Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breathing New Life into Old Traditions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the role of ceremonies and other traditions of Native American cultures. They research various Native American nations and create posters that visually depict their research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ill At Ease

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research infectious diseases, focusing on what scientists and journalists currently do and do not know about each one. They act as scientists or journalists as they find out more about a particular infectious disease.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Olympic Continent

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners read "Team Ethiopia Dazzles in Going the Distance" from The New York Times and discuss the impact these athletes have had on their country. Students work in groups to research different African nations that have participated in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Laurence Yep's Dragonwings

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners read independently the novel, "Dragonwings," by Laurence Yep and make connections between a text and the world. They summarize, paraphrase, analyze and evaluate skimming and scanning techniques when reading a novel. Each student...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

High Profiles

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars research and write newspaper articles about current world leaders, using a New York Times International article as a model. They research a current world leader's personal background and political history.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Unmasking the Middle East

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore many of the countries in the Middle East, developing research-based posters and a spider web illustrating the relationships among the countries. They write letters to fictional peers in Middle Eastern countries.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners reflect on the role of DNA in society since its discovery in 1953 by creating works of art and poetry that metaphorically illustrate the importance, influence and concerns of DNA research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is All Cinema Verité?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars explore the relationship between movies and culture, looking at movies as both a part of and a reflection of popular culture. They research the specific historical and cultural realities present during the run of a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dawn of Humanity

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate recent archaeological challenges to theories of human origins. They research the history and geography of various African regions to create proposals for future excavations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reign of Terror?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students research acts of terrorism around the world over the past thirty years to create a visual timeline of these events for the classroom.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Talk to the Hand

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the significance of various body parts in artistic and social expression. They research a body part and create a museum installation depicting the artistic and social significance of the body part throughout history.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Red, Undecided, and Blue

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze voter preferences in past elections, and then write letters to a presidential candidate, recommending winning strategies drawn from their research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Major Holocaust Themes in Elie Wiesel's Memoir, Night

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Young scholars read accounts of children during the Holocaust and read Elie Wiesel's "Night". Using the internet, they share ideas and discuss topics with peers across the nation. They examine the role of the individual in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Popularity, Publicity, and Public Service

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners discuss the issue of celebritites who speak out for certain diseases. After reading an article, they consider a doctor's perspective on the use of celebrities. In groups, they research a common disease and design a public...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Holes

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students read and analyze the story elements of the novel "Holes" by Louis Sachar. They play a "Holes" matching game, complete a timeline of story events, complete a Cause-and-Effect graphic organizer, conduct research on Louis Sachar's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"What is an American?"

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders ponder about what it means to be an "American." They discuss the impact of an author's word choice and sentence structure on text. They identify some major themes and development of the Letters... Compose paragraphs and...
Organizer
Curated OER

You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover

For Students 4th
In this prediction worksheet, students answer questions about what the book and Little Women and will be about based on the first sentence of the book. Students become authors writing their own short story with the given first line.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Relative History

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore theories about how the Olmec civilization influenced other Mesoamerican societies. They research the Olmecs to create a museum exhibit of their findings and reflect on how an Olmec person might have understood the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tangled Text

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students list different forms of communication, assess importance of writing, read and discuss article "String, and Knot, Theory of Inca Writing", research system of writing, and create "How It Works" posters.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Checkmate

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students start identifying the cause and effect relationships in games of Chess. Using the internet, they research the history of the game and how the roles for each of the pieces. They develop a skit based on the roles and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultures and Cuisines WebQuest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create and present a powerpoint presentation.  In this cultures and cuisines research lesson, students select a country, interview someone from that country and visit a restaurant from that country.  Students complete...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Euro Cent Trick

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the positive and negative aspects of the currency switch to the euro in eleven European countries as of January 1, 1999. They research the previous currencies of the eleven countries and create posters illustrating...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Joltin' Joe Has Left and Gone Away

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners assess admirable qualities in entertainers. They discuss Joe DiMaggio's obituary, focusing on his accomplishments and place in American society. They research and create their own descriptive biographies of athletes and...
Lesson Plan
The New York Times

A Worker's Compensation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Middle schoolers read about the history of Labor Day in a newspaper article. They discuss difficulties American employees of the past had to face, learn about labor rallies, and conduct Internet research. Part of the intention of this...