Curated OER
Descriptive Writing Lessons
Descriptive writing lessons can lead students on an exploration of how adjectives enhance any written work.
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WW II Magazine
Eleventh graders search the database for pictures of WW II, photographs, posters, etc. They use the documents to support writing two magazine articles. The magazine articles be a minimum of 500 and maximum 1000 words.
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Get the Skinny! Summarize a Story!
Young scholars examine the steps of summarizing text. They silently read an article, then read and discuss the steps to summarizing a passage. Students then write a summary of the article they read, and as a class discuss the main...
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Making a Difference #1
Students study homelessness. In this homelessness lesson plan, students brainstorm ideas about the well-being of individuals. Students write a letter to parents and their community asking for donations for homeless care kits. Students...
Pimsleur
The Weather
What's it like out today, and what do you plan to wear? These are the two main topics for this Italian lesson. By the end of the plan, pupils should have a grasp of basic weather and clothing terms as well as a general understanding of...
Curated OER
Creating a Literary Magazine
With the right preparation, having students create a literary magazine can be a terrific experience.
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A Different World?
Young scholars share their opinions in a brainstorming session on the factors that contribute to their quality of life. They read the article "Life Is Better; It Isn't Better. Which Is It?," from the NY Times and discuss the article as a...
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A Valid Conclusion? Testing and Reporting on Hypotheses Using the Scientific Method
Students explore importance of accuracy in reporting, focusing particularly on articles documenting scientific discoveries, and practice scientific method by conducting experiments to test and report on scientific hypotheses.
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A Maya Masterpiece
Students analyze the symbols presented in a Maya artifact. They create collages that depict a theme related to contemporary life in their community, and write brief analyses explaining the symbolism of the images they chose.
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A Fresh Start?
Students examine the roles and responsibilities the Department of Defense holds. They read an article about the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. They develop questions to submit to the White House about the recent changes.
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Making a Memoir Lesson Memorable
Memoir lessons can give students a format for writing about their experiences, and a way to tap into their inner author.
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Once Upon a Time: Writing Stories about Reading
Students read a New York Times article to examine strong first person voice in essays about reading. They write their own first person essays about some aspect of reading, participate in peer review, and re-writing.
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Reading Articles for Meaning
Third graders read and analyze an article. In this interpretation and summarizing lesson, 3rd graders listen to an article and identify the who, what, where, when and why of the article. Students pick their own article,...
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Make a Mockery of Magazines
Students examine tabloids. In this journalism lesson, students compare and contrast satirical magazines and then plan, write, and compile their own.
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Interview! Magazine
Learners interview a subject and write a biographical sketch for a fictional magazine. In this interview lesson, students choose a person to interview and create two sets of questions. Learners conduct the interview. Students then write...
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It's Your Birthday! Expository Writing Unit 2
Learners create an expository essay. In this writing lesson Students are assigned a country and must conduct research surrounding a historic event that occurred in that country at the time of their birth.
Media Smarts
Advertising All Around Us
Here is a set of advertising lessons, explore language, techniques, representation, and target audiences. Discuss the impact ads have on our daily lives. What do we see and how do they make us feel? Observe ads from around the...
Curated OER
Student Opinion: Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smart Phones Playing 'Stupid Games'?
This versatile resource from The New York Times website provides a short opinion piece on smart phones and the amount of time we spend playing games on them as well as several possible writing prompts pupils could consider in response to...
Media Smarts
Truth or Money
Two compelling texts about tobacco companies' influence over editorial content in print media introduce readers to the concept of advertising censorship. After study and discussion, class members compose a mock "final column" by a...
Curated OER
Guided Reading Organizer for Chain Reaction
The class uses Chain Reaction, a magazine, to build a better understanding of Latin and Greek roots found in scientific vocabulary. They use two attached worksheets to help them read a scientific article, using visual clues and their...
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Two Sides, Same Coin: How Political Beliefs Influence Language Use
Learners read several magazine articles on the same topic written from different political perspectives, paying particular attention to the diction, syntax, and arguments presented in support the point of view expressed. They then select...
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Winter Clothing
After listening to a reading of The Snowy Day, by Era Jack Keats, language learners use a SMART board and drag the appropriate vocabulary word to the correct clothing article. They then record and illustrate the new vocabulary words in...
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Rosa Parks: Mother of Civil Rights Movement
Middle schoolers read an article from Time and react to the article based upon what they have studied about Rosa Parks. They find that even though Rosa is no longer alive, she still has an impact today. They focus on that impact she has...
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Canada
Students examine a variety of issues that affect the geography of Canada. In small groups they read a magazine article about a specific issue related to Canadian geography, answer discussion questions, and present a summary of their...