Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom on My Mind: A Marginalized Voice in the Segregated South

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the film, "Freedom on My Mind." They view the film and discuss its points in small groups. They create a fictional southern state reflecting segregation in the 1960's. They present their states to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Family Quilt

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine the artwork of Faith Ringgold. They create their own quilt pattern on fabric and piece them together to create a class quilt. They compare their similarities with one another.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Watching Crystals Grow

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sound of Music in Kenya

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study Kenya's culture and see how people and things can be different and similar at the same time. They create a pictograph of objects from each culture that are used in similar ways and examine a few Swahili words.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students research the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of life in the American south during the depression era as they read Harper Lee's To Kill a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sudan -- Efforts to Avert Genocide in the Making

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine current events in Sudan and their efforts to prevent another genocide. They identify the roles of different humanitarian organizations in the area. They research the efforts to bring those accused of genocide to justice.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sahara: Home of the Tuareg

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and analyze the Tuareg and other groups as well, including their own, and examine the impact culture has on environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants and Animals: Partners in Pollination

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students describe the complementary relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, identify adaptations that flowers have developed to "encourage" pollination, and create and draw their own "designer" flowers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mineral Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students complete a scavenger hunt worksheet as they find examples in their classroom, at home, etc., of minerals. Excellent worksheet!
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Classroom Exhibit: Rocks and Minerals

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students bring in rocks and minerals from home. They observe them and describe them carefully, completing a worksheet. Finally, a classroom exhibit is created.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students participate in multiple hands-on activities to explore reproduction and pollination. In groups, using a cotton swab and powder, students simulate being pollinators and plants. They name the parts of the flowers and the function...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks and Minerals

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners bring rocks and minerals from home to investigate in the classroom. In this rocks and minerals lesson plan, students observe all the rocks and minerals brought into the class and answer 7 questions about the features of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Under the Spell of Spiders

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Young scholars will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Westward Movement

For Teachers Pre-K - 8th
Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. For this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Size Shapes Animals

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Learners investigate how size affects large and small animals differently. In this animal lesson plan, students determine how size affects different animals by constructing their own animal out of marshmallows. Once learners create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going...going...gone? Tropical Rainforests-How They Work, What They Do for Us, What's Being Done to Them...

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore the Tropical Rainforest and come to understand what it is and how it affects the ecosystem. In this rainforests lesson, 6th graders write about the Tropical Rainforest, imagine they are in the Tropical Rainforest,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sixteenth Street: Civil Rights at the Crossroads

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars study the Civil Rights movement constructing definitions of discrimination, prejudice and racism. They use varied media to study the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, write a newspaper and complete a mock trial.
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Curated OER

Hershey and the World: The 5 Themes of Geography and Google Earth

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students invsestigate cocoa producing regions in the world. In this geography skills lesson, students examine how the 5 themes of geography affect the Hershey Chocolate Company as they compare and contrast cocoa production in America,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

P.O.W.: Products of War

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders are introduced to concepts of war through musical lyrics. They demonstrate and understanding of the role of segregation in US military policy and practice.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Countries of Slave Trade

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students create graphs, routes, and write an essay based on their research of the slave trade. In this slave trade lesson plan, students research the Middle Passage and how slave trade happened in the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Remembering WWII Through Memorials

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners create memorials for lesser known WWII heroes. In this WWII lesson, students recognize the efforts of lesser know individuals and groups that contributed to the wartime cause. Learners work in groups to create a memorial for one...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Views of the American West: True or False?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain that a landscape painting may or may not accurately represent a specific place. They identify techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art to Zoo: Celebration

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students research and develop a report on birthday rituals around the world. In this research lesson plan, students compare birthday rituals from other cultures to their own. Images and resources are included.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching With the Power of Objects

For Teachers Pre-K - 3rd
Students define value of an object. In this value lesson plan, students identify reasons for collecting objects, compile a personal inventory of items they find valuable, and then define why those items are valuable to them. In step two...