Curated OER
Questions of Courage
Examine discrimination. In this character education lesson, learners read two biographies, Vivien Naki and Hamilton Naki then analyze their personal discrimination experiences. They complete a Venn diagram to compare and...
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Introducing New Vocabulary Words
Using context clues, synonyms, antonyms, dictionaries, and original sentences, middle schoolers work through a new list of vocabulary words. A SMART board file guides them through the process of learning and reinforcing the words. After...
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Promises, Promises
If someone breaks a promise, is that person no longer trustworthy? Present your 6th and 7th graders with a series of statements and have them debate their opinions with supporting evidence. As an extension, have your students write a...
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Promote Nonviolence
Take a look at the topic of violence as seen in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Discuss together the values that Atticus holds and brainstorm ways to combat violence in a similar manner to what he portrays in the novel. Get your...
Learning to Give
It's Never Too Late: Air Quality
What are the causes and effects of pollutants on the quality of the air we breathe? Groups research emission standards, emission controls, career opportunities in the area of air quality control, and things government and individuals can...
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Texas Commemorative Maps: Honoring Our Past
To celebrate Texas, groups plan and create a commemorative map for a topic or theme in Texas history. The richly detailed plan and the approach could easily be adapted to any state. Samples are included.
American Battlefield Trust
Antietam 360
It was the single bloodiest day in Civil War history. Now, class members have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Antietam using an interactive website. Supplemental resources include...
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Jimmy Carter: Civic Action, Lesson 2
Build on high schoolers' awareness of what's wrong with society. Here they examine Jimmy Carter's extensive involvement in volunteer action in the local, national, and global arenas. Define and explore concepts -- philanthropy, citizen,...
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The Importance of Storytelling
Students examine how African Americans escaping slavery used storytelling to communicate. They listen to and read the lyrics for the song, Follow the Drinking Gourd, view the Reading Rainbow video, and write and illustrate their own story.
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Review of Adjectives
The easiest way to learn how to use adjectives is through practice, practice, practice! Print out pictures of people and various objects, and have pairs attempt to describe the items together. This plan suggests providing laminated index...
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Philanthropic Behavior
Youngsters create class rules by determining the environment they would like to have in their classroom. They come to a consensus about how to have a safe, fair, fun learning environment by discussing the rules in the Karla Kustin poem,...
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Understanding Other People's Decisions
Students analyze people's choices from different points of view. They read different scenarios and explain how they would react personally in that situation. Then they analyze what they would do in another character's position and...
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Community Helpers
First graders explore the different products and services provided by community helpers. In this community helpers lesson, learners participate in a role playing activity where the students transform into community helpers. They break...
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Resources and Economic Development
Identify natural resources in the world and how they translate into economic development. In this global economy lesson, your class will utilize the Internet to view an Oregon Time Web which they research to examine the history of...
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Is Perception Reality? Writing Paradoxes in Poetry
Explore the paradox of the universe - or, at least, of popular music - with this lesson. Using the songs "Inaudible Melodies" by Jack Johnson and "She" by Green Day, your class will complete a graphic organizer to help them understand...
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Household Conservation/Efficiency
Hook your class up to an online home energy usage calculator so that they can estimate the amount used per month by their families. Then give them Watt meters with which they will measure the power consumption of several small...
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Who's In, Who's Out?
Working in groups, class members develop survey questions to be used on campus to identify groups that feel excluded or disrespected. After assembling the questions and conducting the survey, class members analyze their findings and...
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Allies and Actions
How can we create “a more respectful, inclusive school community?" What can an individual do to make a member of an excluded or disrespected group feel more respected and included? What can the community do? Class groups record their...
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Education: Looking Beyond the Classroom
To better understand what it takes to work in the field of training or educating, learners first explore the education career cluster. After they research the cluster, pupils write questions for a guest speaker. This speaker can be from...
Aquarium of the Pacific
Lego Molecules
Young scientists construct an understanding of molecular compounds in this hands-on science lesson. Using LEGO® to model the atoms of different elements, students build molecules based on the chemical formulas of common compounds.
Curated OER
St. Patrick’s Day
Combine math, creative writing, and leprechauns in a fun St. Patrick's Day activity! Using a bag of gold coins and marshmallows, kids write a math story about a leprechaun that includes a multi-step equation to solve.
Curated OER
Using Personification
Young readers listen to the story The Three Little Pigs, and discuss what abnormal characteristics the pigs and the wolf have. They relate these characteristics to personification, and practice writing sentences using personification.
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Building Understanding of Rate of Change/Slopes Using Alice
Students explore slope as a rate of change. In this eighth grade mathematics instructional activity, students investigate real-world problems to determine rate of change and transform it into a linear representation, thus determining...
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Give It All You’ve Got Heroes and Visual Art
Sure, your young artists probably know Van Gogh and Picasso, but are they equally as familiar with Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol? Small groups examine the work of famous artists. Then, they create their own hero portraits in Cubist style...