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Narrative Strategies
Sixth graders explore strategies authors use to make characters and setting seem real to readers. They develop characters and describe setting in original narratives. Students read myths and determine common themes found in myths from...
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Locational Writing
Pupils go outside to the playground and write a piece in the style of beat poets based on what they see and hear outside.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Informational Writing
Emerging writers identify an informational piece of writing. They are provided with examples of informational writing and view a PowerPoint on narrative writing. Then, they design their own informational writing with a brochure,...
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To Market
Learners examine the process of cooking a meal. In this cooking background lesson, students explore cooking utensils, recipes, songs, and literature. They go through stations that encourage dramatic play and hands-on exploration of...
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Stop Signs, Musical Notes, Letters & Logos: Designing Symbols
Students develop an awareness of environmental print, such as signs, logos, brand names, and other print and non-print items that the children see and read in their neighborhood each day. They then engage in active problem solving as...
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Note Taking
Third graders get ready to take notes on a field trip. In this notetaking instructional activity, 3rd graders take notes to remember what they've seen on a field trip. Students draw and analyze diagrams of what they have...
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Electricity and Magnetism
Make oral presentations electric and magnetic! As the conclusion of the study of electricity and magnetism, class members are assigned to bring to life items or people associated with these topics. Speaking as the person or object,...
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Blogging to Create a Community of Writers
One of the keys for successful teaching is connecting curriculum to real-life experiences. This lesson on blogging does this, by making writing, revising, and publishing a reality. Pupils create a character for a story, write about their...
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Survivor Game
Learners discover competition and trickery by participating in a class game. They participate in a role-playing game called "Survivor" in which students utilize critical thinking skills to identify who is the "Bad Guy." Students win the...
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A unicorn in the Snow
First graders compose own poetic sentences, using repetitive patterns, and carefully select sentenes with imagery. They make connections and see relationships and envision what might be. The poem is to be about an unexpected snowfall...
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The Class Garden Essay
Fifth graders use a class garden as inspiration for a specific writing assignment. They conduct research into different types of flowers in photo images taken with a digital camera. Students write a creative essay and draw a picture to...
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Painless Poetry
Students choose two poems they like and share them with the class. Then they write their own poems using various forms.
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A Day During Colonial Times
Fifth graders participate in read aloud activities of three books about life in Colonial times. They compare their life to that of children of Colonial times using a Venn diagram. They draw a picture and write about what a day in the...
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Voyages of Discovery
Students create individual "travel logs" for a world explorer whom they studied in history class. This activity is an interdisciplinary activity for the Language Arts and History classroom.
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Poetry on the Prairie
Pupils explore the history of the Nebraska prairie by looking at different pieces of art. Using the art, they write a poem that captures the essence of a prairie. They use their senses and any feelings or emotions they get from the art...
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Paper Making and Stories
Students create a handmade paper using pre-soaked paper pulp and a screen. They then decorate the paper using water color paint and brushes in a style that expresses ideas from a reading of, "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney.
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I'm A Poet and Now I Know It
Eighth graders gather ideas generated from other poems and their own inspiration, to create original poetry. A celebration is included as students bind and submit poems for publication.
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I Just Want to Say
Eighth graders study poetic devices included in conversation poems and explore their eloquent messages. They read and discuss poems by Langston Hughes and Don Marquis.
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Teaching Selected Poems from Jim Wayne Miller's the Brier Poems
Young scholars explore the basic elements of poetry through Appalachian life poetry. In this poetry lesson plan, students read seven poems from Jim Wayne Miller's the Brier Poems and complete poetry analysis activities for each poem.
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Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Pineapple Investigations
Students use all of their senses to explore a fresh, delicious pineapple. In this early childhood lesson plan, students engage in activities that encourage sensory exploration, problem solving, creative-thinking, language skills, and the...
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Mandela The Man
Ninth graders explore civil rights by reading several biographies. In this Nelson Mandela lesson, 9th graders discuss the trials and tribulations Nelson Mandela had to face in South Africa and how they were similar to the problems Martin...
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Hello My Name is . . . Helvetica
Learners play various games to help create a classroom community. In this name recognition lesson, students combine their name recognition skills with newly learned art and geometric vocabulary. First learners discover vocabulary that...
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High School Bag Design
Young scholars design a bag that they would personally use to carry needed items to school. For this bag design lesson, students observe real bags and assess needs and wants for a new bag. Young scholars brainstorm design solutions and...
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Patterns
Students create and extend patterns. In this pattern lesson, students learn to identify patterns using multiple senses. Students work at centers in small groups to explore and extend their understanding of patterns.