Curated OER
James Van Der Zee
Students recognize James Van Der Zee as an outstanding photographer who documented and reflected life in Harlem during the 1920s. They identify important aspects of Van Der Zee's life and artwork and compose and shoot their own...
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Barnyard Riddles - A Class Project
Learners choose and animal about which to research or compose a riddle. They organize and develop a slide show in which they create a background, import graphics, clip art, kid pix stamps, photos, and type their riddle.
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Time in Jazz
Learners examine time and meter in the jazz idiom. They analyze Take the A Train and Take Five. They research websites featuring Ella Fitzgerald and her music.
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Lesson Six: Discovering the Power (Point) of Presentation
Students prepare multimedia presentations. In this computer technology activity, students use PowerPoint and other multimedia sources to compose individual presentations. Students complete an interactive tutorial on how to use the...
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Let's Do a Biography!
Students sequence events of a biography for a person from the District of Columbia. In this sequence of events instructional activity, students read about the life of Duke Ellington and sequence the events of his lifetime into a timeline...
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Learning the Blues
Students become familiar with the characteristic form and sound of the blues, then learn about the history and evolution of the blues in relationship to the African-American experience. Students examine the structure and language of...
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This Land is Your Land - Travel Posters
Eleventh graders compile a list of places in the United States where they have either traveled or where their relatives or friends live. They collect travel posters, brochures, postcards, and maps from their region of the United States.
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Group Wall Drawing
Students create a group wall drawing that demonstrate the contributions that each part makes to the whole.
Film Foundation
The Day The Earth Stood Still: The Filmmaking Process
How are films made? As part of their study of film, middle schoolers investigate the pre-production, production, and post-production process and consider the role of the director, the screenwriter, production designer, cinematographer,...
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Wildflower Beautification Project
Young scholars, in cooperative groups, design and create a wildflower garden for the community. They write letters to property owners requesting use of their land and then write invitations to their parents and to local, state, and...
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Class Memorial
What is a memorial and what should it look like? Learners will choose what they believe is important to remember about September 11 and how it should be displayed. They work in groups and brainstorm details about the memorial and present...
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Make a Statement
Fifth graders make a statement about their position on the Revolutionary War using various means of expression. One half of students remain loyal to England and the other half want a revolution for independence. They express themselves...
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Beethoven: The Sound and The Fury
Students view a documentary on Beethoven. His immortal compositions have survived for generations and are as much a part of the modern world as they were almost two centuries ago. After viewing, students discuss Beethoven and compare him...
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Harvesting the Crop
What is philanthropy? To find out learners explore the concept through class discussion. They survey, make decisions, implement, and reflect on a service project intended to benefit their community.
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Historical Background Leading to the Declaration of Independence
Students examine why, when our Fathers, signed the Declaration of Independence they were placing in jeopardy their freedom, property and lives.
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Immigration Unit
Third graders develop an appreciate for the various cultures that are present in their local community. Through reading and research, they explain how various culture came to live in their area. At the conclusion of the unit, 3rd...
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Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor
Students watch a video about Alicia Keys and discuss the business side of her career. Groups role-play producers for her new album taking on the responsibility for all aspects, including budgets, contracts, song production, and advertising.
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A Day in the Life of an Egyptian
Students study the daily lives of ancient Egyptians from every social class. They use creative means to present what they have learned about the lives of Egyptians from all social classes.
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Here's the Pitch
Students define pitch, measure varying amounts of water into containers, make predictions about the sounds made when striking the containers, put containers in order from highest to lowest pitch, and create their own sound patterns with...
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Natural Disasters
Learners create an expressive painting documenting their experience of a storm. They create a slide show presentation comparing and contrasting the impact and the response to a natural disaster in the 19th century with the impact...
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Eggs-tra Special Sounds
Students explore different sounds. In this sound instructional activity, students participate in an egg hunt. The eggs are filled with different materials and hid around the room. Students find the eggs and chart the different sounds...
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The Gift Drawings of the Shakers
Students create their own "gift drawings" that are inspired by the dreams and visions of the Shakers. In this gift drawings lesson plan, students learn the history of the Shakers, make their own drawing, and practice elements of design...
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Open Sesame: A Magical World of Reading
Third graders, through six lessons, study tales of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and Aladdin and the Lamp from The Arabian Nights.
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Poetry In Motion
Fourth graders read and analyze poetry and examine the process of writing poetry. They read and analyze the poem "From a Railway Carriage" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and answer comprehension questions. They identify the similes,...