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The Great American Fire Drill
Students read a story about fire safety and create their own ending to the story in order to learn about fire escape plans and to demonstrate their writing skills. In this fire safety instructional activity, students discuss the parts...
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What Does 'Post Racial' Mean, Anyway?
Eighth graders explore where they personally stand on a post-election continuum, spanning from euphoria to despair. In this American History lesson, 8th graders read and discuss an article immediately following the election and a...
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Examining newspapers
Students compare and contrast tabloid and broadsheet papers. In this journalism lesson, students examine how techniques and form differs from one type of publication to the other. The culminating activity is for students to take what...
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Short and Sweet
Students summarize nonfiction text. After reviewing the process for reading in order to summarize, students independently read a nonfiction article. They write a summary paragraph using the checklist outlined by the instructor during...
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Budget Busters
Use this economic activity to focus on writing summaries of informational text. First, middle schoolers define common economic terms used to describe news about the economy. They closely read news about the federal budget deficit and...
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Let's be Star Summarizers
Third graders summarize a piece of nonfiction text. After reviewing the correct way to read for important information and summarize that information, students independently read a nonfiction article. They write a summary paragraph using...
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Ozone Layer
Students read a CNNfyi.com article in order to identify causes of ozone depletion. They compare and contrast the effects of chlorofluorocarbons and bromine on the ozone. They develop a plan to prevent future destruction of the ozone.
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Slave Resistance in Natchez
Students examine various ways that slaves in the Natchez area resisted bondage, consider the price of resistance, and write television news documentary.
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Talkin' About My Generation
Students research notable figures from their generation and write a research paper illustrating the various figures' impact and influence on their generation in terms of language, leisure and politics.
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Voyage to the New World
Students examine the exploration of the New World. They write a descriptive account of the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, analyze and label maps, plot Columbus's journey on a map, and write a chapter summary.
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Relevance
Students read a passage from an article and sort out irrelevant facts leaving only the information that is relevant to the the headline. They then read aloud their edited stories and compare them with the versions on CBBC Newsround.
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What do you know about earthquakes??
Ninth graders compare and contrast various writing styles and distinguish technical writing from other writing techniques. They assess personal knowledge regarding earthquakes and earthquake preparedness.
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The Final Analysis: Cause and Effect, Fact and Opinion
Middle schoolers read and review informational texts, analyze cause and effect, and distinguish fact from opinion. They assess a "one-minute mystery" you read aloud for cause and effect relationships. Resource includes complete set of...
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Robbing the 'Hood?
Students investigate historical figures and how they play a role in tourism by reading and discussing the article "When Robin Hood Supped, Was it Yorkshire Pudding?" In groups, students investigate issues related in the article in...
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Book: Super Power: Americans Today
Students, after reading Chapter 1 in the book, "Super Power: Americans Today," analyze the recognition of the quote, "Hunger does not breed reform; it breeds madness and all the ugly distempers that make an ordered life impossible," by...
Ellsworth American
Think About the Newspaper
Investigate the significance of adjectives with a newspaper activity that addresses effective language. Readers probe teacher-provided articles in search of the mighty modifiers, and practice by replacing them with a different word, and...
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Social Studies: Highway Accidents
Students investigate the crash of a bus carrying an Ohio baseball team to a tournament at a site where 82 other accidents had occured previously. They interview local police and insurance agents about sites in their own locales where...
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Como lo veo
Students pretend there is breaking news in their local area. After reading other eye-witness accounts, they identify the components of an article of this type. They write their own eye-witness account, share them with the class and...
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News Watch
Students examine newspaper articles that deal with human rights issues, prejudice, ethnic wars, antisemitism, racism, and inequality.
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Heaven or Ground Hog Day?
Learners discover the ideas of enlightenment by reading historical poetry. In this philosophical lesson, students read poems by Sir Walter Scott and Sergeant Joyce Kilmer while discussing the themes of the writing with classmates....
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Heart Rate equals gym grade
Students find out about an interesting activity that is going on in their school. Then the student interviews students and teachers to see how they would feel if a teacher monitored their heart rate during that specific project and that...
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Football game seating: Security or Restriction?
Students write an article or an editorial about the situation of Cleveland-area schools instituting policies to restrict seating at night football games. Students research their own school policy, as well as other school policies.
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Same-Sex Schools Gain Ground
Students examine the issue of having same-sex classes. Using the internet, they research how this program is working around the country. They interview local education experts and determine how they view the issue. They include an...
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Fact and Opinion Lesson Plan
How are fact and opinion different? Middle schoolers explore fact and opinion and write articles pertaining to a football match, eliminating all opinion statements in order to focus on the facts. Then they discuss bias in the media....