Museum of Tolerance
My Experience with Injustice
As part of their preparation for a visit to the Museum of Tolerance, individuals are asked to write about a time when they witnessed or experienced unjust, biased, or prejudicial treatment. A great way for writers to make a personal...
Chicago Children's Museum
Simple Machines: Force and Motion
Get things moving with this elementary science unit on simple machines. Through a series of nine lessons including teacher demonstrations, hands-on activities, and science experiments, young scientists learn about forces, motion,...
Curated OER
Children Using Antonyms to Write Short Stories
Second graders discuss what antonyms are and read the book, Quick as a Cricket. In this antonym lesson, 2nd graders write a short story by describing themselves.
Curated OER
Picturing a Story
Students view slides from the movie "Hoot" and discuss characters, setting and the caption. They identify where in the rise and fall of the plot this scene takes place. They brainstorm elements needed to create a story from a picture....
Curated OER
Emblems of the Land I Love
Students explore the histories of American patriotic emblems and examine ways in which patriotic artwork uses these emblems to reflect the ideals that they embody. They find a common or popular patriotic image and design a modern...
Curated OER
Which team?
Students identify the many groups to which they belong and consider how groups are formed. They explore group dynamics and how group rules influence individual choice and develop strategies that might influence their groups.
Curated OER
Preparing Arguments
Students review the information from the previous lesson plan on persuasion essays. In groups, they brainstorm a list of arguments to use to support their trip to Six Flags. They also develop counterarguments and gather information to...
Curated OER
No Title
Fourth graders, after brainstorming a list of things good friends do for each other, apply prereading strategies to the book, "Be A Friend to Trees," and create similes and metaphors utilizing content ideas. They also sketch an...
Curated OER
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Students communicate and express ideas through drawings that represent the stated ideas. They use a pattern book after listening to the story, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"
Curated OER
Entrepreneurs
Students explore becoming entrepreneurs. In this career exploration lesson, students work in small groups to begin a new business that they will "build" from scratch as they learn what it takes to create a successful business by using...
Curated OER
I've Got News For You!
Students explore their hometown newspaper for ideas. They create their own classroom newspaper.
Curated OER
For Sale! Part 1
Students create a new document in a graphic organizer. They add main ideas to their document and reorder the items. They share their organizer with the class.
Curated OER
What's Your Symbol?
Sixth graders investigate how colors, objects and geometric shapes have been used symbolically in art during specific time periods. They use this information to create symbolic artwork and write a descriptive/informational piece...
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Thanksgiving Quilt
Second graders create individual "thankful" felt squares for use in a large classroom Thanksgiving quilt that can be put together using glue or hot glue. This great holiday lesson is based upon the book "Thanksgiving" by Miriam Nerlove.
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What information do we want to find out about a real-life millennium superhero?
Fourth graders come up with interview questions for heroes. In this hero lesson, 4th graders discuss what information would be important to include in a report on a superhero. They write their questions in the database program on...
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Norval Morrisseau
Students investigate the art of Norval Morrisseau and create "x-ray paintings" using styles and symbols related to his work in this one or two day art lesson for third grade through twelfth grade. Emphasis is placed upon creative...
Curated OER
Upside-Down Books
Students read various examples of literature. In groups, they brainstorm a list of views that go against what was in one of the stories. They illustrate the opposite ideas and compile them into a class book. They use each other to...
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Farewell to the Former Library Media Specialist
Students write a letter to their former library media specialist incorporating brainstormed ideas of what they have liked about the library media center. In this way students let the teacher know about what has been done in the past and...
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And Then What Happened, Inspector?
Students further their understanding of the United Nations inspections in Iraq. They develop flow charts to organize ideas for interactive scenarios about the inspections in which the choices made determine the outcome.
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Out of the Fire
Students share ideas about a lead for a breaking news story regarding the California wildfires. They brainstorm angles for a series of news items and write analysis papers that address the tone and content of a piece published in The New...
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Ticket to Ride
Consider the images, ideas and words connected with America with your class as they design a new American passport for the 21st century that reflects an individual vision of and for America. Students reflect on the image of America...
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Responsibility
Second graders brainstorm, and then share ideas of how they can behave responsibly by respecting the rights of others. This is lesson one of seven in the unit, A Television in My Room.
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My Special Day
First graders explore I Went to the Zoo, an online personal narrative presented in a slide show format. After viewing the photographs and reading the accompanying text, they will draw story ideas and write their own personal narratives.
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Sonnet Project
Twelfth graders use the internet to examine how the Gutenberg press affected society as a whole. Using examples of illuminated type, they develop type in three different formats. They share their types with the class and answer...