Media Smarts
Perceptions of Youth and Crime
Explore the potential for bias in the news and in scholars' own attitudes and opinions. Begin with a quiz on youth crime to see how learners perceive crime among their peers. After looking at the correct answers, put individuals in...
Curated OER
Setting Up Camp
Draw on what learners know about conflict resolution and the situation in the Middle East to build understanding of the Camp David summit meeting beginning on July 11, 2000. They develop an understanding of the functions of summit...
Curated OER
Sense, Sensibility and Sentences: Examining and Writing Memorable Lines
Involve your readers in finding works of literary genius. Have each individual write down compelling sentences that they read or hear, whether in a newspaper, advertisement, book, movie, song, or any other place! Once each person has a...
Curated OER
Active Viewing: Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided
Young historians consider the cause and effects of the Emancipation Proclamation. They use handouts, response sheets, and class discussion to build an opinion about the subject after viewing the PBS documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln:...
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Torn Paper Portraits: A Value Study
High schoolers "paint" with torn paper!. They focus on the placement of features, facial planes, shadows and highlights using a black and white image. The results from this lesson are visually stunning, and the materials you need to get...
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College or Bust?
Based on a New York Times article, "The College Drop-Out Boom," participants in a fishbowl discussion formulate and express opinions about the correlation between level of education, career options, and economic mobility. Ample...
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Hey Teachers! Get to Know Me!
Foster community in your classroom and encourage learners to get up and get to know each other. Individuals each receive the classmate inventory handout included and use it to fill in information about their fellow scholars. Once they...
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Worried Sick
Is health insurance a luxury? The class examine the increasing number of uninsured middle class Americans; they then research and present information on various aspects of medical coverage and care at a classroom forum entitled "The...
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Keeping Your English Up to Date: Hoodie
Language is fluid, especially the English language. See how it is currently changing and will continue to change. Using the example of the term "hoodie," learners work through a week's worth of vocabulary, spelling, and critical thinking...
National Endowment for the Humanities
On This Day With Lewis and Clark
Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...
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Why Do We Remember Revere? Paul Revere's Ride in History and Literature
Middle schoolers examine primary documents regarding Paul Revere's ride and its role in the Revolutionary War. They consider how Revere's role has been written about by Longfellow and others and discuss the discrepancies between accounts.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Not 'Indians,' Many Tribes: Native American Diversity
Learners explore what they thought they knew about "Indians." They examine the Hopi, Abeneki and Kwatiutl tribes in a game-like activity using archival documents.
Curated OER
Applying Properties to Variables
Eighth graders combine like terms in this properties of variables lesson plan. Using named items (stars, moons and hearts), they combine like terms using variables. They use the distributive property to combine like terms. Finally, they...
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Fast Food and Daily Nutrition Choices
Students explore food. In this nutrition instructional activity, students investigate multiple facets of healthy eating and how the fast food industry impacts our society. They will participate in class discussions, read from their...
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Transportation
Engage in an 8-day study of different modes of transportation. Your students explore the concept of location and define the physical characteristics of places, such as, land forms, bodies of water, natural resources, and weather.
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Active Reading with American History
Explore connections within and between informational texts with this lesson about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine credibility...
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Scatter-Brained
Seventh graders graph ordered pairs on a coordinate plane. They create a scatterplot. Additionally, they determine the line of best fit and investigate the slope of the line. Multiple resources are provided. An excellent resource!
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It's All in the Measurements
Study customary measurements with your sixth graders. They will investigate linear and capacity measurements to then measure and convert linear and capacity units. Finally they will work in small groups to conduct experiments. Resources...
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Getting Well
Scholars share ideas about health topics relevant to teens. They read posts on Well, the Times health blog, and produce their own health blog featuring teen health issues. In addition, they read and discuss the article "Well: A Times...
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A Lens into the Past
Explore the history of immigration through photographs. Scholars will view and discuss photographs depicting the culture and lifestyle of late 19th and early 20th century immigrants. They take pictures of current examples of culture in...
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Respect
Investigate "respect" with your class. They will participate in a think/share activity in which they complete sentence starters about their personal experience with "respect." Then they view a video clip in which Holocaust survivors...
Curated OER
Place Value & Picasso
Place value to the millions is the focus of this math lesson. Third and fourth graders investigate multiple ways to represent a number. They examine place value while studying factual information about Pablo Picasso. Resources are provided.
Curated OER
U.S. Mint Releases New Jefferson Nickel
Learners share their knowledge of Lewis and Clark, then read a news article about the redesign on the U.S. nickel to commemorate Lewis and Clark's expedition. Introduce the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students...
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The Exploration of the Writer, His Louisiana History And the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman By Ernest J. Faines
Students identify the significance of the author's experiences on his written work; describe the hardships faced by slaves and plantation owners once the caves were set free; explain the role of the Seceses and why they were a threat to...