James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Those "Other Rights:" The Constitution and Slavery
Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to or...
EngageNY
Using Sample Data to Compare the Means of Two or More Populations
Determine whether there is a difference between two grades. Teams generate random samples of two grade levels of individuals. Groups use the mean absolute deviation to determine whether there is a meaningful difference between the...
Curated OER
Happiness is A Warm Puppy
Pupils investigate dog breeds and write a short story from a dog's perspective. In this dog research and writing lesson, students watch the film, "Dog: The Early Years. They apply critical thinking skills to determine which type of dog...
Curated OER
Biology Research Assignment
Students become aware of and develop an appreciation for science in the world around us.
Curated OER
The Breakfast Busters Persuade Others
Students write persuasive essays about their favorite breakfast cereal after seeing how advertisements are used to influence people.
Curated OER
Drugs Info
Fifth graders understand the effects of substance abuse and then in pairs, they use a KWL chart to assess their prior knowledge of drugs; healthy and unhealthy. Then as a whole group, 5th graders provide feedback and are introduced to...
Curated OER
How Cell Phones Work
Fifth graders are introduced to the text, LITERACY LINE viewing the contents page. They review the definition of explanatory writing; discussing the features used and complete a KWL chart to identify what they already know about how a...
Curated OER
Civil War Essay
Upper graders explore equality by writing an essay. They read the story Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco, and discuss the meaning of the story and its relevance to Civil War events. Learners investigate the five writing process steps and...
Curated OER
Slavery in Colonial America
Students examine the experience of the middle passage of slaves. They review slave songs and discuss their common themes. They develop a monologue in which they integrate a fragment of an actual slave song into a poem they have written.
Curated OER
Anticipation Guide
Young readers consider ten questions regarding murder mystery stories. The must choose from one of five options: strongly disagree, disagree, depends, agree, or strongly agree. A sample questions is, "A murder mystery must describe the...
Curated OER
The Great "What If" Question. How might American history have been different had Lincoln lived?
Eleventh graders study the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln. Â In this American History lesson, 11th graders analyze documents related to Reconstruction. Â Students participate in a debate on Reconstruction. Â
Curated OER
Cause and Effect: Light Clusters and Geography
After viewing a map of lights at night over a variety of geographic formations, young topographers connect the location of light clusters to geographic features that encourage human settlement. They list causes and effects of large...
Curated OER
Chapter 9: Language Processing: Humans and Computers
Designed to accompany An Introduction to Language by Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams, this powerpoint addresses a number of language, technological, and sociological topics. The slides could be helpful in either a...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Tell Me Again
Students demonstrate how to retell a story in sequential order. In this reading comprehension lesson, students listen to a suggested read aloud, such as Little Boy Blue. Additionally, students practice retelling the story by using...
Curated OER
The Editing Process
Students edit and critique essays. In this editing and critiquing lesson plan, students examine a sample essay and edit it. Students read the essay aloud to determine the areas that need to be revised. Students then write their own essay...
Curated OER
THE GAM SAAN ADVENTURE ARE YOU WILLING TO RISK IT?
Fourth graders study the lasting influence of the Pony Express, Overland Mail Service, Western Union, and the building of the transcontinental railroad, including the contributions of Chinese workers to its construction. They explore the...
Curated OER
Digging for Treasure: Note-Taking Skills for Primary Children
Second graders study the criteria for biographies and the vocabulary that is specific person and time. They take notes, write e-mail and gather information on a famous person.
Curated OER
Creature Feature
Students work in pairs to create a creature and its habitat out of construction paper. Then students write a narrative to describe the animal and its habitat.
Curated OER
A "How To" Project in the Science Fiction Genre
You can have students use science fiction elements to create a "How To" brochure that can stir the imagination.
Curated OER
First Amendment Guarantee of Free Speech (Senior, Social Studies)
Learners receive a list of banned books from which they choose one to read. They read their chosen book and write a paper that includes a discussion of the First Amendment and its guarantees and the reason(s) why they believe their book...
Curated OER
Ancient Greece
Sixth graders examine the research that archaeologists have done on a Late Bronze Age shipwreck in order to work out the extent of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean during this period, with emphasis on the involvement of the Mycenaeans...
Curated OER
Getting the Message: What Did You Say?
Students listen to and compare the first sentence of the Gettysburg Address spoken in different languages. They also compare frequency readings for each and discuss how the brain interprets spoken words.
Curated OER
Physics: Forces and Motion
Students recognize the effect of Earth's gravity on an object's weight. In this force and motion instructional activity students understand the role of gravity when you drop an object. Students experiment with small items. Students...
Curated OER
Circulatory Circles
Students investigate the circulatory system. In this circulatory system lesson, students complete a WebQuest and explore all the areas of the heart. Students determine the functions of different parts of the circulatory system and...