Media Smarts
Defining Popular Culture
What part does media play in creating, defining, and perpetuating popular culture? High schoolers chart their encounters with fads, trends, and icons and reflect on the media's influence on popular culture.
Curated OER
Favorite Sports and Athletes: an Introduction to Sports Media
Even young children watch sports and like team logos and products. It's never too early to think critically about what's onscreen. This exercise develops awareness that media communicate values (i.e. who participates in sports and who...
Perkins School for the Blind
I'm Thinking Of...
Learning how to describe an object or a person is a great way to develop verbal and written expression. Learners with special needs improve their verbal expressive skills and concept development skills while playing a guessing game. The...
District 158
Plan an Adventure
For kids, taking a vacation is all fun and games, but after completing this pre-algebra project, they'll have a whole new appreciation for the planning that makes these trips possible. Given a budget of $5,000 to spend on purchasing the...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Painted Lockets
Painted, portable, pocket lockets encourage kids to display personal treasures and items they value. The activity, combining art with social and character studies, is perfect for any classroom.
Practical Money Skills
Shopping Wisely
Work on making good shopping choices with a fun economics project. Kids analyze the differences between brand names and generic products, bigger and smaller units for purchase, and different places they can shop for different items.
Vermilionville
Mardi Gras Elementary
You don't have to visit Vermilionville to experience the Cajun traditions of Mardi Gras. After examining pictures and hearing stories about these colorful traditions, learners create their own Courir de Mardi Gras masks.
Global Oneness Project
Deconstructing Consumerism
To increase awareness and launch a discussion of consumerism, class members view What Would It Look Like, a 25 minute film of images that capture the global effects of the consumption of goods. Viewers make a list of the images that...
Curated OER
Globalization and Consumerism
Is the expansion of American corporations abroad a good or bad thing? After examining the global operations of Ford Motor Company, McDonald's, and Walmart, class members are asked to evaluate the impact of globalization and...
Cornell University
Renewable Resins and Composites
Merge chemistry with environmental science to study biodegradable materials. An engaging activity allows learners to experiment with different resin concentrations and composites. Through experimental tests, scholars test their creations...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Synthesis of Nickel Nanowires
It's all about the scale—they're not just wires, they're nanowires! The second lesson of the series builds on the oxidation-reduction experiment in the first lesson. Scholars synthesize a sample of nanowires using electrolysis. As they...
Institute for Humane Education
In Your Face: Reclaiming Billboards
Ads here, ads there, ads everywhere—but what do they communicate? Pupils discuss this topic and develop a list of personal values. They then work as creative directors at an advertising firm to create billboards that reflect community...
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
A Gift of Gratitude
Words of appreciation make great gifts for special occasions, but people can't tie them up with a bow ... until now! Using the lesson plan, learners write gratitude messages to a chosen recipient. Next, they fill a box or paper bag with...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Stars
A Reading Adventure Pack explores the night sky. Reading Her Seven Brothers by Paul Goble and Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey begin the learning experience. Scholars craft a night sky mobile, go stargazing, and write a mythical story...
Curated OER
Dancing Hands, Abstract Drawings
Students discover African musical rhythms by performing Ancestral Spirit Dances. In this musical lesson, students research Willis "Bing" Davis and the abstract work he created. Students listen to Yoruba drum music and...
Curated OER
Terrific Tessellations
Pupils explore tessellations that are found in nature and everyday objects. They observe the works of M.C. Escher. Students create their own tessellations using pencil and paper.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension
In this comprehension worksheet, 2nd graders read a passage, ask questions for the answers given, fill in the blanks with some, any, a, or an, and more. Students complete 3 activities.
Curated OER
A Sample of What?
Learners are introduced to the connection between women and the textile industry. Using primary source documents, they complete a handout on how gender roles have changed over the years. They examine a sampler which is connected to the...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-OGBO : Sharing Life in an African Village
Students read OGBO: Sharing Life in an African Village by Ifcoma Onyefulu. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of Nigerian culture. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social...
Curated OER
Fused Sentences (Also called Run-on Sentences)
After reading a detailed explanation of fused sentences and studying the provided examples, learners reconstruct nine sentences to eliminate comma splices and fused, or run-on, sentences. This could be used as homework or a group exercise.
Curated OER
Paper Molas
Delve into the history of textile art using this resource. Learners discuss the history of molas, a type of textile art made in Panama and Columbia, and talk about the importance of this process in the Kuna culture. Then, they create...
Curated OER
Making Felt Bags
Pupils study the history of bags, pouches and purses. Use of these items spans the entire globe and encompasses practically every civilization. The lesson culminates with learners creating their own bag from a variety of choices. The...
Curated OER
Soccer - Lesson 18 - 1st Round of the World Cup
Lesson 18 in this 20 lesson soccer unit is really just the 1st round of the World Cup class soccer tournament. This is not really a lesson, but is inserted into the unit as a place holder for the days activity. All the players are busy...
Curated OER
The Price is Right
Students, through various activities, explore online databases. Using the internet, students explore the distributors websites. They collect specific information on selected products. An spreadsheet with price comparisons is developed....