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The Final Word
Although this instructional activity is based on “Final Word,” Craig Wilson’s USA Today column, the strategies could be adapted to any local columnist. After reading three articles independently, groups share observations about content...
Massachusetts Department of Education
Nostalgia
To prepare for crafting their own memoir, class members examine poetry by Margaret Atwood, Billy Collins, Robert Hayden, and Claude McKay, stories by Richard Rodriquez and Willa Cather, and Barry Levinson's film Avalon. They examine...
Calculated Industries
Army Survival
Intended as a reference tool for US Army personnel, this application can be used in a classroom that is studying historic and current wars or as part of an outdoor education or wilderness survival course. Some of the subjects addressed...
Curated OER
The Stories Behind the Masterpieces
Learners examine Rembrandt's self-portraits and discuss important events in his life. They also examine "Aristotle with the Bust of Homer" and try to identify with the person in the paining, predicting what his life might have been like....
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Country Comparison Venn Diagram
Fifth graders discuss different countries, their cultures, similarities and differences and choose a set of focus questions to research. They create a narrative story using their researched information in first person narrative stories.
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Dear Diary
In this narrative learning exercise, students compose a diary entry that includes different facets of writing. Students then respond to different narratives in the class by answering 11 different questions.
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Immigrant Role-Playing
Students role-play as immigrants coming to America during the early 1900's. They conduct Internet research printing out pictures and reading biographies. Students use the information gathered to create scrapbooks in which the write...
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Who Tells the Story? Defining History
Seventh graders examine historical perspectives. In this historical writing lesson, 7th graders discuss their definitions of history and then discuss perspectives of history. As a culminating activity, students write narrative stories...
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World War I: Letters from the Front
Students reesearch life on the home front and the front lines during World War I. They use primary and secondary sources to write letters. Students role-play as soldiers writing letters home and then assume the role of the person...
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Deduction
Students investigate the linguistic devices used by writers to create meaning. In this writing lesson, students discover why writers write in different ways showing examples of different types of text. After reading each type students...
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Journal Writing: Daily Activities
Young scholars use present tense verb endings by describing his/her routine daily activities, demonstrating verb endings. They listen to teacher's description, taking notes. They write their own journal entries about their own daily...
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Problem/solution
Students examine presentations of problems and reaching solutions in literature. In this writing skills lesson plan, students read "The Three Little Pigs," and respond to several discussion questions about plot, characters, setting,...
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Writing and Publishing Skills
Seventh graders experience the satisfaction of writing for a purpose; their self-selected piece be published for an audience. They write using techniques appropriate to the selected genre.
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Printable Story Starter: The Missing Valentines
A writing prompt about a classroom's missing Valentines allows students to finish the story with their own endings, and to provide their own titles. The lesson comes with a picture and the beginning of the story to full prompt students...
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Wagons West
Students assume the personality of a pioneer on a wagon train and create daily journals. In this journal writing lesson, students read excerpts from The Way West: Journal of a Pioneer Woman. Students use their...
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Social Movements in American Politics
In this Civil Rights Movement worksheet, students follow the provided instructions to write term papers on the social movement and how it was impacted by American politics.
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Virtual Realities of War
Learners outline the major events, mat??riel, and setting of a war or conflict. They develop a computer game narrative that draws on these historically accurate details.
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In Hiding: A Choiceless Choice of the Holocaust
Students read various examples of children who lived in hiding during the Holocaust. Using the texts, they identify commonalities between the children and create a timeline of events. They read a first person narrative of hiding and...
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Depression
Fifth graders discuss feelings and depression and brainstorm ways to seek help. In this health lesson, the teacher leads a discussion about emotions focusing on when emotions are balanced and when they become unbalanced and a person can...
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The Feudal System: Castles at War
Students study the feudal system of the Middle Ages. In this Middle Ages lesson, students watch "The Feudal System at War". Students listen to an instructor-delivered lecture regarding the roles of monarchs, nobles, knights, and...
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Exploring Islamic Lands
Students explore the culture of the Middle East. In this Islamic culture lesson, students conduct research to create personal narratives that reveal what life is like in the Middle East for Islamic teens today.
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Writing: Memoirs
Students examine web sites which explain how to write memoirs and include ideas for getting started. There are also some writing examples and lists of recommended studenT books that use this form of writing.
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An Adult Who Influenced Me
Writers are challenged to think back to their childhood, and recall an adult who had an influence on them. They use this simple worksheet to write down their thoughts and images of the person they remember. This would be a good worksheet...
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Establishing a Point of View in Narratives
Fourth graders investigate the concept and take the opportunity to both identify and to construct point of view in narratives. Additionally, 4th graders practice identifying and sequencing main events.