Curated OER
Arkansas' Top Ten Events of the Century....Says Who? Why? Deciding What is Important in History
Middle and high schoolers work in small groups to compare four different lists published in the Arkansas Times newspaper which chose the "top ten" Arkansas news events of the 20th century. Learners look for similarities and differences...
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An Air-Powered Car
Youngsters read text about an environmentally-friendly car. They try to figure out the meaning of the vocabulary in the text and discuss issues related to alternative energy sources. This thoughtful, well-designed plan has all the...
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Pumpkins
The pumpkin might be the single most amazing plant for youngsters. It's so big! It's leaves, it's stems, it's fruit! And it is easy to grow! This lesson describes all sorts of wonderful pumpkin ideas. Everything from pumpkin stories,...
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Character Attributes in Writing
Third graders analyze the importance of characters in fiction writing and performances. For this theatre lesson, 3rd graders identify the important characteristics of a fictional character and how to portray a character through...
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Scouting Civil War Sites
Students evaluate websites after gathering information from various search engines. In this Civil War lesson, students browse the web and find strategies for rating websites. Students choose the best sites in their opinion...
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Scaling it Down: Caves Have Maps, Too
Measurement and map skills are the focus of this activity, where students crawl through a "cave" made out of boxes, desks and chairs, observing the dimensions. Your young geographers measure various aspects of the cave and practice...
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Fairy Tales Come True
Pupils see how to solve math problems using place value. After watching an episode from Cyberchase, kids work together using hands-on materials to solve the problems given. This outstanding, ten-page lesson has everything you need to...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations
Here are a series of lessons on the Mayan, Aztec, and Incan civilizations. This incredible, 15-lesson unit would be perfect for any fifth grade study on these important civilizations. Learners focus on the complex nature of the cultures,...
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How Big Is That Star?
Aspiring astronomers study stars. They compare stars and explain the relationship between radius, mass, and diameter. By creating a star simulation, they discover how a binary star system's orbit can cause changes in the observed...
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Grow a Musical Instrument
Music, culture, social studies, and plant growth all in one! Kids explore the various type of traditional African instruments that are made out of gourds. They then grow their own gourds and use them to create a wide variety of...
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Teaching Appositives
Explore appositives, phrases that immediately follow the noun they modify, using sentence strips, examples, and collaborative learning. The class works together to identify appositives and use commas to properly punctuate them. Partners...
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Purchasing Items Using the Next Dollar Strategy
Drill and practice is the method of teaching for today. Special needs pupils practice rounding to the next dollar value when purchasing an item at the store. They are shown flash cards with a monetary value, they then have 3-5 seconds to...
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Lesson 6: Mittens, Socks, Mittens, Socks, Mittens!
Mittens and socks, two of my favorite clothing items! Young learners with special needs, explore clothing appropriate for cold weather. They identify both socks and mittens, discuss weather appropriate clothing, and listen to the...
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Kitchen Appliances and Utensils: Home Living / Daily Living
There are so many different types of tools we use in the kitchen, everyday. Help your special needs learner discover how to recognize, identify, and use various kitchen utensils and appliances. Using picture cards and drill prompting,...
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Cooking Skills: Special Education
Using the microwave, boiling water for pasta, and using a knife to make a sandwich are all independent living skills. Prepare your special needs high schoolers for life by having them prepare three easy-to-cook items. Each skill is laid...
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Work and Energy
The first activity may not work for your class if you don't have access to an open area of 30 meters and two cars of different masses, but the remaining activities can be used in any physics course. They all involve the investigation of...
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Fossil Fuels (Part III), The Geology of Coal
Do not overlook this set of lessons just because your school does not have a data analysis system. There is plenty of material here to administer a complete mini unit on the formation, distribution, and properties of coal. Since it...
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Fossil Fuels (Part I), The Geology of Oil
Junior geologists work through three mini-lessons that familiarize them with the formation and location of fossil fuels. Part one involves reading about petroleum and where it comes from via a thorough set of handouts. A lab activity...
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Breaking News: English Athlete's Hairstyles
Practice vocabulary and speaking skills in this ESL reading comprehension lesson. Middle and high schoolers participate in a number of before, during, and after reading activities based on an article entitled "Footballer Sent Off for...
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Using Words as a Way into Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief
Use the Visual Thesaurus to predict the subject matter of Rick Riordan's book The Lightning Thief. A pre-reading activity encourages middle schoolers to use context clues and word meaning to discover what the book is about. After...
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Improve Your Spelling with the Visual Thesaurus
Using Visual Thesaurus software, class members participate in a computer-based spelling bee. Then they work in groups to analyze the words and use deductive reasoning to infer spelling patterns. They then present one of their "rules" to...
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Consonance and Dissonance Activities
Hone those musical ears to identify consonance and dissonance in music being played live or on a recording. Learners will work through four activities where they will listen to consonant and dissonant notes being played first by the...
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Hey, Pythagoras! Help Me Understand Your Theorem!
Learners explore the Pythagorean Theorem. In this math lesson, pupils solve problems using the Pythagorean Theorem. They select the appropriate numbers to substitute in the formula to solve problems.
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Pesticide Watch Card
Students examine human health by identifying dangerous pesticides. In this agriculture lesson, students research the food production system in the United States and discuss dangers such as pesticides, chemicals and insecticides which...