Students learn how to play "devil's advocate" by evaluating sports reforms, reading an engaging non-fiction article, and participating in a town hall meeting in which they represent the interests of various stakeholders to generate debate and develop critical thinking skills.
For Argument's Sake: Playing "Devil's Advocate" with Nonfiction Texts
Grades
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Summarizing with Haikus
6 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Using the Haiku Poem App or the Haiku Poem Interactive, students summarize papers they have written using the traditional format of a haiku.
Grades
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What Would Ben, Tom, and George Think? Blogging about the American Revolution
5 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
After researching famous people of the American Revolution, students take on the identities of these Patriots and Loyalists. Students then participate in a blog, writing responses about events leading up to and during the American Revolutionary War.
Grades
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From Quantitative to Qualitative: Writing Descriptions of Data From Tables
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students develop quantitative reasoning and critical thinking by analyzing descriptions tables for content, language, and organization with a particular focus on verb tense selection, and then writing descriptions of tables themselves.
Grades
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Greetings from the Biomes of the World
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
To share their research on biomes, students use iPads to create postcards from all over the world.
Grades
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Getting Graphic with Alternative Energy Sources
7 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
After researching alternative sources of energy, students create online comic books to present their information.
Grades
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Fashion Fun with Fossil Fuels
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
After researching specific fossil fuel issues, students create their own clothing brands that express their opinions about the issues and then share their information and clothing line using either PowerPoint or Prezi.
Grades
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Trading Information about Minerals Through Trading Cards
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Using the free Trading Cards Mobile App, students create trading cards to share properties of various minerals with their classmates and connect the use of minerals to their own lives.
Grades
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Poppin' Fun with Physical and Chemical Changes
6 - 9
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students will enjoy learning about physical and chemical changes as they turn their own photos into a narrated video using the iPad app SonicPics to illustrate (and eat) their results from a popcorn lab.
Grades
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Developing Aesthetic Criteria: Using Music to Move Beyond Like/Dislike with Poetry
9 - 10
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
In this lesson, students develop the cognitive tool of criteria development for discussing the aesthetics of poetry and music.
Grades
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Book Report Alternative: Sharing Info from Informational Reading
5 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Reporting on an informational book doesn't have to be boring! Instead of the traditional book report format, students create newspapers using a Printing Press interactive to share what they have learned from reading informational books.
Grades
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A-B-C: It's Easy as 1-2-3 to Make Math Alphabet Books
4 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Using the Alphabet Organizer app, students create alphabet books to review math terms.
Grades
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Persuade Me in Five Slides! Creating Persuasive Digital Stories
6 - 12
Lesson Plan
After students write persuasive essays, use this lesson to challenge them to summarize their essays concisely by creating five-slide presentations.
Grades
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Using Mobile Devices to Illustrate Literary Devices
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Using mobile devices, students capture images to represent literary devices. Students then reflect on why their images depict the literary devices.
Grades
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Making the Cut: Revising Memoirs by Detecting Clutter and Confusion
6 - 10
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students improve a slide show by removing pictures. Their reasons for cutting pictures are translated into revision guidelines for cutting unnecessary words and sections from their rough drafts.
Grades
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Proverbs: At Home and around the World
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
In this lesson, students work with proverbs from home and from around the world, exploring how these maxims are tied to a culture's values and everyday experience.
Grades
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Proverbs: An Introduction
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students are introduced to proverbs and explore how proverbs are often tied to a culture's values and everyday experience, although their meanings are not always readily apparent to us today.
Grades
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Action Is Character: Exploring Character Traits with Adjectives
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students must "become" a character in a novel in order to describe themselves and other characters using powerful adjectives.
Grades
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What Am I? Teaching Poetry through Riddles
6 - 8
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students explore figurative language in poetry by reading and writing riddle poems.
Grades
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Become a Character: Adjectives, Character Traits, and Perspective
9 - 12
Lesson Plan
| Standard Lesson
Students "become" one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters, using lists of accurate, powerful adjectives.