Curated OER
The Right to Remain Resilient
Students examine the Civil Rights Movements in the U.S., both current and historic. In small groups students investigate a specific civil rights group, create an illustrated timeline, noting key events, people, and state and federal laws.
Curated OER
Making Headlines
Students identify acts of kindness in the news. For this random acts of kindness lesson, students discuss kindness, find a news article about an act of kindness that took place in another country, locate the country on a map, and write a...
Smithsonian Institution
Giving Speeches: George Washington's First and Second Inaugural Addresses
Students discuss the purpose of the President of the United States giving an inaugural address. They describe their impressions of any inaugural speaches they have heard or read. Students research events leading up to Washington's first...
Curated OER
Democracies in North America: Canada, the United States, and Mexico
High schoolers examine democratic values. In this democracy lesson, students research the political systems of Canada, Mexico, and the United States in order to compare and contrast them. High schoolers also discuss domestic and...
Curated OER
Frankenstein's Monster
Students read Mary Shelly's Frankenstein. Using situation and question prompts, students write various essays, letters, and articles concerning the events in the story from different character's point of view.
Curated OER
War, Peace and Judaism 1
Students describe the conflict discussed in class, identify the groups involved in the conflict and their various interests, and define the term ethics. They analyze a current news story from an ethical point of view.
Curated OER
American Revolution
Young scholars review the events leading to the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Using the internet, they examine many different political cartoons from the time period and discuss the political atmosphere. In...
Curated OER
Ecosytems: Water Purification
Students explore how ecosystems purify water and what kinds of things humans do that alter these processes. They use a website to access information on local watersheds and develop a "river" newspaper
Curated OER
History, Today and Every Day
Students assess, by analyzing historic New York Times front pages, how print journalism reflects the values and language of the society in which it is created.
Curated OER
Introduction to Canada
Ninth graders investigate the country of Canada by examining their media in this geography lesson. They use the Internet to research Canadian newspapers and analyze a topic covered by both US and Canadian media sources. After comparing...
Curated OER
Project-Based Learning: Community Service
Community service is the basis for a project based learning experience. Your class participates in four weekly activities that require them to research community issues and contribute their time and talent to assist those in need. This...
Curated OER
Journal Writing in American Studies
Students write their thoughts about political cartoons, photographs, and articles in their journal and then discuss them in class.
Curated OER
Shasta Dam: How High is Too High?
Research water use in California, environmental protection laws, and the proposition to raise Shasta Dam by 200 feet. Researchers use their findings to build an argument which will be presented at a mock decision panel. Groups then...
Curated OER
Bird Interdisciplinary Possibilities
Students explore birds, their territory, breeding, and seasonal movement. They research and collect information on birds through writing letters to ornithologists, reading in books, comparing web sites, and observing pictures. Students...
Curated OER
Making an Argument: Effective use of Transition Words
Work on using transition words in context by prompting elementary and middle schoolers to write their own persuasive essays using transition words. They explore new forms of transition words and examine how they are used in an editorial...
Curated OER
Climate Change
Learners discuss global warming. In this global warming lesson, students read an article about global warming and list five things they learned. Learners work in small groups to compare what they wrote. Students illustrate one of the...
Curated OER
Newsworthy Fairy Tales
Third graders review common fairy tales and work in teams to rewrite the fairy tales as news articles. They answer questions using the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why). Student articles include eye-catching headlines.
Curated OER
A Report From the 21st Century - Mark Twain
Students look at Twain, the humorist - considered America's favorite storyteller and the funniest man in the world at the time. Students stretch the truth about a personal experience, and consider how delivery affects impact.
Curated OER
Interpreting Political Cartoons in the History Classroom
Students analyze political cartoons. In this historical perspectives lesson, students use the provided cartoon analysis worksheet to examine the political cartoons that their instructor shares with them.
Curated OER
The Secret is Out
Students explore ideas about journalism ethics as they relate to Watergate and discuss various issues related to an anonymous source being revealed. They write letters to the public editor of The NY Times about credibility and anonymous...
Curated OER
Energy From Space: The Next Frontier
Learners investigate ideas for getting energy from space. In this space-based power lesson, students read articles about ideas for alternatives to fossil fuels. Learners define and give examples of vocabulary words. Students answer...
Curated OER
The Battle to Save Bats
Students investigate the disease that is causing the global decline of bats. In this animal health lesson, students read an article which discusses white-nose syndrome, the number one killer of bats. Students discuss ways to keep bats...
Curated OER
Thoughts to the President
Students write a persuassive paragraph to the President stating their opinion on a topic. To do this, they start the message with a topic sentence such as "War is _____." The blank should contain a word or phrase expressing the student's...
Curated OER
West Climate Change
Students read an internet article about hurricanes. In this hurricane lesson, students explain how they form and the damage they bring. They analyze the article and answer questions about it.