Curated OER
Picture This
A unique writing lesson, this plan begins with learners talking about multiculturalism in small groups. Each learner will choose a picture from a newspaper, describe it to their small group, and think about how it relates to...
Novelinks
The Little Prince: Brainstorming Activity
What do you think of when you hear the word adult? Or friend? Learners brainstorm with a group of peers to list the words they think of when they hear seven words from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.
Kenan Fellows
Microorganisms in Pond Water
That is living in the water? Groups of two to three view pond water with microscopes in order to find microorganisms. They draw pictures of the ones they find in their slides. The groups compare their drawings to pictures of common...
Umoja Student Development Corporation
Martin Luther King, Jr.: What Did He Do? Why Does It Matter?
Young historians examine the work of Martin Luther King Jr. by reading and answering questions about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Albany Movement, the Birmingham and Chicago campaigns, and the Memphis Sanitation Worker's Strike....
Differentiation Central
Perimeter and Area
Leave no student behind with this differentiated geometry unit on perimeter and area. Over the course of five lessons, young mathematicians explore these foundational concepts through a series of self-selected hands-on activities and...
Curated OER
Pride and Prejudice: ABC book (Vocabulary Activity)
Master Jane Austen's language from A to Z with an activity based on Pride and Prejudice. As kids read the novel, they find (or are assigned) words that begin with each letter of the alphabet, and create one-page documents that show...
Kenan Fellows
Reading Airline Maintenance Graphs
Airline mechanics must be precise, or the consequences could be deadly. Their target ranges alter with changes in temperature and pressure. When preparing an airplane for flight, you must read a maintenance graph. The second lesson of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
George Washington: The Precedent President
Everyone knows that George Washington was the first president, but do your scholars know why that was so important? The lesson plan, the third in a sequence of three, allows learners to understand how George Washington set a precedent...
Curated OER
The Little Prince: Problematic Situation
Your plane has crashed in the Sahara desert. What do you do? Explore the possibilities with a role-playing activity based on Antoine de Saint Éxupery's The Little Prince. In groups, kids decide whether they would walk to find help...
New York City Department of Education
Theater Units for Lower and Upper Elementary Levels
Introduce middle schoolers to playwriting and the elements of drama with a six-session storytelling unit that encourages kids to expand their acting and writing skills. The 12-page packet includes overviews of the lessons,...
ReadWriteThink
Exploring Plagiarism, Copyright, and Paraphrasing
Plagiarism, copyright, and fair use are the focus of a three-part instructional activity designed to inform scholars of how to properly cite others' work. First, pupils use a KWL chart to begin thinking and...
Rainforest Alliance
How Far Away Is a Tropical Rainforest?
If driving to school only takes 10 minutes, then how long does it take to drive to a tropical rainforest in Colombia? Explore the focus question in a lesson that uses measurement tools and formulas to figure out the time and...
Novelinks
Tuck Everlasting: Discussion Web Strategy
Guide learners through a discussion about Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting with a helpful graphic organizer. As they read through the novel, individuals note their reactions to statements about the book's themes, and fill out...
Roald Dahl
Matilda - Throwing the Hammer
Full truth, or an exaggeration? How can you tell when a storyteller is exaggerating a story? Readers analyze a story told by Hortensia, and identify the exaggerative language she uses. Then, learners write their own narrative story using...
Hello-Hello
Spanish – Learn Spanish (Hello-Hello)
Pick up basic conversational Spanish with animated videos featuring three characters: Pablo, Ana, and Marcos. As Pablo and Marcos get to know Ana, they talk about a variety of subjects. Learners can acquire the vocabulary in each...
Federal Reserve Bank
Banking on Debit Cards
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a credit card versus a debit card? What are the costs of using a debit card irresponsibly? Here you'll find a lesson plan on key concepts that every learner should know...
Math Wire
Gingerbread Man Combinations
Gingerbread men are just like us—they're unique! Discover how many combinations are possible when constructing a gingerbread man with several choices for shapes and colors of eyes, noses, and buttons.
Conflict Resolution Education Connection
10 Lessons for Teaching Conflict Resolution Skills
Promote responsibility and camaraderie with 10 lessons on conflict resolution. Learners define conflict and teach ways to resolve it. Each lesson provides an activity and scenario for role play, and lends itself to discussion among...
Cornell University
Airboats
Don't let the resource blow you away. Scholars build airboats from basic materials and collect data on how far the boats move. They refine their designs taking Newton's laws into consideration.
US Institute of Peace
Taking a Step Toward Peacebuilding
What can someone do to increase the peace? Pupils take small steps toward a big peacebuilding role in the final lesson in a 15-part unit. Individuals identify their roles as a peacebuilder and create a stepping stone that reflects their...
Overcoming Obstacles
Working In Teams
Working in teams can be a challenge but also offer many rewards. Developing the skills necessary to work effectively in teams is the focus of the third lesson plan in the Getting Started Module designed for middle schoolers. Participants...
University of North Carolina
Group Writing
Two heads are better than one, especially during the writing process. Sometimes, scholars benefit from participating in group writing assignments, as one of the handouts in a series on specific writing assignments outlines. The process...
Curated OER
Plagued by Warfare
Students define "biological weapon" and explore why these types of weapons are so dangerous. They also explore the covert shift of American grant research money to an organization that once directed the Soviet Union's germ warfare...
Curated OER
The Power of a Project
How does PBL differ from a basic thematic unit? Discover the answer to this important question. A bulleted comparison is made between each type of teaching method, example projects are included, and a full "how to" is laid out in an easy...