Crafting Freedom
Thomas Day's Letter to His Daughter, Mary Ann
Why is a letter a better way to learn about a person than a different primary source? Explore Thomas Day's ideas and advice to his daughter in a letter from 1851, which details the struggles of the American South before the Civil War....
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Our Own Postal System
First graders address an envelope, write a letter, and perform the duties of the postal worker in a classroom post office.
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Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Young readers write alphabet letters. They review the alphabet and examine the relationship between letters and sounds. A final activity has each child sequence the story together.
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Oral History: Park City Museum
Bring U.S. history to your language arts class with this lesson. Middle schoolers complete an interview for an oral history project, and discuss the importance of oral histories - and how they embellish written accounts. They write...
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How to Avoid Having a Bad Day
Second graders explore cause and effect. They read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. They discuss their own experiences with bad days. Students identify the causes and effects in the book. They write a letter...
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The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Students complete various activities related to the book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." They participate in a shared reading activity, read and write a sentence for each day of the week, draw a picture of the caterpillar eating one of...
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Thanksgiving
First graders summarize similarities and differences of life in England and America for the Pilgrims by reading a mini-book. Then, they write a journal entry in first person on what it is like to be a pilgrim in England and in America....
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Greetings Friends From Other Places
Learners imagine that a puppet is a new friend, and try different ways to befriend the puppet. They discuss why people react in different ways to greetings and learn how to greet people from other countries, including Afghanistan. They...
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Letter Writing Accuracy, Name Tags
Students build writing accuracy by making classroom name tags. In this writing accuracy lesson plan, students review the usage of writing uppercase letters Students also practice the usage of lowercase letters. Students recall the...
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Fun With Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Students read the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and listen to the musical tape. Then they make their own coconut trees, adding their own letters. They express and record their favorite parts. All are displayed on a bulletin board.
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George Winter
Who is George Winter? Learners review knowledge of George Winter, an artist who captured images of the Trail of Tears. They distinguish the difference between primary and secondary sources and determine the reliability of a document....
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Turning Points in the American Revolution
Fifth graders examine the causes and effects of the American Revolution. In groups, they make a portfolio page and write a response to the Proclamation of 1763. They also make a timeline of the events of the Boston Massacre and answer...
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I'm Special Books
Students become aware of the concept that each of us is special. They develop an appreciation for the special things that each can do now, and begin to develop early literacy skills. Each student creates a book about themselves and...
Crafting Freedom
Sequencing of Events in the Slave Narrative of Henry "Box" Brown
What steps did Henry "Box" Brown take while planning his own escape from slavery? Learners work in groups to analyze segments of Brown's narrative and identify the sequence of the most important events of his story.
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Using Letters to Make Words
First graders use the Internet to learn. In this word formation activity, 1st graders use the Internet to complete an activity from their practice book and complete a worksheet where they use letter cutouts to make words.
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Brown Paper Bag Family Memories
Students explore and study how families do a variety of activities together. They recall and describe a family memory, collect an object that represents a family memory as well as draw and write about a family memory. They become aware...
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Lewis and Clark Review
Students play games. In this comprehension and recall instructional activity, students play Give Me A Break, Bingo and Jeopardy to reinforce the knowledge they've learned about Lewis and Clark.
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Six Ways To Recall Spelling Words
Students practice their weekly spelling words. Using six methods of recall, students practice spelling their words orally and using pen and paper. They demonstrate their recall of the spelling words by completing a spelling test at the...
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Read To Feed
Pupils read to accumulate pledge money to purchase a heifer for a needy family. In this reading for the needy instructional activity, students solicit pledges from family and friends for each book they read. They use the money from the...
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Volcanoes A-Z
Students examine terminology related to the study of volcanoes, geology, or the ecosystems that surround them. They make note of key words while reading exhibits, interpretive signs, or labels, or hearing them from each other, their...
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Jamestown Journey Part 4
Fourth graders review their prior knowledge from the previous lessons of this unit on Jamestown. After reading a novel, they examine and discuss the life of Pocahontas. Using the internet, they answer comprehension questions and write...
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Protein Synthesis Activities
Students compare the process of protein synthesis in an analogy. They simulate the process of protein synthesis kinesthetically using index cards and write a paragraph to explain the process.
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Name Squares
Students examine the sounds the letters of their name make. They read Dr. Seuss' ABC Book and Mary Engelbreit's Put Em All Together. They practice writing the individual letters of their names in squares.
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Reintroduce /ea/
Learners are reintroduced to the letter combination "ea" and its sound. In this letter combination "ea" students review the sound for "ea" by recalling words with this letter combination. Learners then practice the pronunciation of the...