Minnesota Literacy Council
Introduction to Historical Thinking
Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.
Curated OER
A Listening Doll: Create Traditional Native American Storyteller Dolls
In this wonderful cross-curricular lesson, your youngsters will learn about Pueblo Indian storyteller dolls by creating their own! They discuss the tradition of story telling, especially in reference to Native Americans. Consider ending...
California Academy of Science
Notice and Wonder
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
California Academy of Science
Poetic Reflections
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
Curated OER
Cooperative Classroom Text Features Activities
Fifth graders examine text features and create a PowerPoint presentation. In this text features lesson, 5th graders go over Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures and text features before they choose one to include in a book and...
Curated OER
Comparing Cultural Holidays
Students discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. In this compare and contrast instructional activity, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Students create an alter to memorialize a family member or...
Curated OER
What's the Real Story?
Second graders investigate tall tales. In this literature lesson, 2nd graders complete a story element worksheet based upon the tall tale of Paul Bunyan. Students create a PowerPoint presentation about a tall tale.
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Comparing Cultural Holidays
Third graders explore art that reflects their cultural background. In this writing and research lesson students compare and contrast the Halloween with El Dia de los Muertos. Students study the visual art of these holidays. Then students...
Curated OER
T-shirts Build School & Community Pride
Students explore ways to promote community pride by creating t-shirts. For this community lesson, students utilize a digital camera to take photographs of their hometown and transfer them to a t-shirt. Students complete a...
Curated OER
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Students explore the concept of self-respect. In this character education lesson, students listen to the original "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" story and listen to the song. Students discuss the meaning of the word underdog and the...
Curated OER
Charlotte's Web
Fourth graders focus on fluency by reading the book Charlotte's Web. In this reading strategies lesson, 4th graders partner read, do guided reading, and independent reading to increase fluency. Students use Venn Diagrams, discuss...
Curated OER
Classroom Newspaper
Fifth graders study the American Revolution. In this writing activity, each group of students write a story that will go into the created newspaper depicting a day in the 1770's.
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Illuminating Our Human Experiences: Soliloquy from Hamlet
Students determine the meaning of a soliloquy and examine the themes in Shakespeare's, Hamlet. In this literature lesson, students read Hamlet's soliloquy and watch a Photo Story 3 text model of such. They write a personal soliloquy...
Curated OER
The Hatfield and McCoy Feud
Fourth graders research the Hatfield-McCoy feud. In this research lesson, 4th graders study the families, photographs, and timelines. Students create their own trivia game about the feud.
Curated OER
Checkmate: The Play's The Thing
Learners investigate the Middle Ages and it's relation to the theater. In this acting lesson, students read Arthurian stories form the Middle Ages and practice using vocabulary words from the Medieval Times. Learners write a...
Curated OER
Comic Strip Context Clues
Second graders create dialogue for a comic strip using context clues to match the text to the pictures. They use comic blanks imbedded in this lesson. They write dialogue for each frame. Remind them to use the picture clues when writing...
Curated OER
Border Forum
Learners read, analyze, and synthesize news reports on a current border issues. They prepare an oral presentation and written support documents which must clearly and accurately explain an issue to an audience which may be unfamiliar...
Curated OER
Cooking: Solar Oven, Cornbread, and Butter
Students build a solar oven and prepare cornbread in it. In this solar oven cooking lesson, students follow instructions to create a solar oven. Students are given recipes for butter and cornbread to follow and cook...
Curated OER
Habari Gani: What is the News?
Display creative works of art after learning about Kwanzaa. Kindergartners hear stories about the history of Kwanzaa and its celebrations. They then create artwork, practice African dances and listen to African music.
Curated OER
Simon Says
Second graders play Simon Says. The teacher uses a worksheet imbedded in this lesson which has suggestions for action commands to be used during the game. The intent is for students to focus on the action verbs which are built in to the...
Curated OER
Birthday Soup
Students utilize the story, "Chicken Soup With Rice, " by Maurice Sendak to compare the number of days in each month, research their birth date and navigate their way through a calendar.
Curated OER
The Princess And The Painter
Students discover Baroque art techniques through the research of Diego Velasquez' work "Las Meninas" and other Baroque art. This leads to an exciting creative art project of "everyday life" by each student.
Curated OER
Holocaust
The Holocaust is the focus of this interactive poetry strategy. The classroom will be set-up to remind students of the Secret Annex, with a table, lamp, and various other props. Each participant will receive 3 Saltine crackers and...
Curated OER
African Clothing
Students explore African clothing. In this African culture social studies lesson, students brainstorm types of clothing they wear for different occasions. Students view photographs of Africans wearing Western clothing and "special...