Curated OER
Opening Day Lesson: Getting to know each other
If you want an ice-breaker type activity, you should look at this resource. It introduces the idea and purpose of a press conference and then uses that concept for pupils to learn about one another. The teacher models the activity by...
Curated OER
Who Fought for the Confederacy?
Did the Confederate Army really consist of southern volunteers? Using primary sources, historians examine the story behind the "Twenty Negro Law" and realities of conscription during the Civil War. A letter and a lithograph (included as...
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Fairy Tales
Class groups examine fairy tales from a feminist and a Marxist perspective, identifying how these tales present gender roles and class/power systems. The groups then script and perform their own tale that uses one of these lenses.
Curated OER
Les Pays de l'Europe
How do you say Greece in French? What about Spain? Introduce your beginning speakers to 17 countries and what they're called in French. Each slide contains a country's name in English, its flag, and the French translation. Improve this...
French Teacher
Il y a Combien…
How many clowns are there? How many puppies are there? With this 17-slide PowerPoint, your beginning French class learns the meaning of the phrase il y a combien. A very short practice section is included on the final slide, but consider...
Curated OER
Les Panneaux de Signalisation
How do I get to school? Review basic signal vocabulary with your beginning French language learners. Fifteen vocabulary phrases are shown. Examples include: il ne faut pas entrer and il faut aller tout doit. All of the phrases include...
Biology Corner
Cell Theory Rap
All that this will link you to is a rap about cell theory and organelles. Use it as an example for a creative assignment in your biology class. Divide the class into groups and assign them a topic for which they write and perform a skit,...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: K-W-H-L Strategy
Ah, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer! Before your class reads this classic novel, encourage them to activate prior knowledge and build interest in the book with the KWHL strategy. Directions for walking your class through this strategy are...
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In the Time of Butterflies: List-Group-Label
Use the list-group-label strategy to introduce your class to In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. The teacher begins by writing a word on the board (dictatorship is suggested here), and then the kids write as many words as...
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KWL Comprehension Strategy: Maus I and II
How much does your class know about World War II? Before reading Art Spiegelman's Maus I, lead your class in creating a KWL chart. Knowing the background and setting of the novel are extremely important in understanding this survivor's...
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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Request Strategy
Model for readers how to develop effective questions with a request strategy for questioning. Text-explicit, text-implicit, and experiential based questions are the focus. Step-by-step instructions are included for the strategy that...
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Air Pollution and Asthma (11th Grade)
What is the air quality index? Start by discussing pollution and air quality with your budding environmentalists. A list of instructional activities are provided here from inviting a guest speaker into your classroom to discussing...
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Courage: Hero Traits
What does it mean to be a hero? Who qualifies as a hero? In groups, middle and high schoolers brainstorm a list of heroes and create a list of characteristics that a person must possess in order to be a hero. Extend this lesson by having...
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Hobbies
How many different hobbies can you name in French? Using this question, French classes are asked to list as many hobbies as they can. Although the activities themselves are not included in this teacher guide, you could create them...
Curated OER
Exploring Careers
Now that your career explorers are thinking about the world after high school, it's time they learned how to research their options! Here's a great resource to get them gathering information from multiple sources. Learners brainstorm...
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Do Heroes Have to Wear a Cape?
Young writers choose a person from American history, their community, or their family to use as the subject of a persuasive essay. The process begins with a discussion of the characteristics of a hero, the completion of a prewriting web,...
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Lesson Plan 3: Great Book, Gross Book
It's time for your scholars to become book reviewers! Start with a fun review of foods: are they good or gross? Learners apply these evaluation techniques to books, recording their thoughts on large pieces of butcher paper. Simply have...
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Putting Away Your Inner Editor
Personify your Inner Editor. After making a richly detailed paper doll of your Inner Editor, put him or her in your locker, under your bed or buried in a time capsule in your backyard, but not near where you like to write. Refuse to...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 12: Writing With All Your Senses
What does an ice cream sundae sound like? Challenge young writers to move beyond visual descriptions and craft details that appeal to all five senses. The examples provided by the script in this resource show pupils how to create rich...
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Check it Out...Nonfiction Can Be Fun!
Organizing information gathered for a research topic can be a challenge. Read aloud notes you have collected on a topic and use suggestions offer by the class to categorize and sort this information. Partners then follow this pattern,...
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Lesson Plan 18: Cleaning It Up
Careful proofreading is an important step in the writing process. After guided practice using a provided worksheet that details common grammar concepts, young writers refer to the worksheet as they proofread their own work. Although the...
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Camera Shots
Understanding how visual codes such as long-shots, close-ups, and camera angles affect meaning helps prepare young filmmakers to plan their own productions. The concepts embedded could also be used to analyze photographs and paintings.
Curated OER
Reading Skills: Chunking
Prepare advanced English learners and low-level readers for the reading demands of post-secondary education with skill of chunking. Readers learn to make meaning from phrases rather than individual words, helping them to read more...
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Spooky Analysis
Focus on building suspense as well as evaluating web sites through creative writing. After introducing the idea of suspense and holding a discussion, class members complete a WebQuest, during which they find inspiration for their own...