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Most Wanted Villians
Students review the characteristics of various characters in fairytales. As a class, they review the story details and create a concept map using a software program. They create their own wanted poster of the villians in the fairytale to...
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Family Traditions
Learners research their family traditions. They select a tradition that has meaning to them and write about the traditions. They retell the story to a partner and add details. They write a draft of their story to a partner and...
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Stories
Students read and write a short story. In this short story lesson plan, students read a short story and answer comprehension questions on it that teaches them about the world around them. Then they write a short story to teach...
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A Little Mystery and Intrigue in Writing Short Detective Stories
Students read and analyze the twelve short stories in the novel "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes." They create their own detective that has to solve a new kind of crime, and write and edit a short story with their original detective as...
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I Was Hungry
Students engage in a lesson that focuses on the problem of hunger in the world. They are presented with the concept of being a global citizen. The context of the lesson is the reading of poetry and focusing on the statement "I was...
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Pigging Out on Reading Comprehension
Students summarize a piece of fiction text. After reviewing the correct way to read in order to summarize, students independently read the story "Pig in a Bag." They write a summary paragraph using the process outlined by the instructor...
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A Wrinkled Relationship
Students become familiar with the hardships of mothers during the Great Depression. They also gain an understanding of the literary style of monologue and first-person point of view through creating their own monologues in response to a...
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How Logical is Garfield?
Third graders analyze comics found in the newspaper for samples of logical, emotional, and ethical appeal. They write a paragraph for each selected comic strip explaining how the comic strip represents the use of logic, emotions, or ethics.
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Whitewashing Southern History
Students discuss the fact and fiction of slavery in the South. After viewing a video on two New Orleans plantations, they determine the accuracy of the facts presented. In the computer lab, they visit various sites and examine which ones...
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Story Design
Stories contain very specific elements; plot, characters, and key events. Learners use pantomime to retell a key event from the beginning, middle, and end of a story. They discuss setting and character as each group discusses and then...
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War Poetry, Journals and Letters: Viet Nam
Examine letters written during war-time. In this cross curricular history and English activity, middle and high school scholars read letters and poems written by soldiers in the Vietnam war. They will examine the perspective and emotions...
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Time to Read
Students identify how the literary elements of theme, point of view, characterization, setting, and plot illustrate the effects of a certain disease on a community. They identify the aspects of the book that are specific to the...
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K Is for Keelboat
Fifth graders investigate the significance of the keelboat in the Lewis and Clark expedition. They define the key themes of the expedition and classify them in prescribed format, an ABC book.
National First Ladies' Library
Are We There Yet?
Students study the wide-reaching effects of the Cold War, even to its involvement in domestic road construction. They research the National Defense Highway System (Eisenhower Highways) for information about the creation of the program,...
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Comparison and Contrast - D. H. Lawrence
Read The Horse Dealer's Daughter and The Rocking Horse Winner by D. H. Lawrence, then write an essay comparing and contrasting the two stories. Learners choose some aspect to write about, such as themes, characters, setting, or plot.
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Picture Perfect: Reading and Narrative Writing
Students will create a fictional narrative based on the cover of a picture book provided by the teacher. In this narrative writing lesson students incorporate all story elements and use strategies to engage the reader.
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Story Scrapbook
Students develop a comparison worksheet using one non fiction book and one fiction book they have read to be put into a class scrapbook. In their comparison students must have title, author, point of view, setting, characters, and other...
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Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
Sixth graders read and analyze narrative writing by and about Henry Spelman, a boy-laborer who helped settle Jamestown. They read biographical information, discuss the harsh conditions, and write a narrative piece on Henry's experiences.
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Words to Warm the Winter: Keeping Things Organized
Fifth graders are in Literary Circles according to the book they've chosen and choose roles.
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Build a Sturdy Wall
Students read a version of "The Three Little Pigs" and then work in small groups to design a wall. They use Legos to build the wall and subject their design to a strength test.
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"Families and Schools of the Past"
First graders listen to and discuss historical fiction and bigraphies from the early American time period. They role-play, draw, write stories and dress up to re-create events from these historical characters.
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Words to Warm the Winter: Characters Count!
Fifth graders take part in a mini-lesson on characterization, discuss roles for Literary Circles and meet for the first true session of their Literary Circles.
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The Silly States: Where Is Your State and City?
First graders read The Scrambled States of America and discuss whether it is real or fantasy as compared to the United States. In this geography lesson, 1st graders identify their city or state on a map and work in groups to color the...
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The Time I Got Lost
Third graders go through the writing process but substitute paper and pencil with the computer to create a story about "The Time I Got Lost".