Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
Polk Bros Foundation
Read to Learn
Prepare for a research project or just use this instructional activity on its own. Class members choose a topic, write a big question about it, and note down information they find about it. The final product is a longer written...
Curated OER
Those Baffling Bibliographies!
Are you working on a research and citation unit? Have your young writers listen to a lecture on how to cite research sources correctly and how to distinguish new information that requires citing. They compile a list of works cited from...
Curated OER
Note-Taking: K.I.S.S. "Keep It Short and Simple"
Note-taking is an essential study skill, and it needs to be taught! In the context of a research project on energy sources, learners find multiple sources, evaluating, paraphrasing, and citing them correctly. Two lists with note-taking...
Curated OER
My Very Own Bibliography
Introduce your learners to the bibliography page. After assigning some basic research, they alphabetize their three sources on the sheet provided. Then they use the website noted to input all of their information. It's one of those...
Curated OER
Comprehension-Note Taking Skills to Supprt Opinions and Panel Discussion
Fifth graders examine note taking skills in order to support opinions. In this language arts lesson, 5th graders read several newpaper articles and discuss a current issue. Students explore how to paraphrase so as not to commit plagiarism.
Curated OER
Note Taking
Students discover how to transfer information from highlighted articles to note cards. Providing students with an organized system to collect and record data provide them with a lifelong skill.
Curated OER
The Nifty Fifty- Facts and Figures
Students explore an assigned state. In this United States geography lesson plan, students identify facts and figures related to a particular state. Students use the Internet for research and create a PowerPoint presentation displaying...
Curated OER
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: Public Views of Lincoln
Students write a letter in the voice of Abraham Lincoln. In this history lesson plan, students interpret the way the public viewed Lincoln during various times by examining political cartoons and images. Students write a letter in the...
Classroom Adventures Program
Creating Characters
Examine character in depth. Over the course of these six lessons, learners explore their own character traits, determine the traits of characters in the books they read, practice comparing and contrasting, and collaborate in small groups...
Curated OER
Writing: Stay High and Dry
Young scholars write an effective conclusion for their essay. In this conclusion lesson students restate the thesis of their paper and summarize three important points. Young scholars then write a final statement to wrap up their...
Curated OER
Bryant Creek Watershed Project - Making a Karst Dictionary
Students explore the definitions relevant to Karst topography. They develop a Bryant Watershed Dictionary of the special words and terms that are used to talk about the topography and hydrology of the area they live in.
Curated OER
Researching Another country's Holiday: Organizing and Recording Information
Prior to this lesson, 5th graders will have collected notes from several sources. Students extend their note taking to include at least one example each of summarizing and paraphrasing. They record bibliographic information for each...
Curated OER
What is Plagiarism?
What is plagiarism? Middle schoolers create a class definition of plagiarism and examine the importance of crediting people for their ideas. They review official school policy on plagiarism and study the consequences of presenting the...
Curated OER
Mormon Settlements
In this Mormon settlements worksheet, students read the poster about the settlement of Salt Lake City. Students then determine if the settlement was a success or failure based on what they learned in the poster.