Novelinks
The Martian Chronicles: Fishbowl Discussion
Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles provides the text for a fishbowl activity. Class members to sit in concentric circles, with the center circle discussing the topics from the book, and the outer circle observing the...
Pearson
Articles: Indefinite
When do you use a or an before a noun? What about the? Learn about indefinite and definite articles with a brief grammar presentation, which focuses on using context clues to determine proper article usage.
Smithsonian Institution
The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
Curated OER
Middle School General Music Unit Plans
Here's a collection of unit plans for middle school musicians. Topics include the mbira, opera, rhythm and culture, music in Africa, music in the movies, music theory and notation, blues and jazz, and the ocarina. Definitely worth a look.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Harriet Beecher Stowe Sends Uncle Tom’s Cabin to Victoria and Albert, 1852
Harriet Beecher Stowe's plea for abolition is not only laid plain in her acclaimed novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, but in her written correspondence as well. High schoolers read a letter written by Stowe to Prince Albert and Queen Victoria to...
Read Works
The United States Constitution
The US Constitution is the beginning of Americans' rights. Use a five-paragraph passage to give a brief history of the US Constitution. A great last minute addition to a lesson on Constitution Day.
Curated OER
African Mask
Students make masks. For this African art lesson, students review background information about African art and the use of masks. Students use geometric shapes and other designs to create their masks.
Curated OER
Thanks for Your Service
Young scholars thank their freedom fighters. For this Veteran's Day lesson, students honor members of the U.S. Armed Forces by designing a program to pay tribute to them. Young scholars use technology tools to conduct interviews, take...
Curated OER
The Texas Cowboy: Myth and Reality
Students create "cowboy ballads" in this interactive, multi-day lesson. The cowboy is researched using various sources and class discussions. Students evaluate individual work at the end of the lesson.
Curated OER
Veterans Day Remembered
Sixth graders gather information about Veterans and create a PowerPoint. In this Veterans remembered lesson, 6th graders interview a veteran and research on the computer to create a five slide PowerPoint.
Curated OER
Mother's Day
Students construct Mother's Day cards. In this holiday lesson, students use art supplies to create Mother's Day cards. Students may include an acrostic poem about their mother or a coupon book for their mother.
Curated OER
Doodle All the Day
Young scholars explore the creative potential in everyday objects. Through doodling, collecting found art, and creating drawings and paintings inspired by the world around them, students research their own creative process.
Curated OER
Literature Circles: Typical Discussion Day Structure
Tenth graders practice and facilitate a discussion. In this literature lesson, 10th graders practice using effective discussion strategies. Students participate in reflection and self-assessment on their own discussion...
Curated OER
Dad's Magnetic Personality
Students create a gift honoring Father's Day. In this Father's Day lesson, students examine the meaning of fatherhood and explore the history of this tradition. Students create a picture collage over a template of their father's initials.
Curated OER
Scratch Art
Students create a piece of art using crayons, black paint and toothpicks. They cover a paper with bright crayon color, paint over the crayons with black paint and then scratch a design over the black paint in a an outline of their choice.
Curated OER
Writing A Thanksgiving Day Story
Pupils write a Thanksgiving Day Story using some or all of the words included in the worksheet. These stories can be fiction or non-fiction (Personal Essays). They are graded on sentence structure, paragraph structure, grammar,...
Curated OER
The Art Of Persuasion
Young scholars engage in a instructional activity that is concerned with the concept of persuasion and how it is used in a writing context. They create persuasive letters addressed to the president of the United States. Students...
Curated OER
Francine's Bad Hair Day
Students watch a video titled Francine's Bad Hair Day about a girl who can't get her look right on picture day. In this body image lesson plan, students discuss the role of the media on body image and what people "should" look like.
Curated OER
Valentine’s Day Unit: Writing & Literacy Center Activities
Students participate in Valentine's Day writing and literacy center activities. In this writing and literacy lesson, students develop Valentine's Day journals using recycled cards and small blank sheets of paper. They write sentences...
Curated OER
Friday Forum (Day 4)
Have your young speakers participate in a discussion/debate with their whole class on their prepared argument. They listen and analyze other student's arguments and refute arguments using logic and not emotion.
Curated OER
Beyond Media Messages: Media Portrayal of Global Development
Students discuss global development and create a graphic representation of the discussion. In this media analysis lesson, students deconstruct disaster coverage by reading articles and identifying missing information. Students research...
Curated OER
Cleveland may gamble on gambling
Learners write a news feature or editorial discussing the debate of whether gambling should be legalized in Cleveland. Students research and debate about the issue. Learners interview community members to hear views.
Curated OER
Interviews with the American People "Days of Infamy"
Learners compare and contrast statements made by people in "Man on the Streets." They are interviewing them on the current war in Iraq and how they felt on Sept. 11th. These interviews are tape recorded. To see what kinds of questions to...
Curated OER
Poet James Whitcomb Riley: Famous in His Own Day
An engaging biography of "Hoosier" poet James Whitcomb Riley serves as a springboard for study of his unique dialect-based verse. Several activities illuminate differences between spoken vernacular and formal language. Learners record...