Grade Level: Primary/Elementary School

The Gift of the Great Buffalo

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This lesson plan requires either the book The Gift of the Great Buffalo, written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Ally McKnight or a video read-aloud of the book. Book Summary This is a historical adventure of Rose, a girl from the Metis tribe, who lived in the late 1800s. The Metis practiced biannual (twice … The Gift of the Great Buffalo

First Woman and the Strawberry

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Prompt: First Woman and the Strawberry (A Cherokee Legend), Retold by Gloria Dominic Story Summary This is a Cherokee story that explains how strawberry came to be created. The First Man and the First Woman had a disagreement and got angry with each other. The First Woman walked away and the First Man, upon realizing … First Woman and the Strawberry

Ka-ha-si and the Loon

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This lesson plan is based on the book Ka-ha-Si and the Loon (An Eskimo Legend), written and adapted by Terri Cohlene A read-aloud video of the book is available on the Video tab. This is an Eskimo legend that tells the story of a boy named Ka-ha-si, who was accused of being lazy because he … Ka-ha-si and the Loon

Inclusivity and Difference

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Warm-up While technical issues with the video are being handled, allow participants to choose their art supplies and explain that they are free to make art while participating in class and listening to each other. Invite participants to think about their hopes, goals, and fears about participating with the group.  Stimulus (9 minutes) Watch video … Inclusivity and Difference

Weather and Emotions

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Notes about Lesson Plan Warm-Up Question  How does the weather affect the way we feel and behave?  Matching Weather Events with Emotions  Inquiry Building on Matching Activity  Reflection about how our minds have changed  Discussion Questions Question Individual Connections Note: modify these questions to fit the results of the class  Question Subjectivity and Objectivity Question … Weather and Emotions

The American Revolution

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Loyalty or Rebellion? Warm-Up: This or That?  To warm-up the students’ philosophical thinking and introduce them to the primary theme of the lesson (rebellion or loyalty), facilitate 2-5 rounds of “This or That?”  Directions:  Prompts  *Throughout this activity, you might notice a trend that students’ opinions on whether to rebel or stay loyal are contingent … The American Revolution

Power and Hierarchy

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Treating Others as Persons Notes About Lesson Plan Warm-Up Question  What is the difference between treating someone like a person versus treating something like an object?  (Optional Historical Background, if using to supplement discussions of slavery) In the United States of America and in other places in the world, there have been institutions that failed … Power and Hierarchy

Measuring with Accuracy and Precision

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Key Definitions  Introduce two measurement concepts and write the definitions on the board.  Sorting Objects  Creating Criteria What do all the examples in each category have in common?  Meta-Reflection How did this activity go?  Ask students:  Or, instead of the whole activity or just the concluding meta-reflection, you can conduct a Community of Inquiry using … Measuring with Accuracy and Precision

Life Cycles

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Notes on the documents in the Resource tab Introduction  Introduce the concept of “life cycles” to the class, highlighting that even though there are differences in the life cycles of various species, the general steps of birth, growth, reproduction, and death are involved in all living things’ life cycles.  Independent + Collaborative Thinking 

Keeping Power in Check #2

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The Bill of Rights Materials: Print out the Bill of Rights Activity Sheet and cut along the dotted lines. Place the different Rights in strategic places in the room. Students should each have a pencil.  This lesson assumes that the students have some familiarity/ background knowledge on the topic already, including:  *Note: If you need … Keeping Power in Check #2