Grade 9-12

Wolf Controversies and its Influence on Ecology Today

Overview: 
The theme of this lesson is the idea that misconceptions and misunderstandings about nature from generations ago still impact our treatment of wildlife and the subject of ecology today. The lesson will take place in three portions and will be primarily reading, brainstorming, and discussion-based. 

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Grade 11-12

“America was not discovered by Columbus” Research and Presentation

Overview: 
The theme of this lesson is to research Native American topics through primary sources in the Upper Peninsula and how they affected that area and others. The importance of this lesson to student learning is to gain research skills, especially with primary sources, work through the writing process, and create and give a presentation.

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Grade 11 & 12

Rhetorical Analysis – “Anatomy of a Murder” Trial Opening Statements

Overview: 
In a court case, the speaker’s purpose and point of view are strictly determined. Each lawyer, one for the prosecution and one for the defense, is expected to work with the same evidence and tell two different stories: one of guilt and one of innocence. 

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Grade 11

Environmental Argument in Marquette

Overview: 
The purpose of this lesson is to utilize local historical archival material about environmental activism surrounding Citizens to Save Little Presque Isle and Wetmore Landing to practice identifying movements of effective arguments as well as practicing creating effective arguments. 

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Grade 11

Marquette residents exercising their 1st Amendment Rights in an attempt to impact public policy and preserve Little Presque Isle

Overview: 
This unit will focus on exploring Native American traditions and identity through poetry, narrative, and art that was published in the Nishnawbe News. Students will use their critical literacy skills to analyze and explore multiple creative expressions and perspectives in order to find commonalities and differences within the selected texts. Through their exploration, students will develop a thesis of what it means to be Native American during this time period (1970s) and also how those identities may still hold true today. 

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Grade 10

Nishnawbe News Wounded Knee Source Comparison Lesson Plan

Overview: 
In this lesson plan, students will analyze two sources from different perspectives using word choice and connotation to identity bias.This concept is important in the study of history because it helps students see history as a discipline reliant on sources that sometimes have opposing opinions of an event. Many students view history as just dates rather than interpretation by a historian. This lesson hopefully will engage them in the practice of ‘doing history.’

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Grade 10

Red Power in the Upper Peninsula

Overview: 
To introduce the Red Power Movement and provide students an opportunity to explore the impact of the Red Power Movement within the Upper Peninsula through the use of the Nishnawbe News.

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Grade 8

Marquette residents exercising their 1st Amendment Rights in an attempt to impact public policy and preserve Little Presque Isle

Overview: 
Students will examine how individuals set out to inform their local community of a proposed project that would impact the natural beauty of the region and how their efforts influenced policy. This assignment provides a blueprint of how to effectively advance views in matters of public policy.

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Grade 7

Environmental Impact on Local Ecosystems

Overview: 
Exploring Environmental Conservation and Community Activism Through the Preservation Efforts at Little Presque Isle. This lesson connects historical preservation efforts at Little Presque Isle to contemporary environmental issues, fostering a deeper understanding of the impact of community activism on local ecosystems and biodiversity.

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Grade 6-8

The Lorax

Overview: 
The theme of this lesson is centered on location, history, story-telling, and activism. This will aid student learning through looking at classic childhood story-telling, a cyclical view of our region’s history, and whether we see this as something to change. 

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Grade 6

Copper Mining, Primary and Secondary Sources  Lesson Plan

Overview: 
This series of lessons is an in-depth study of an oral interview with Wilfred Erickson, Painesdale copper miner. These lessons are designed to explicitly teach key learning skills to beginning of year sixth graders, including activating background knowledge, rereading, summarizing, studying unknown vocabulary, and writing long answers.

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