US Institute of Peace
The Process of Negotiation
What does it take to be a great negotiator? Learners discover the factors that affect the negotiation process through group discussion and brainstorming. An installment in a series of peacebuilding activities compares the needs and wants...
Curated OER
The Trial of the Bloody Sucker
A blood sucking what? Grade schoolers identify the characteristics of blood sucking parasites. They organize their information, identify their arguments, and present them to the class in persuasive arguments. They participate in a debate...
Curated OER
Comparison of hometown life with that of life in a Canadian city
Students research cultural characteristics of a Canadian city with that of their home town. They complete a map handout, providing the relative location on a large map and the absolute location on a provincial map. Students work together...
Channel Islands Film
A Time Capsule of a Lost Early California Lifestyle
After viewing The Last Roundup, a documentary that examines the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately owned island to a National Park, class members adopt the point of view of Tim Vail, a member of the family that once owned the...
Curated OER
Ship of the Line
Students discover boats by researching 18th century ships. In this Naval history lesson, students identify and describe the different components of an 18th century naval ship after researching information on the Internet....
Curated OER
Understanding Folklife and Folklore
Student examine the basic characteristics of folklore. In this folklore lesson, students complete activities to identify two kinds of folk, folk groups, and folklife. Students list daily activities in their home, identify folk groups...
Council for Economic Education
What Makes an Entrepreneur?
What do the founders of Wendy's and Virgin Airlines have in common? They are both entrepreneurs! Key definitions and case studies help learners brainstorm their own definitions of what it takes to succeed in business. A series of...
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Making a Patriot Inquiry: Are Independence, Freedom, and Liberty the Same Thing?
As part of a study of the American Revolution, class members engage in an inquiry-based lesson that has them watch a scene from the play Slave Spy, examine multiple primary source documents, and then discuss the similarities and...
Curated OER
Characteristics of a Good Citizen
First graders examine characteristics that good citizens need. In this civic virtues lesson, 1st graders discuss people they know who are heroes or good citizens. Students name three qualities they believe heroes need. Students create a...
Curated OER
Weaving a Story of Cooperation: The Goat in the Rug
Weaving is an important part of Navajo culture. Read The Goat in the Rug to your fourth and fifth graders, and give them a glimpse into the process of rug making from the point of view of a goat! They will learn new vocabulary words and...
Curated OER
Birth and Early Childhood
Eighth graders read and compare creation stories of different cultures around the world. They identify and define the concept of the cycle of life and collect and analyze birth and childhood folk beliefs and stories in their families...
Curated OER
Life on Earth and Beyond, Our Search for Answers
Students in a special education classroom are introduced to how the universe and solar system was formed. Using the internet, they research the characteristics of Earth that support human life. In groups, they compare and contrast...
Curated OER
Legendary Life Cycles
Upper elementary historians research a legendary person who had an impact in the the history of the United States. Learners research the life of their person of choice, and construct a legendary timeline using computer software which...
Curated OER
Picturing the Successful Student
Sixth graders work in small groups to identify the characteristics of a successful learner. They identify characteristics that think are most helpful for them. Students answer the question: What does a successful student look like?
Curated OER
The Beautiful People of Africa
Students discover the people of Africa by creating a PowerPoint presentation. In this African culture lesson plan, students utilize the Internet to investigate a specific African tribe and their specific location, culture, and way...
Vanderbilt University
Stories from the Panama Canal
The stories of the Silver People, the West Indies immigrants hired to work on the Panama Canal, come to life in a lesson about the building of the Panama Canal. Groups research why the canal was built, how it was build, the working...
Curated OER
Molly Pitcher -- "Out of Many, One"
Young scholars research, brainstorm and analyze the events that lead up to the Revolutionary War. They critique a piece of artwork depicting a scene from the Revolutionary War. Each major battle is plotted on a map to show a visual...
Curated OER
"Water is Life" Global Water Awareness
Students examine and calculate the percentage of potable water remaining on the earth. In this ecology and geography lesson, students brainstorm the main factors affecting water distribution. Students use mathematical problem solving to...
Curated OER
Creative Voices of Harlem
Students explore the Harlem Renaissance. In this American history instructional activity, students examine a poem by Langston Hughes and identify the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance. Students research and report on a famous...
Curated OER
The Hare and the Water: A Tanzanian Folk Tale
"The Hare and the Water," a Tanzanian folk tale, lends a global perspective to literary analysis. Learners spend the first two days reading and storyboarding. On day three, they examine folk tale elements (worksheet included), and design...
Curated OER
In My Other Life
Middle schoolers explore various cultural identities. They conduct Internet research, develop a questionnaire that profiles information from their selected culture, and write a letter to a pen pal in the U.S. explaining what life in...
Star Wars in the Classroom
Star Wars Geography Unit
What kind of animals live on an ice planet like Hoth? How would the habitat on Tatooine allow different organisms to thrive? Connect social studies, science, and Star Wars in one engaging activity that focuses on the ecosystems...
PACER Center
The Peer Advocacy Guide
Teasing, mocking, and disrespect can be the hallmarks in the life of those with disabilities. Disrupt the cycle of abuse with a toolkit designed to turn peers into advocates for all those who are bullied. Everything needed to create a...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Lyndon B. Johnson, Excerpt from “The Great Society”
Young historians examine Lyndon Johnson's vision for a rich, powerful, and upward society as detailed in this excerpt from his famous "Great Society" speech presented at the University of Michigan in 1964.