291 Heroes of Harlem: Learning About the Harlem Renaissance Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students learn about the artists of the Harlem Renaissance. A New York Times article describing a Central Park salute to Zora Neale Hurston is used as a springboard.... 292 Don't Buy It--What's in the Shopping Bag? Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 3–5 Professional Commentary: To develop media literacy students need to be able to interpret visual media and understand the basic tactics of advertising and packaging. This PBS website offers activities that teach children how to evaluate the advertising and packaging of toys and snack foods. These activities correspond to the "Don't Buy It" game on the website. Students learn advertising techniques such as how to examine products and evaluate: 1) messages, 2) package design, 3) misleading information, 4) what was stated or omitted, 5) the target audience, 6) the contents, and 7) pricing. Students can also create or redesign packages or watch and analyze television commercials that advertise products. The activites allow students to review and evaluate visual media and become wiser consumers. Links to related websites and teacher tips are available.... 293 Creating Dramatic Dialogues from the Grapes of Wrath Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, intended for use after students have read The Grapes of Wrath, students work in groups to collaboratively write a dramatic monologue in poetic form for one of the characters. In addition to the using the novel, primary sources provided at the site help them understand what life was like for migrant workers.... 294 A Collaboration of Sites and Sounds: Using Wikis to Catalog Protest Songs Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: Over the years, protest songs have served as a means to combat social ills. These songs cover a wide array of topics, including but not limited to the following: racism, sexism, poverty, imperialism, environmental degradation, war, globalization, and homophobia.... 295 Analyzing Character Development in Three Short Stories About Women Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 11–12 Professional Commentary: In this nine-session lesson plan, students read three short stories about women, written in different historical periods. Following the reading, students discuss the development of female characters in a particular setting, the role of women, gender differences, and society’s expectations.... 296 Blending Fiction and Nonfiction to Improve Comprehension and Writing Skills Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 3–5 Professional Commentary: This lesson uses text sets (paired fiction and nonfiction texts on a similar content area topic) to increase student understanding of a content area subject and also develop writing skills. The lesson begins by using a KWL chart to establish what the students know and also generate questions about the topic. Narrative fiction is introduced first to stimulate interest. Next... 297 Comparing Fiction and Nonfiction with "Little Red Riding Hood" Text Sets Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades K–2 Professional Commentary: This series of lessons features is structured around a text set made up of conceptually-related fiction and nonfiction for reading aloud and for independent reading. Beginning with a comparative study of selected, illustrated retellings of the traditional folktale “Little Red Riding Hood,” this literature unit continues with a study of modern revisions of this well-known tale.... Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 2–3 Professional Commentary: Students compare and contrast three variations of the Cinderella folktale: Rhodopis, the Egyptian version; Yeh-Shen, the Chinese version; and The Hidden One, the Native American story. Through class discussion and various activities, students explore storytelling traditions, categories of folktales, and the basic components of fairy tales.... 299 Guided Comprehension in Action: Teaching Summarizing With the Bio-Cube Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: In this best practice lesson, students use an interactive online tool called the Bio-Cube as a structure for summarizing a biographical article. Explicit suggestions are provided for scaffolded instruction and teacher modeling through the use of think-alouds.... 300 Can You Convince Me? Developing Persuasive Writing Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 5–6 Professional Commentary: Persuasive writing is an important skill, but writing an argument can seem intimidating to elementary students. This lesson introduces persuasive writing techniques through a variety of engaging, interactive activities.... |