehension
Students demonstrate comprehension of reading material. They preview questions and then read silently. Students answer questions and write a short summary of the text they read.
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So You Want to be President?
Students review the meaning of a summary and why they are important. They silently read the book, So You Want To Be President thinking about the main points in the story. When finished, each child summarizes a page from the book which...
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Summer of My German Soldier
Students participate in a layered curriculum unit for a novel study. The teaching method allows for a student centered classroom that includes different methods of instruction and assessment.
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In a Nutshell....
Students examine how to summarize the most important details in a reading passage in order to increase their comprehension. They design a story web using the summarization skills. Before class, they complete a reading assignment prior to...
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Summarizing Puts the Pieces Together
Students summarize a piece of fiction. After reviewing the correct way to read and summarize, students work in groups to summarize a piece of text assigned by the instructor. They write a summary paragraph by creating a story map and...
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Mixing Metaphors with Politics
Students discuss different literary devices and use them to write summaries of New York Times articles dealing with international news. They reflect on the effectiveness and appropriateness of sports metaphors in the political arena.
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Summing it all Up...In Your Own Words
Students observe and demonstrate the steps to identifying the main ideas of a text. They listen to the teacher read a paragraph and model the steps of summarizing the main idea. Students then independently read a different paragraph...
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Summarization Time
Students write summaries in this lesson. They read "Stellaluna" by Jaell Cannon independently and answer story map questions: who, what, when, where, and why. They then take the answers to these questions and write an individual summary.
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Observing To Make Meaning
Learners infer meaning while viewing a scene of Pinocchio without sound. They write a plot summary of the excerpt of Pinocchio, watch the same scene with sound, and compare their assumptions with the actual performance.
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Decision Making and Assertiveness
Fourth graders identify a problem and write a persuasive essay to the appropriate audience, to correct the problem. They demonstrate effective decision making based on positive self-worth. Students need to write a paragraph about their...
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Successful Summarizers
Students review the concept of silent reading. Through modeling and guided practice, they explore six steps/rules of summarizing. In groups, they read a short book and then, using the summarization rules and skills, write an effective...
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Acrostic Animal
Second graders listen as the teacher describes how an acrostic poem is written. They research an endangered animal of Puerto Rico. Students write an acrostic poem as a class, and then individually about the animal they research. Students...
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Excavating the Trash
Students look at a day's accumulation of recyclable trash from first through fifth grade classrooms, not knowing which classes it came from. After setting up a collection sheet for data, students remove items from the receptacle and...
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The Meaning of Dreams
Young scholars reflect on the meaning of dreams and how scientists study dreams. They read and discuss the article "Winding Through Big Dreams Are the Threads of Our Lives." They write personal summaries and analysis of memorable, vivid...
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In Their Own Words: Slave Narratives
Learners identify primary sources, explain the strengths and weaknesses of personal accounts in history, and negotiate the Library of Congress Database. They also analyze documents and write a summary that compares and contrasts the...
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Summarizing
Learners use their note-taking skills to write summaries of information. In this writing skills lesson, students use the notes they have taken in another lesson to write adventure stories by implementing the Rule-Based strategy.
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Missing May
Students listen to the first couple chapters in the book, Missing May by Cynthia Rylant and then sketch or write about a character or the setting, using words and phrases from the book as guides. They then discuss the chapters using the...