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Play House
Students explore U.S. government by participating in a role playing activity. In this House of Representatives instructional activity, students discuss the first day of congress and the role the House plays in running the United States....
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In The News
Students investigate the life of Amelia Earhart and conduct research using a variety of resources including Scholastic.com. Then they take the information and write a newspaper article. The entire process of writing is completed...
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Water: From Neglect to Respect
The goal of this collection of lessons is to make middle schoolers more aware of the ways in which they are dependent upon water to maintain their standard of living. Learners compare water use in Lesotho to water use in the United...
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Create a Board Game
Students research, design, and create a game board based on information learned in ancient civilizations' social studies units. They utilize computer technology to research the project, as well as, textbooks, in-class library and video...
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Conflict Diamonds
Students examine how diamonds are portrayed in American culture. They identify the political and social implications of conflict diamonds and the locations of these diamonds in Africa. They evaluate the effectiveness of the Kimberley...
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Quick Writes and RAFTs
Students explore Quick Writes and RAFTs in all academic areas. They review the 6+1 Traits of Writing, the purpose of quick writes and how they can be used in various content areas.
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Reading and Writing the Autobiography With a Study of Zora Neale Hurston
Young scholars explore the possible relationships between characters in a novel. They read the novel 'Their Eyes Were Watching God' and answer all the questions on each chapter so that the characters and events are familiar to the...
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Posters -- What's the Main Idea?
Pupils discuss the basics of poster productions. In groups, they follow written directions to make a poster about asthma, allergies, AIDS, or personal safety. They present their poster to the class and reflect on the process in a journal.
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Getting the Best out of Book Buddies
Students explore the best approaches to reading with book buddies (younger students). Students create a student-friendly definition for "mentor" and identify traits of a success that a mentor displays. They examine literature for...
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Coast-to-Coast Book Design-Part 4: Let's Create the Pages!
Students work in groups to share their lists of A-B-C ideas they came up with from the previous activity. They review page layouts taught during lesson two. Students complete a rough draft of their page. They create a colored...
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The Camelot Times: Writing a Newspaper
Students create and publish a newspaper based on Arthurian literature and history. After completing a class read of "King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table," students work in groups to write an article based on their...
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Exemplary Plans, Engineer It!
Students research tall buildings and identify the geometric shapes used in the construction of the buildings. They compare shapes and infer why some are better than others in building. They produce a multimedia presentation of geometric...
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The Emperors of Rome
Students research an emperor assigned to them both form on-line sources and paper sources. They locate at least one image of the emperor or a building he authorized to use in their presentation. They create a 5-10 minute presentation to...
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Story Problem Writing
Students write story problems which can only be solved with the application of multiplication facts. They write an extra fact that isn't needed to solve. When their partners do the problems, they must cross out the fact that they do need.
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"Where in the World is my School?"
Pupils learn new vocabulary and discuss what GPS is and does. They locate their school using the equipment.
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Rules and Laws of the Community
Second graders recognize and identify the need for rules in school. They also discuss the importance of safety rules at school, home, and in the community. They illustrate a rule which they have learned in class, and write letters to the...
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Photojournalism: A Record of War
Students explore who has photographed war and why. They examine Mathew Brady's process for photgraphing the Civil War. Students investigate how photographic equipment has changed and improved through time. They analyze primary source war...
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An Acquaintance with Darkness, a Civil War
Eighth graders explore the Civil War, and people and events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and his funeral procession.
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How to Locate and Evaluate Information, Part III - Internet Sites
This is the third in a series of lessons scaffolding the research paper. It purports to teach researchers how to evaluate internet sites, but the lack of links, specific criteria, or site evaluation rubrics would require additional...
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Detective Fiction: Focus On Critical Thinking
Turn your 6th graders into detectives while growing their love of reading. Using critical thinking skills, they will be able to describe the five basic elements of detective fiction, read detective novels, make predictions, use the...
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Using Guess, Check and Revise
Students answer coin related math questions using the guess, check and revise process for problem solving.
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Comparing Time Periods in U.S. History: The Ashford Project
Fifth graders use a "fact book" comparing periods in American history then students create a picture to illustrate their assigned periods. # # students use their pictures and concept maps to write expository paragraphs about their...
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Saving the Titanic
Learners research the Titanic using fiction, nonfiction, images, and Internet based resources. They determine if it is appropriate to raise and save the Titanic and its artifacts before planning and writing an opinion piece which defends...
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Lights On ! Lights Off! Exploring Human Settlement Patterns
Third graders write informational paragraphs based on the settlement patterns of the United States. In this settlement lesson plan, 3rd graders read about population and how it affects where people settle next.