iCivics
Drafting Board: Interest Groups
Does the influence of interest groups harm a political system? Your class members will analyze the role of interest groups in American politics, as well as consider the effect of perspective, bias, loyalty, and the First Amendment.
iCivics
Drafting Board: Kids and Credit
Should kids under the age of 18 be given access to credit cards? Learners identify pros and cons of using credit, develop claims based on evidence, and finally argue reasons for or against credit for minors.
iCivics
Drafting Board: Military Intervention
Should countries use their militaries to stop humanitarian crises in other countries? Learners make claims, organize their reasoning, and provide evidence for their arguments with this rich resource.
iCivics
Drafting Board: Electoral College
Should the president of the United States be voted by the Electoral College or the popular vote? Your young historians will consider the pros and cons of the Electoral College, and make an argument using reasons and evidence provided in...
iCivics
Drafting Board: Community Service
Should schools impose community service graduation requirements? In the final lesson of the Drafting Board series, learners solidify their practice of crafting an argument supported by sound reason and evidence.
Museum of Tolerance
Family Role Model Activity
What does is take to be a role model? Through grand conversation, and the use of books and a graphic organizer, scholars find out and apply the requirements to identify a role model within their family. They then journey through the...
Curated OER
Sunderland: Discovering Cities
Scholars investigate a local city (Sunderland) by participating in a discussion. They explore the different elements of the UK city by identifying the industrial and economic aspects. They also read an interview of two people speaking...
Curated OER
Product Persuasion
Students examine various products and analyze the marketing strategies used to entice consumers. They bring in a product they like to use, and using persuasive writing, they write their own advertisements for their products.
Curated OER
Our Unique Legacy of Giving
Students view The Gift of All, a Community of Givers. In this philanthropic lesson, students discuss the gifts of philanthropists they've seen. Students research and write a two page paper with four bullet points. Students include a...
Curated OER
Pollution is Not a Solution
Students explore the environment by completing science worksheets in class. In this water conservation lesson, students identify ways water is used in our society and how we abuse the privilege. Students discuss methods to reduce water...
Curated OER
Summer Camp in the Classroom
Students explore wildlife plants and summer activities. In this natural science lesson, students identify plants and animals and create a scrapbook of their findings.
Curated OER
War in the News
Students consider the portrayal of war in the news. In this instructional activity on Journalistic perspectives, students will work in groups to critically examine news articles written during war times throughout history.
Curated OER
Order My Steps
Students organize and sequence their writing ideas using different graphic organizers. They use the ideas to write a story that takes place over two days.
Curated OER
Just the Facts, Ma'am
Students use tables of content, chapter titles, and key words as a strategy for organizing non-fiction information. They write a paragraph with a partner using information from a graphic organizer.
Curated OER
We Garden: My Life as a Fruit or Vegetable
Students explore agriculture by participating in a role-play activity. In this farm to fork lesson, students ask and answer questions as though they were a specific plant about to be eaten. Students write responses to critical thinking...
Curated OER
All Aboard!
Sixth graders plan a road trip to a city in the US. They include railroad saftey messages as they write about the trip.
Curated OER
A Message in a Bottle
Students create an imaginary tale of travel and adventure. They explain who they are, where they were going when they got stranded, where they left from, and how they were traveling. They place their stories in bottles and set them afloat.
Curated OER
Anne Frank: Courage and Responsibility
Sixth graders examine attitudes toward discrimination. They increase their sensitivity to diversity. After a lecture/demo, 6th graders read about people who exhibit courage and complete a writing assignment about them.
Curated OER
Partner Poetry
Students interview each other to get to know one another better. They discuss hobbies, achievements, sports, and music. Then they each write a poem about their partner.
Curated OER
My Wilderness Adventure
Middle schoolers use a story starter and given questions to continue their adventure. They use the Internet and books to research about winter survival skills, how to find food, water and shelter in the snowy mountains and discover...
Curated OER
News Broadcasts
Learners create a news broadcast after studying example broadcasts about disaster relief organizations. In this broadcast news lesson, students research disaster relief organizations and then write a news broadcast related to a disaster....