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	<title>Lesson Upgrades &#187; Curt</title>
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	<link>http://lessonupgrades.com</link>
	<description>Education for the 21st Century</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:23:28 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Try Search PlanIt for Lesson Plans!</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/try-search-planit-for-lesson-plans/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/try-search-planit-for-lesson-plans/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:23:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plan Search Engine]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[ This summer marked the launch of my year-long project to create the best lesson plan search engine that I could make.  And this past June Search PlanIt officially launched.  If you want to try it out now, just type your search terms in the Search PlanIt search bar above.  It will take you straight to the results. If you would like to read more about the creation of Search PlanIt, there is a great article on the Maui Librarian 2 Blog. And Search PlanIt has been featured on the Guerrilla Educators Site as well as a writeup on the DE Tools blog. But if you would like to just scroll through some of the free lesson pans that I and my guest bloggers have discovered while using Search PlanIt, then please visit the lesson plan blog that I have created to showcase Search PlanIt.  I really think you&#8217;ll be impressed! And I do plan on continuing both blogs, but my posts may be a little less frequent than in the past. So please try Search PlanIt and let me know what you think! &#160; &#160; &#160; Share]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>End of Year Activites, Lesson Plans, Printables, Worksheets</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/daniel-pink/end-of-year-activites-lesson-plans-printables-worksheets/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/daniel-pink/end-of-year-activites-lesson-plans-printables-worksheets/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 May 2011 20:13:56 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Pink]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1650</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I know that for many of us the year is winding down.  So I fired up our lesson plan search engine to find some lesson plans, printables, worksheets and other activities. End of Year Lesson Plans Activities and Worksheets: This is a great set of teacher-submitted elementary school activities for the end of the year.  There are 18 activities separated by grade level, and includes activities appropriate for 1st through 3rd grades. A huge set of activities from the lesson plans page.  There are over 30 lesson plans, worksheets, and printables separated by subject.  It is mostly elementary school but there are a few middle school and high school activities for the end of the year. Do you need worksheets and printables for the end of the year?  This page has 16 printable worksheets and activities that will fit within any elementary school end-of-year lesson plans. This article has some great ideas for end-of-year activities if you are just looking for fun activities to add to your own lesson plans For middle school and high school, here is a lesson plan with some fun, quick, online research ideas. And finally, this lesson plan idea talks about an autographed bulletin board [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Mother&#8217;s Day Worksheets, Printables, and Lesson Plans.</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/mothers-day-worksheets-printables-and-lesson-plans/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/mothers-day-worksheets-printables-and-lesson-plans/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 11:40:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1640</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Don&#8217;t forget Mother&#8217;s Day! Many of us could use he reminder, and here are some lesson plans, worksheets, and printables that were found with our handy lesson plan search engine. Mothers Day Lesson Plans: How about some poetry and even some vouchers for your kids to make for Mom? A Mothers Day lesson plan for any grade. Uses the book Read and discuss the book, &#8220;When I Was Young in the Mountains&#8221; by Cynthia Rylant. Mothers Day Printables and Worksheets: Tons of worksheets and printables for elementary. Includes a biography worksheet, some coloring pages, and even a bar graph activity. A cool Mother&#8217;s Day Rose pattern your elementary kids can make. Enjoy! What did you find on our lesson plan search engine? Share]]></description>
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		<title>Earth Day Lesson Plans, Worksheets and Printables</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/earth-day-lesson-plans-worksheets-and-printables/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/earth-day-lesson-plans-worksheets-and-printables/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plan Search Engine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1637</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s Spring and you need some lesson plans, worksheets and printables for Earth Day. So let&#8217;s put the lesson plan search engine to work. Here are just a few results from the search term &#8220;Earth Day&#8221;. Earth Day Lesson Plans: Kindergarten Lesson Plan for the Rain Forest. Some great lesson plan ideas for elementary, including hands-on planting and growing of seeds and trees. Earth Day Printables and Worksheets: A great set of quick worksheets for primary and elementary. They have mazes, self-created sign worksheets, and some neat coloring pages. A religious song for home schooling or Sunday School. Or, a secular song for elementary classrooms or music. How about a rap song about Earth Day? Enjoy! What did you find on our lesson plan search engine? Share]]></description>
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		<title>Epitaph Lesson Plans, Worksheets, &amp; Printables</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/epitaph-lesson-plans-worksheets-printables/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/epitaph-lesson-plans-worksheets-printables/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:46:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plan Search Engine]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[I read that April 6th is &#8220;Plan Your Epitaph Day&#8221;. So I began to think: Could the lesson plan search engine return lesson plans, worksheets, or printables that dealt with the theme of epitaphs? The answer is yes! In fact, there were two pages of results. As a history teacher I have used epitaphs in the past. They are an effective way to get students to think about a person&#8217;s contributions to the world and to reflect on their own contributions to the people around them. Although some might consider it a bit morbid, I have found that kids brush right past the morbid aspect and proceed right onto their own narcissistic vantage point. How will I be remembered? So here are a few lesson plans that I found that use epitaphs; both personal and those of famous people. I focused on high schoolers since I think that they would be the appropriate audience. But it&#8217;s your call! High School Lesson Plans: Rewrite Shakespeare&#8217;s Epitaph. This activity has students break into small groups and rewrite Shakespeare&#8217;s epitaph using iambic pentameter. A nice way to make students appreciate his contribution to literature and to learn the art form. Benjamin Franklin&#8217;s epitaph. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>National Kite Month Lesson Plans</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/national-kite-month-lesson-plans/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/national-kite-month-lesson-plans/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:22:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plan Search Engine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1613</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So how about some lesson plans for National Kite Month?  I&#8217;ve found a few lesson plans, printables,  and worksheets from the National Kite Month site as well as from our lesson plan search engine. I don&#8217;t know about your area, but this weekend was the first nice weekend we have had in quite a while.  And it got me to thinking about some of my favorite Spring memories.  And one that was right there on top is the annual kite festival hosted by our local community college. My family will plan on meeting friends, pack a picnic lunch, throw in a kite, and head to the campus.  We are always treated with a sky full of kites, flown both by amateurs and advanced hobbyists. So I started looking for resources on kites and how to use kites in the classroom. I didn&#8217;t have to look far.  National Kite Month has a website specifically for teachers.  (www.nationalkitemonth.org)  Not only do they have patterns for kites and kite-based games, they also have kite-based lesson plans broken down by subject.  So if you want to do a geography lesson, why not tie it into kites for National Kite Month? But then I wanted [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Search Plan-It</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/daniel-pink/search-plan-it/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/daniel-pink/search-plan-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:20:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blooms Taxonomy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daniel Pink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1930's]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plan Search Engine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1601</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As you can tell, I&#8217;ve been pretty focused on my lesson plan search engine lately.  I&#8217;ve been using the lesson plan search engine on this site to spice up my current lesson plans, and I have shared some Great Depression lesson plans on my Facebook Page if you would like to have a look at those results. I&#8217;ve called the page &#8220;Search Plan-It&#8221; and I want to tell you a little bit about it. My wife and I have had such a great response to our search engine that we have decided to design a full-featured search engine just for lesson plans.  We have been calling it &#8220;Search Plan-It&#8221;, and have enlisted an old Marching Mizzou friend to help with the programming side of things.  It&#8217;s been an exciting, frustrating, and educational experience all at once. Our goal for launch is April of this year.  So apologies for not posting to Lesson Upgrades as regularly as I have been, but something exciting is coming. Search Plan-It will be a one-of-a-kind search engine dedicated exclusively to finding lesson plans.  It is made by teachers for teachers.  Quick, simple, and easy.  That has been our focus. Every teacher I have talked to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Search Sunday: Lesson Plans for World War II</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/search-sunday-lesson-plans-for-world-war-ii/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/search-sunday-lesson-plans-for-world-war-ii/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Jan 2011 11:30:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plan Search Engine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1572</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Well, I&#8217;ve placed another set of lesson plans on Facebook.  These focus on World War II.  Take a spin on the search engine and post your own results.  I&#8217;ve been finding some great stuff. Here&#8217;s one that I really like: Primary documents from the Smithsonian: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/civic_responsibility/smithsonian_siyc_fall07.pdf Leave me a comment &#8211; You can decide what we&#8217;ll do next Sunday! Share]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Help Your Students Conduct a Better Google Search</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/daniel-pink/symphony/help-your-students-conduct-a-better-google-search/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/daniel-pink/symphony/help-your-students-conduct-a-better-google-search/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Jan 2011 03:34:50 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Daniel Pink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Symphony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[21st Century Skills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A Whole New Mind]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1584</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Google is great, but we all get frustrated at times when we just can&#8217;t find what we want. And what about your students?  If they are like mine, they try one search and then give up. I think that Google searching is an integral component of developing the  aptitude of Symphony as described by Dan Pink in A Whole New Mind.  How can your kids make connections amongst patterns of information if they struggle with basic internet search? Part of the answer can be found in this great article from lifehacker, which gives advice on what you should do when Google doesn&#8217;t give you what you want.  What&#8217;s a good query?  How do you use the &#8220;around&#8221; function?  What about site-specific search? If you are not comfortable teaching your kids about these tools, then you really should take a few minutes and read this article before sharing it with your kids. I know that for my students this article will be required reading before we hit the lab! The Best Ways to Tweak Your Search When Google Doesn&#8217;t Give You What You Want. Share]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Search Sundays: American History Lesson Plans for the Great Depression (1930&#8242;s)</title>
		<link>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/search-sundays-american-history-lesson-plans-for-the-great-depression-1930s/</link>
		<comments>http://lessonupgrades.com/lesson-plans-dan-pink-blooms-taxonomy/search-sundays-american-history-lesson-plans-for-the-great-depression-1930s/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 23 Jan 2011 13:18:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Curt</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1930's]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Lesson Plans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Great Depression]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lesson Plan Search Engine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lessonupgrades.com/?p=1552</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s Sunday and I know some of you out there are thinking about what you are going to do tomorrow. Well good news!  I am starting a series of posts called &#8220;Search Sundays&#8221; in which  will share some the free lesson plans returned by our lesson plan search engine. The topic for week two?   American History the Great Depression Here are two that I liked.  If you would like to see more, please join out Facebook discussion on 1930&#8242;s lesson plans. (Don&#8221;t worry about the name &#8220;Search Plan-It&#8221;.  It is the name of our forthcoming, improved search engine this Spring) Used Search Plan-It to find this Webquest on the Great Depression. Might be a good introduction or conclusion activity: http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webquests/greatdepression/ Quick Search Plan-It search found this printable for younger kids: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/1930s/printable/46113.html What should we do next week for &#8220;Search Sunday&#8221;?  Leave me your comments and we can go from there! Share]]></description>
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