Curated OER
Darwinist Dogma?
Students debate whether teachers should be mandated to present theories challenging evolution in their classrooms. For homework, they write letters to their local school board expressing their own opinions.
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Trading Up?
Young scholars explore the benefits and drawbacks of free trade from the perspective of the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and Mexico. For homework, they each write a letter to the editor expressing their...
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Exit to the Left
Students share their own thoughts about the United States' involvement in Iraq. They read an article about what the Democrats would do if they were in charge. They develop a poll for members of their community to take and analyze the...
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Position Wanted
Learners share their opinions about local job opportunities for people their age. After reading an article about hiring trends, they discuss Google's answer to filling jobs. Class members research and report on an employer that offers...
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To Protect and Preserve
Students discuss the impact of war on the Iraqi National Museum and the importance of protecting artifacts of cultural heritage. They write letters to the Milwaukee Public Museum to show support for funding for the protection of the...
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American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins
Students explore daily life and its influences in the late 1700s for two families in different colonies- Delaware and Massachusetts by becoming historical detectives. After gathering information from artifacts to make inferences about...
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Let's Celebrate Ramadan!
Students explore and study about Ramadan. They list what already know about celebrations, listen to a variety of books, compare/contrast various celebrations and create a project for each lesson. Each student assesses Kidspiration on the...
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Respect for Authority
Students examine the country of Mongolia and how it is trying to form a democracy. As a class, they participate in a class meeting about a new class rule and they voice their opinions. They read excerpts of a letter of a Peace Corps...
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Are We Safer?
Students discuss the meaning of feeling safe in their environment after September 11th. After reading National Intelligence reports and news articles summarizing the findings about national security, they write letters to their...
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Who Was Charles Darwin?
Young scholars complete two activities to study Charles Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection. They read Darwin's journal from the voyage of the Beagle and look at the scientific ideas that influenced the development of his theory.
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Short "E" Searching
Students engage in a lesson which uses resources from the PBS show, Between the Lions to help identify the sound "e" in words that are written, read and sung.
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Calamity Sane
Students observe responses to emergency situations by participating in and making observations about a fire drill. They then analyze the fire drill proceedings from the perspective of a sociologist investigating social order during...
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Day-to-Day Life in a Small African Village
Students experience just a bit of what it's like living in a village in Tanzania-from language to geography to health and hygiene issues. They compare aspects of school and home life in the United States with those in Tanzania and...
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President Obama's Address to Students Across America
Students write about goals, responsibility, and persistence, and listen to President Obama's speech. In this President Obama lesson students create concept webs, listen with a purpose, and list the challenges of our generation.
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Animal Sounds
Students listen to books about animals. In this animal sound and characteristics lesson, students listen to books and a tape of animal and then identify which animal makes that sound. Students discuss and act out how the animal acts.
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I Have a Metaphor
Learners locate the literary devices used in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In this figurative language lesson plan, students first distinguish between similes, metaphors, analogies, personification, etc. Learners...
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World Consumption: Unequal Slices of the Pie
Students interpret the United Nations Human Development Reports and explain the relevance and use of the human development index in offering insight into a nation and its challenges. They draft a letter to the United Nations.
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Red, Undecided, and Blue
Students analyze voter preferences in past elections, and then write letters to a presidential candidate, recommending winning strategies drawn from their research.
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On the Fence
Students read a news article from the New York Times related to the construction of a fence between Mexico and the U.S. and its impact on the lives of the people living on both sides. They read and discuss a variety of scenarios, answer...
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Perks and Perils
Learners research the life of the first family. In this U.S. Government lesson, students take a White House quiz, read an article about the first family and write in their journals about a typical day in their lives versus what a day...
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Not So Sweet
Students explore farming, slavery and cacoa farming. In this agricultural science instructional activity, students fill out KWL charts, create PowerPoints and do internet research. Students write letters to chocolate companies...
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The Musher's Trail
Second graders follow the Iditarod race that begins in March. They research data and select a musher to trail in the race. Then they write daily in a journal about events that happen on the trail, including pictures from the Website.
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Classes For The Masses
Students explore how class is represented in the media by developing ideas for television pilots that deal with class issues. They compile short lists of television characters from working, middle and upper classes.
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Name the Constellation
Students read stories about constellations. They create constellations by filling in the letters of their names on a test bubble sheet and tracing the design onto white paper. They make up stories about their name constellations.