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Teaching Classic and Traditional Poems About the Sea
An exploration of classic sea poems that can be paired together for classroom study, with audio and other tips for supporting comprehension.
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Eating Vegetarian With Reduced Histamine and Glutamate
I am being facetious when I say I am allergic to flavor! Sensitive to flavor enhancers would be closer to the truth. It's not the most typical form of intolerance, but there are times I need to be very careful about what's in my food. Histamine and...
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The "Cross of Gold" Speech: Beginning Rhetorical Analysis
William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech was a masterpiece in its day. It still is, and it can be used to develop students' rhetorical analysis skills.
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Lesson Plans for The Stories Julian Tells
The Stories Julian Tells is a popular beginning chapter book for students at third grade level. It's an engaging family story with some 'big ideas' or themes that children have to dig to get to. It's a Common Core reading selection. My favorite way...
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Mary Poppins Lesson Plans
For nearly half a century, children have been watching Mary Poppins. Fewer have read the original book by P.L. Travers. I believe it's a worthy read. While it lacks the singing that I so enjoyed in childhood, it does give a young reader a lot to...
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Lois Lowry's Gossamer: Lesson Plans
Newberry-winning children's novelist Lois Lowry is adept at presenting universes with rules not quite like our own. In Gossamer,she presents us with a unique world, even though ostensibly it takes place in our own nighttime landscape. There are...
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Wizard of Oz Lesson Plans for High School: Critical Analysis
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is almost an all-ages book. It was written at about 6th grade level, though younger students have embraced it as their own. The book even provides opportunities for high school students to sharpen their skills. It can...
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The Wizard of Oz Lesson Plans
The Wizard of Oz is high interest reading for students in the middle grades. Explore lesson plans for the classic book as well as for the new prequel and sequel.
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Baby Baa Baa: Still Talking after 30 Years
Baby Baa Baa was a born conversationalist, and he is oh-so-charismatic -- though admittedly, he has always been limited to a handful of key phrases. They are expressions like "I'm Baby Baa Baa," "I love you," and "I'm baa-ashful". Believe it or not,...
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Dolls for Native American Children
Traditionally, "Native American inspired dolls" have been objects that sat on shelves, teaching a mixture of truths and untruths, primarily to adults. Many have been a mishmash of cultural traits, drawn largely from the Plain states. Ah, but what...
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South Asian Dolls
To girls, dolls can be confidantes. They can also be a reflection of a girl's current and future self. These days, thankfully, dolls come in all the shades that people do, including many with South Asian features. Depending on faith and tradition, they may wear saris or abayas.
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Asian Dolls: Representing our World
In decades past, there was the Japanese Jan doll, providing at least a token acknowledgement that little girls of different ethnicities sat in classrooms together (with their hands up). But mostly little girls, whatever their race, got white baby...
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"A Little Princess": Lesson Plans
Explore lesson plans and resources for Francess Hodgson Burnett's classic story of "A Little Princess."
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Teaching Critical Literacy With "The Secret Garden"
In this article, you will find a bit of literary criticism, written with the teacher in mind. You will also find critical literacy lesson plans for this Frances Hodgson Burnett classic.
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Habitat Study: Polar Lesson Plans
If you went to the Arctic, what do you think you'd see? During our habit unit, my second and third graders would begin the morning by enthusiastically chanting that poem. They knew there was much to see in polar lands! If Ms. Frizzle had shown up...
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Ralph Waldo Emerson Poems
Listen to Ralph Waldo Emerson poetry, and explore the meanings behind works such as "The Amulet" and "The Fable".
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The Little Prince: Truth in Metaphor
Antoine de Saint Exupery's author's note on The Little Prince-- "not for grownups" -- is a bit facetious. On the one hand, The Little Prince does portray 'grownups' as folks who go around foolishly pursuing wrong values; still the story themes (and...
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Robert Frost's 'Mending Wall': Multimedia Lesson Plans
Robert Frost's "Mending Wall" can be read as an early 20th century nature poem, the tale of two neighbors who meet in April to repair the damage that the winter freeze has inflicted upon their shared wall. The poem can also be read as an allegory...
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Promoting Critical Literacy with The Ugly Duckling
Should we close the book on a happy ending or explore the story's hidden messages? "The Ugly Duckling" is an excellent text for developing critical literacy skills.