Curated OER
Creating Volunteers
Students discuss the benefits of volunteering. In this creating volunteers lesson, students consider philanthropic actions and opportunity costs. Students create a song and visual aid about being a volunteer.
Curated OER
Volunteering Requires Freedom of Choice
Students explore ways to volunteer. In this volunteerism and philanthropy lesson, students brainstorm how the early Americans benefited from philanthropy, then discuss how others benefit from our philanthropy and how we choose ways to...
Curated OER
Kid's Sports
Students read about kid's sports, why it is important and discuss the factors affecting young players. In this kid's sports lesson, students create a list explaining why kid's don't participate. Students create a test to measure...
Cooking Matters
Cooking Matters: For Chefs and Kids
Get your scholars cooking with a collection of activities that pairs the class to a community chef, promotes healthy snacking and drinking, and explores fruits and vegetables. Lower elementary learners create vegetable super heroes,...
Curated OER
Kids Collect LEGOs for New Orleans
Students read and discuss a news article about children that collected 1.5 million LEGO bricks for kids in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. They complete a fill-in-the blank activity, answer article comprehension questions, solve...
Curated OER
Jet Delivers Books to Kids Overseas
Students identify the function of organizations, then read a news article about an organization called Room to Read that is sending books to poor countries. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the...
National Park Service
The Poet's Toolbox
If you need a lesson for your poetry unit, use two poems by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ("Rain in Summer" and "The Slave in the Dismal Swamp") and a resource on Elements of Poetry. The lesson plan guides you through activities on...
Curated OER
Healthy Kids: Creating Safe Communities And Schools
Students create a safety poster in small groups after a discussion on playground safety issues. They concentrate on bike safety, skating safety and general playground safety. After sharing the posters with the class they role-play safety...
SeaWorld
How Big is a Blue?
Whales are all big, but some are larger than others! Kids will love sorting the 10 whale species by size at their desk (whale cut-outs provided). Next, use a whale rope to visualize how long each of these whales actually is. A large...
Curated OER
Plaster Face Mask
The process may be difficult, but the end product will be worth it. Kids will love creating these plaster masks made from their own faces. If they can sit still long enough, they can become the model for their own masks. All the steps,...
Curated OER
Sound Walk: Discovering Data and Applying Range, Mode, and Mean
Elementary schoolers sharpen their listening skills as they use sound maps, tallies, and line plots to organize and interpret data. Everyone takes a "sound walk," and focuses on the sounds around them. They chart and tabulate the sounds...
Curated OER
Bering Sea Buffet - A Foodweb Activity
Life in the Bering Sea, food webs, and the ocean ecosystem are introduced with a map activity. The lesson starts as kids explore maps and images of the Bering Sea, then it kicks into high gear as they start to discuss the types of...
Curated OER
Why Should We Clean The Beach?
Learners volunteer for the International Coastal Cleanup. They describe the purpose of the Lake Michigan Foundation and a history of the dunes. They reflect on their experiences with writing.
Curated OER
Kids Bullying Kids
Students discuss bullying. For this social skills lesson, students take a survey regarding times they have been bullied and then discuss the results.
Curated OER
Point of View
A picture is used to begin considering point of view. Then, have kids role play included scenes which all involve some type of conflict where the character's have very different perspective. Discussions ensue each role play, with kids...
Curated OER
Identify and Discuss the Author's Purpose
Examine author's purpose in a persuasive text using this scaffolded plan. You essentially have a verbatim script here, but it can definitely be used as an outline instead. Review questions that readers should ask themselves when...
Michael's Crafts
Classroom Community Bulletin Board Lesson Plan
Building a strong classroom community is a huge part of our job. This idea lets the kids help define the rules, ideas, and behaviors that they want in their classroom. They'll work together to design a bulletin board that exemplifies the...
Curated OER
Create Your Own Hero
Chinese legends are the focus of an interesting lesson plan that combines social studies with writing. Learners read the Chinese folk tale, "Li Chi Slays The Serpent." After the story is over, they make a list of the courageous things...
Curated OER
Community Helpers
Community Helpers are the focus of this sociology lesson. Learners brainstorm the many different jobs done in their community, discuss why they are necessary, and think of ways they can be community helpers.
Curated OER
Money Matters!
Students get to build a piggy bank and experiment with coin denominations. Students gather parents and community volunteers to join with them for this class art project. Students and volunteers papier-mache an original piggy bank.
Teacher Created Resources
Terrific Topic Sentences
Strengthen writing skills with a introductory exercise to learn how to write topic sentences. Using an informational reading passage, pupils delineate the types of sentences they read and discern what the topic sentence should be.
Curated OER
Dealing with Tragedy in the Classroom
Students explore the concept of human tragedy. In this September 11 terrorist attacks lesson, students write condolence letters, discuss the qualities of heroes, and investigate volunteer opportunities.
Curated OER
A Community of Givers
Students explore charitable organizations. In this character development lesson, students read about children who have contributed to charitable organizations, research a variety of these organizations, plan a project, and prepare a...
Curated OER
The Power of the Environment in Our Lives
Students participate in a series of activities designed to demonstrate the differences between symbiotic and parasitic relationships. They discuss the differences and catergorize man's relationship with nature.