Curated OER
Myth and Truth: The First Thanksgiving
Encourage learners to think critically about common myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in Colonial America. They discover that behind every myth are many possible explanations—and that learning more about American history helps them...
ESL Holiday Lessons
Bastille Day
Eleven worksheets follow an informative reading about Bastille Day. Scholars complete sentences found in the reading by matching, filling in the blanks, and choosing from a series of multiple-choice questions. Participants spell and...
Arbor Day Foundation
Trees: A Joy Forever
This Arbor Day, put on a show! A three-scene play follows a boy and girl that run into Arbor Day founder, J. Sterling Morton. Morton describes how the holiday came to be and discovers how his hard work has grown into a national...
PBS
Women with Character Who Inspire Lesson Plan
Angelique Kidjo and Kerry Kennedy are the focal points of a instructional activity designed to shed light on inspirational women during Women's History Month. Scholars discuss and examine the lives of two women then showcase a woman in...
Morrow In The Middle
Bet You Didn't Know: St. Patrick's Day History
Did St. Patrick really rid Ireland of all its snakes? Do shamrocks grow on every corner of the Emerald Isle? Learn all about Irish history and the true origins of St. Patrick's Day with a fill-in-the-blank worksheet that accompanies an...
Skoog Music
St. Patrick’s Day
Traditional Irish music can bring even the most stoic audience to tears. This St. Patrick's Day, explore the lilting flutes and mournful ballads of the Emerald Isle with a interactive and inspiring music activity.
Hildegard Center for the Arts
Mardi Gras Masks
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Create your own festive Mardi Gras masks with a lesson that provides background information on the celebration and instructions about constructing the masks.
Reading Through History
Reading with a Purpose: Haunted Houses
Boo! Whether you're easily scared or enjoy a good fright, a reading passage on haunted house attractions is a great addition to a Halloween-themed unit. Learners read a short informational passage before answering multiple choice,...
Macmillan Education
Christmas: #SadTree
Christmas trees can be as large and elaborate as the tree in Rockefeller Center, or as small and understated as Charlie Brown's tree in A Charlie Brown Christmas. But where did the tradition of Christmas trees come from? An engaging...
Jersey Heritage
A Victorian Christmas
In many ways, Victorian Christmas is alive and well today! Class members read an informative passage to learn more about traditional Christmas gifts, decorations, crackers, and visits from Santa Claus in nineteenth-century England—as...
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
ELT-Connect
Happy Valentine's Day
Shelves filled with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. Bouquets of red roses. Racks of romantic cards. Stores are preparing for Valentine's Day. Has the holiday become too commercialized? That is the question asked by a lesson designed...
Yummy Math
More Chocolate Candy?
Everyone knows that candy is the best part of any holiday—but which holiday's candy gives you the most bang for your buck? Analyze a chocolate heart, a chocolate bat, and a normal piece of chocolate to decide which piece of candy has the...
Yummy Math
Sweethearts Candy
Sweethearts® candies are a beloved Valentine's Day treat—so much so that eight billion hearts are produced every year around the world! Learners use number sense reasoning and critical thinking to solve nine word problems about the...
Yummy Math
Parametric Equations and a Heart
Trigonometry, art, and Valentine's Day come together in a creative activity about parametric equations. Learners calculate several equations before graphing them either by hand, on a graphic calculator, or Excel spreadsheet to curve...
Yummy Math
Which Sweet Heart Candy Is the Best Deal?
Get the most Valentine's candy for your money with a fun math activity! After examining three deals for buying candy hearts in bulk, young mathematicians decide which deal is the best and use bar graphs to demonstrate their claim. They...
Vermilionville
Mardi Gras—Secondary
Add a little glitter to your Mardi Gras celebration with a packet that includes information about the history of Mardi Gras. It also provides information about how different communities celebrate the holiday, as well as templates for...
Yummy Math
Valentine’s Day = Roses
Roses are red, but did you know that some are lighter while others are darker? Scholars read an infographic to decipher the fraction and percent of rose color and their country of origin. They go on to make comparisons and estimate while...
Yummy Math
A Cardioid for Valentine’s Day
It's Valentine's Day in geometry class! Celebrate the day of love with a heart-themed activity in which young mathematicians create a cardioid on polar graph paper.
Yummy Math
Raspberry Chocolate Heart Cake
Have you ever finished a piece of cake and wished you had more? Solve this common dilemma with math! A straightforward worksheet prompts middle schoolers to use the given dimensions of a heart-shaped cake when planning to bake two larger...
Library of Congress
A Christmas Carol
Have you ever wanted to read an early edition of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol? Experience the next best thing with an eBook version of the novel. From the haunting first words to the jolly send-off in the conclusion, the eBook...
Scholastic
Dreidel Game and Song
The dreidel song, or "I Have a Little Dreidel," is a fun traditional song for the season of Hanukkah. Teach your class how to play the dreidel game with an activity that includes the lyrics to the classic song.
Plimoth Plantation
Thanksgiving Interactive: You are the Historian
Take on the roles of two very different individuals living together during the same time: a pilgrim and a member from the Wampanoag Tribe. As learners navigate through the interactive, each click takes them to a part of each village to...
Wordly Wise 3000 Online
Viva Cinco de Mayo
Many people think Cinco de Mayo is the celebration Mexican independence, but they're incorrect. Learn about the battle of Puebla and the victory of General Zaragoza with a short reading passage that includes comprehension and vocabulary...