Curated OER
Checkmate: The Play's The Thing
Students investigate the Middle Ages and it's relation to the theater. In this acting instructional activity, students read Arthurian stories form the Middle Ages and practice using vocabulary words from the Medieval Times. Students...
NASA
The Importance of Food
Pupils make observations while eating food. They act out the process of food breaking down in the body and the roles of various chemical components, such as sugar and protein. It concludes with an activity illustrating the process and a...
Curated OER
Backyard Birds: Who's Who Out There?
Students practice techniques of field observation and data-gathering while studying local bird population, describe ecosystem as complex combination of elements, which can affect or be affected by each other, and determine effects of...
Curated OER
Utah Indian Contributions
Fourth graders study the contributions from the Utah Indian tribes and present their finding either orally or in a PowerPoint.
Science 4 Inquiry
The Ups and Downs of Populations
As the reality of population decline across many species becomes real, pupils learn about the variables related to changes in populations. They complete a simulation of population changes and graph the results, then discuss limiting...
Curated OER
Off We Go
First graders identify different types of transportation, and explain why each is important. They pretend they are going on a trip. They choose their mode of transportation, and use play money to buy their tickets.
Curated OER
History by Heroes
Pupils role play one of the Presidents between 1877 and today. Individually, they use the internet to research the President through official documents, political cartoons and various editorials. Throughout the year, they are asked to...
Curated OER
Words to Warm the Winter: Keeping Things Organized
Fifth graders are in Literary Circles according to the book they've chosen and choose roles.
Curated OER
The Structure of Virginia Local Government
Students explain origins of Virginia's unique local government organization,
define numerous terms essential to understanding local government, and
evaluate impact of Dillon's Rule on local government in Virginia through debate.
Curated OER
Water Conservation
First graders participate in a simulation in which they discover the community has been using too much water. In groups, they research the various ways the water is being used and create a home survey. They show the water usage of the...
Curated OER
Retelling
Explore language arts by completing a story worksheet in class. Readers will identify the importance of plot, setting, and character while they write their own short story. They also retell their story to a classmate and participate in a...
Curated OER
Stop! Explore Go!
Students examine a three-step process for making decisions and how their peers can influence them in different ways. They role-play different roles when making decisions and other students reflect on how they feel about the activity.
American Forest Foundation
Who Speaks for the Trees?
Help young conservationists appreciate the important role that trees play in ecosystems around the world with this collection of six engaging activities. From a shared reading and class discussion of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, to in an depth...
Curated OER
The Civil War Era
Fifth graders explore both the causes of and the actual events of the Civil War. They write essays and descriptive paragraphs and explore a variety of websites. They create a series of skits highlighting the key points of the Civil War era.
Curated OER
You Can Say That Again!
A discussion of the Supreme Court’s Opinion of Tinker v. Des Moines generates a discussion of the Bill of Rights and the First Amendment. Although the key elements of this activity are based on a video that is not included, the...
C-SPAN
Campaign Endorsement Project
So many politicians, so many endorsements! Learn to differentiate between facts as well as the process of endorsements with an informative resource. Class members watch current endorsement videos, research candidates from three different...
Curated OER
Choose Your Own Adventure: School Nutritional Policy
Mature audiences are required for this lesson on implementing health-related policies. First, they openly explore the CDC obesity page while taking notes about what they discover. Then they view a PowerPoint about the success of public...
Curated OER
Comparing Two Poe Classics
Students read and discuss The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart. In this poetry lesson, students construct a Venn diagram to compare and contrast two pieces of literature.
Curated OER
Were Lewis and Clark respectful to the Native Americans they encountered on their journey?
Sixth graders debate whether or not Lewis and Clark were respectful of Native Americans they encountered on their journey. In this American History lesson, 6th graders review primary documents and diary entries from the Lewis and Clark...
Curated OER
Digging for Treasure: Note-Taking Skills for Primary Children
Second graders study the criteria for biographies and the vocabulary that is specific person and time. They take notes, write e-mail and gather information on a famous person.
Curated OER
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fourth graders participate in a play to work on seeing events from a different perspective. Some of them are reporters, some cameramen and women, and others are interviewed. They put themselves in the shoes of the people in the book...
Curated OER
North and South - Impact of the Abolitionist Movement
Students examine history of slavery in United States, discuss abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass who worked to end slavery, listen to excerpts from Douglass' autobiography, and visit interactive Underground Railroad web site.
Curated OER
Birth of a Nation
Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.
Curated OER
Bases Divided: Segregation And Discrimination in Baseball
Students view video and conduct research on how baseball has reflected the social context of American history. They work in groups to investigate outstanding minority baseball players, including racial minorities and women, and develop...