ALEX Lesson Plan Resources

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ALEX Lesson Plans  
Subject: English Language Arts (7)
Title: Fakebook: Analyzing point-of-view in Duck Dynasty
Description: Students will analyze the varying points-of-view in a text by creating two Fakebook pages delineating separate points-of-view. Students will be able to represent two individual people from the text by using a format that they are familiar with and that they enjoy. Students will enjoy creating top friends, uploading photos, and creating posts about individuals in a text. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.

Subject: English Language Arts (7)
Title: This Genre Means What? - An Explorative Lesson on Literary Genres
Description: Within this technology-integrated lesson, students will use PowerPoint to create a presentation on a given genre. As a culminating activity, students will present their presentation to the class and teach their genre. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.

Subject: English Language Arts (7)
Title: Dance Moms Reality or Fatality
Description: Students will view a reality television episode and read a news article related to reality television. Then students will complete a graphic organizer to create an argument for or against children participating in reality television. Students will apply supportive details for writing a persuasive paragraph. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.

Subject: English Language Arts (7)
Title: It's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow:  A Career Exploration Lesson for Middle-Schoolers
Description: Through multiple lessons, middle school students will explore career choices, set educational goals, and create a media project in which they share information about their chosen career. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.

Subject: English Language Arts (6 - 8)
Title: Drill and Kill No More - Incorporating Verbs, Adverbs, and Prepositions Within the Context of Argumentative Writing
Description: The technique known as "Drill and Kill" is not effective for the retention of grammar skills. Students are more apt to remember grammar skills when the skills are taught in connection with writing. The following lesson demonstrates a better way. Yes, the skills must be taught first; however, the “dril,l skill and kill” method is only 15% of the lesson. The first thing you must do is correlate the different genres of writing with the grammar concepts that go with them. This lesson will show teachers how to teach adverbs, verbs, and prepositions within the context of an argumentative paper. This is a College- and Career-Ready Standards showcase lesson plan.

Subject: English Language Arts (6 - 8), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Parts of Speech "Blabbers"
Description: Students will create animated images in Blabberize.com to define, explain, and give examples of usage for an assigned part of speech. Teacher will then compile saved video clips into a photostory presentation explaining all eight parts of speech and present final copy for class presentation.

Subject: English Language Arts (7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Persuasive Strategies and Tuck Everlasting
Description: This lesson is a persuasive strategy lesson plan for Tuck Everlasting. It allows the student to incorporate technology in the development of an original thirty second commercial.

Subject: English Language Arts (7 - 9), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Poetry and Music Fun with Chris Daughtry
Description: This language arts lesson grabs students' attention by incorporating a popular musician. The lyrics to "Over You" include vivid language that makes identifying figures of speech intriguing. The students will identify similes, metaphors, and hyperbole within the lyrics. The students will analyze the lyrics and create an MP3 file or podcast with their analysis.

Subject: English Language Arts (7), or Mathematics (6 - 7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: University and College Tuition Webquest
Description: This is a technology-based and interdisciplinary project incorporating mathematics, language, and technology standards. Each student will research on the university's website: location, the mission statement, historical and interesting facts, and the tuition costs (for which they will have to compute the median, range, and mean). Each student will use other Internet sources to find the distance from home. An expository essay explaining the importance of researching about universities and a PowerPoint presentation will also be requirements of the project.

Subject: English Language Arts (7 - 8), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Expressing Yourself With Poetry
Description: Two classes at different schools or across the hall share dramatic poetry presentations as part of a poetry unit. Students listen to poetry, practice reading poetry, and (if practical) participate in a distance learning program on poetry. Students then produce a Poetry Alive program that will be shared with another class through video conferencing or video tapes.

Subject: English Language Arts (7 - 8), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Researching Mark Twain's Early Life and Experiences
Description: This lesson requires students to use the Internet to research the early life of Mark Twain and the influence of his childhood experiences on his writing. The lesson includes letter writing, reading, role playing, and working in a group to create a slideshow presentation.

Subject: English Language Arts (7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Lois Lowry's The Giver: Using a WebQuest to Create a Persuasive Brochure
Description: After reading Lois Lowry's The Giver, students use a WebQuest to research ideas and themes from the novel. Students use their research and persuasive writing skills to create a brochure designed to sell a way of thinking or way of life addressed in the novel.

Subject: English Language Arts (6 - 8), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Reading, Writing, and Sounder
Description: The activities included in this lesson plan require the reading of William Armstrong's Sounder. This technology-based lesson fosters critical thinking and includes journal writing, student-led discussions with another class via video conferencing, vocabulary development, and persuasive writing.

Subject: English Language Arts (5 - 7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Understanding Comics
Description: Using the book Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud as the primary resource, this unit focuses on comics as a tool for communication. Students participate in activities which include journal and essay writing, a graphic organizer, and a distance learning field trip.

Subject: English Language Arts (6 - 7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: The Camelot Times: Writing a Newspaper
Description: As part of a unit on Arthurian literature and medieval culture, students imagine they are reporters living in the realm of King Arthur and create newsletters/newspapers based on their study and research.

Subject: Arts Education (7), or English Language Arts (7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Brian's Winter by Gary Paulson: Using Art to Study Plot
Description: In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine the artwork in Lasceaux Cave in France via Internet and illustrate a chapter summary from Brian's Winter by Gary Paulson in "caveman style."

Subject: English Language Arts (7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Harlem Renaissance Unit
Description: This unit on the history and contribution of the Harlem Renaissance combines research and creative presentations in the form of slideshows, a timeline, and desktop publishing.

Subject: English Language Arts (7), or Technology Education (6 - 8)
Title: Narrative Writing: The Autobiographical Incident
Description: After organizing their thoughts using a graphic organizer, students write a narrative essay which relates an autobiographical incident. Students present their essays in a slideshow which allows their classmates to practice predicting an outcome as they guess the ending of the narrative. Some of the essays will be included in a class newsletter created by the students.

Thinkfinity Lesson Plans  
Subject: Language Arts
Title: The Reading Performance: Understanding Fluency Through Oral Interpretation      Add Bookmark
Description: Students discuss prosody, gain a new appreciation for literature intended for oral performance, and participate in activities that instill the value of technology in shaping their appreciation of literature.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 6,7,8


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein was published in 1974.      Add Bookmark
Description: Students are introduced to a Silverstein verse and asked for their impressions. They then draw that they imagine when they read one of his lines and then write a line or two to continue the passage.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Weaving the Threads: Integrating Poetry Annotation and Web Technology      Add Bookmark
Description: Students read a poem by a Native American, explore Native American culture and then create a Website that explains words and phrases from the poem.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 6,7,8


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Using Word Webs to Teach Synonyms for Commonly Used Words      Add Bookmark
Description: Students use word webs to choose synonyms for generic adjectives and to learn to adjust their word usage for different contexts.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 4,5,6,7,8


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Doodle Splash: Using Graphics to Discuss Literature      Add Bookmark
Description: Students keep a doodle journal while reading short stories by a common author. In small groups, students then combine their doodles into a graphic representation of the text.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 6,7,8


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Book Report Alternative: Comic Strips and Cartoon Squares      Add Bookmark
Description: Students must think critically to create comic strips highlighting six important scenes from a book they have read.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 6,7,8


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Modeling Reading and Analysis Processes with the Works of Edgar Allan Poe      Add Bookmark
Description: Explore reading strategies using Edgar Allan Poes The Raven and other works. Students read Poesworks in both large- and small-group readings then conclude with a variety of projects.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 6,7,8


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Investigating the Holocaust: A Collaborative Inquiry Project      Add Bookmark
Description: Students explore a variety of resources as they learn about the Holocaust. Working collaboratively, they investigate the materials, prepare oral responses, and produce a topic-based newspaper to complete their research.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 6,7,8


Subject: Language Arts
Title: Mickey Mouse appeared in his first animated feature.      Add Bookmark
Description: Students create a short, humorous story with at least one action character, and then use the Comic Creator to make a flipbook.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 3,4,5,6,7,8