Curated OER
Initiating a Conversation
Students brainstorm some good conversation openers. In this communication instructional activity, students explain the benefits of good conversational skills. They practice conversing to each other in class.
Curated OER
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...
K12 Reader
A Local Organization
Individuals select a local organization, research its purpose and membership, and then include these facts and details in a paragraph about the group.
Curated OER
Global Warming
Learners explore the global warming issue. They brainstorm about things they have heard about the "greenhouse effect" and "global warming." In addition, they collaborate with their peers to exchange ideas about the issue.
Curated OER
Young Author Books: I Am a Leaf on My Family Tree
Fourth graders create family tree books. They discuss culture and brainstorm interview questions for family members. They write stories, poems, and captions for family photos. They interview family members and assemble the interviews...
Curated OER
Wisconsin ABC Books
Fourth graders research a topic of interest about Wisconsin in order to create an ABC book. Students use both print and non print resources as well as the digital camera to collect information for their books. Students share their...
Curated OER
Development of Industrial New Hampshire
Students work in groups to research and share information about several different topics that were part of the development of Industrial New Hampshire. Students complete five parts of the project which include researching, role playing...
Curated OER
Cultural Inquiry Lesson 2B: Finding Artifacts and Analysis
Students build on their knowledge of sources, by looking at 2 types of information sources: artifacts or primary sources and analysis or secondary sources. They brainstorm a list of primary and secondary sources connected to one of...
Curated OER
The Greatest Generation: Capturing Their Stories with Digital Images
Young scholars interview a family member of a different generation. After brainstorming story topic ideas, they choose a topic about which to write focused interview questions. Using their notes from the interviews, students write and...
Curated OER
Enigmas
Students research "mystery" topics such as Easter Island, Bermuda Triangle and the Loch Ness Monster. Students brainstorm mysteries and explore the one of their choosing. They write a short report and share what they have learned with...
Curated OER
Beginning Research
Students begin the research portion of their project after they have chosen a topic. Using their peers, they provide feedback to others to help them stay on track. They compare old research papers with new ones to show student progress.
Curated OER
Essential Questioning PowerPoint
Sixth graders create a powerpoint presentation about a research topic of their choice. They brainstorm several topics to identify an essential question that they would like to research. Using traditional and technological resources, 6th...
Curated OER
Agriculutre and Natural Resources Trends
Pupils write the letters of the alphabet down the side of a piece of paper. They brainstorm words relating to agriculture that begin with each letter of the alphabet. Students discuss the slides from the PowerPoint presentation.
Curated OER
Camp Newspaper
Fifth graders write newspaper articles about Camp Campbell. They discuss the vocabulary of news stories, read examples, brainstorm ideas, and choose a topic before writing the article. After editing the articles, they word process them...
Curated OER
Words in the News
Students brainstorm ideas about the life of Buddihist monks through the internet or temples. The teacher identifies key terms and has the students look them up for meaning and put them in their notebook. The students then have a...
Curated OER
Writing News Interviews
Students write ten facts for a topic of choice. They describe why they chose that topic and begin to research it. They complete a handout on note taking that is used to draft questions for interviews.
Curated OER
Our Planet Earth
Students brainstorm and discuss cultural relevance of the moon to the Native American community. They utilize the internet to research items about the moon, use a digital camera to take pictures, and then write a report over what they...
Curated OER
Analyzing Public Policy Opinions
Students brainstorm a list of the major issues affecting Fairfax County, Virginia. Using the internet, they choose one topic to research in depth. To end the lesson, they analyze the effectiveness of an actual public policy proposal or...
Curated OER
Rootin', Tootin' and Lootin'
Students brainstorm about topics relating to pirates that could be included in each group's rap. The students are provided with a rhyme pattern or form of the rap which you would like them to write. As a class, develop a sample rap, or...
Curated OER
The Future of the Milky Way
Students brainstorm ideas about the future of our galaxy. In this space science activity, students research the three main events happening in the Milky Way. They write a report about their findings.
Curated OER
How Do Atmospheres Affet Planetary Temperatures?
Students perform a literature search and use reputable research resources in order to find the surface temperature of different planets in our solar system. They speculate about the observed and unobserved factors. Then brainstorming is...
Curated OER
Think On Your Own Feet
Fourth graders have one minute to prepare a one-minute impromptu speech on a topic that is randomly selected. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders give their speeches, and also act as reviewers of their classmate's speeches.
Curated OER
Nudging Questions
Students choose one topic to write about. They brainstorm ideas about their topic or incident. They use sensory details to visualize their topic. They answer a variety of teacher directored nudging question to help them describe their...
Curated OER
World War I: People, Places, and Events
Pupils research the people, places, and events of World War I. They select a topic, conduct research, read and discuss a bibliography handout, and create a biography, newspaper, diorama, or comparative maps to present their research...