951 Lonely as a Cloud: Using Poetry to Understand Similes Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: In this best practice lesson, students experience the power of similes by creating two drawings of specific trees. The first is attempted before hearing a poem rich in similes describing the trees. The second is created after experiencing the poem.... 952 Decoding the Dystopian Characteristics of Macintosh's "1984" Commercial Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 9–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students explore the dystopian characteristics and symbols presented in the “1984” Macintosh commercial and analyze the comments that it makes about contemporary society. This activity is a particularly effective introduction to George Orwell’s 1984 because of the direct allusions to the novel in the commercial.... 953 You Know the Movie Is Coming—Now What? Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 4–6 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students take on the role of the director of a movie. After exploring cinematic terms, students read a literary work with a director's eyes, considering such issues as which scenes require a close-up of the main character and when the camera should zoom out to see the entire set.... 954 Planning Story Characters Using Interactive Trading Cards Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 3–5 Professional Commentary: This lesson uses trading cards of fictional characters to support students' literacy development in writing narrative texts. Students begin by exploring popular picture books, noting how authors develop the characters in these stories.... 955 Book Report Alternative: A Character’s Letter to the Editor Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students assume the persona of a central character from a novel and write a persuasive letter to the editor regarding an issue important to that character. Not only do students have an opportunity to demonstrate their comprehension of the book, they also explore newspapers to determine criteria for successful letters to the editor.... 956 Environmental Exchange Box Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: Science Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades K–8 Professional Commentary: This promising practice lesson asks students to prepare an environmental exchange box that highlights characteristics of their own environment that distinguish it from other environments. The box is then sent to another class located in a completely different environment.... 957 Seasoning the School Year Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: Science Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades K–5 Professional Commentary: This best practice lesson has students become botanists and climatologists to investigate seasonal changes. Students observe the changes a class tree goes through as the seasons change.... Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: Science Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 3–5 Professional Commentary: The best practice lesson requires students to investigate density, displacement, and buoyancy in hands-on experiments. Students then take on the role of designers to create boats for We B Toys. Students create brochures or multimedia slideshows to persuade We B Toys to consider their boat designs for a new line of toy boats. This resource contains differentiated instructions for gifted, English language learners and resource students. It is also important to note that this resource requires a significant time committment in order to complete it in its entirety. (author/cb) Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: Science Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 3–8 Professional Commentary: This promising practice unit asks students to use various scientific process skills by examining their own health, activity, and nutritional needs as they develop menus of healthy and appealing foods for their own restaurants. Students are asked to analyze and evaluate data and then communicate their results to develop consumer awareness. They are also asked to write and present their own convincing commercials to encourage people to visit their restaurants. As a culminating activity, the restaurants open, and students pretend to take orders, figure bills, compute 15 percent tips, and count back change. (author/cb) 960 Go-Go Gadget: Invent a Machine Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: Science Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 3–5 Professional Commentary: In this promising practice lesson, students study the concepts of force, motion, and work as they analyze simple machines. They study the simple machines in complex machines, and track the transfer of force from input (effort) to output (work).... Projects: COR |