Curated OER
Plants
Second graders examine the characteristics of plants. As a class, they brainstorm a list of items plants need in order to survive. In groups, they complete various experiments in which they discover the functions of the parts of the plant.
Curated OER
Mapping Fairfax County Service Providers
Learners brainstorm a list of services governments should have available to its citizens. Using the internet, they locate as many of these services as possible and compile a class list. They also analyze specific programs to consider...
Curated OER
Is Capitalism Good for the Poor? | No More Slide Rules – The Costs and Benefits of Innovation
Students brainstorm a list of the benefits that Americans at all levels of society have enjoyed as a result of innovations in rail transportation/computers/microprocessors. They write a response from President Jackson to Martin Van Buren...
Curated OER
Let There Be Peace On Earth
Students discuss the concept of peace and brainstorm ways to show peace. They read "Sadako & the Thousand paper Cranes" and discuss the theme of the story. After watching a video of "A Thousand Paper Cranes peace Project 1977,"...
Curated OER
Writing a Halloween Poem
A delightful lesson on poetry is here for you and your middle schoolers. Learners are instructed to write a Halloween poem. They get to choose the age range for the audience of the poem. So, it may be scary (for older kids), or humorous...
Curated OER
Alien Invaders: Native vs. Exotic Species
Seventh graders investigate the differences between native and non-native species. They answer different level questions using Bloom's Taxonomy. This is done creatively with the students playing a version of the game Jeopardy. Students...
Curated OER
Journalism: Following Your Lead
Students, in groups, identify the components of news article lead sentences. They visit other classrooms and take notes identifying the lead components on the instructional activity. Students search local and national newspapers for...
Curated OER
Survival in Antarctica
Explore the harsh climate of Antarctica and its wildlife. Participate in experiments to determine how humans survive in the continent's climate, and address the difficulties faced by scientists.
EngageNY
Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: On-Demand Informational Writing
Lesson 7 focuses on building academic vocabulary and writing an explanatory letter with supported textual evidence. For the first five minutes of the instructional activity, the educator reminds the class of how to read and refer to the...
Curated OER
Creating Genetic Counselor Pamphlets
The information included here will guide your students to research a particular genetic disorder and then work in groups to create a pamphlet about the disorder from a genetic counselor's point of view.
Curated OER
Reading Pictures, Seeing Poetry
Learners examine the painting, The Combat of the Giaour and Hassan based on a poem by Lord Byron. They compare how Romantic artists and writers made choices about visual elements and language to depict their subjects.
Curated OER
Biography Chat
Students profile a mock television talk-show format to conduct mock interviews with famous people in history. Students read biographies of famous people in history. Students assemble questions for interviews.
Creative Educator
Fantastic Fractions
Groups of learners create an animation illustrating fractions using common objects. They choose everyday objects that they can divide into fractions. They take pictures of the objects dividing into fractions and create an animation with...
Curated OER
Create a Music Carnival
This outstanding lesson will encourage your students to combine their knowledge of rhythm, pitch, tone and color with their imaginations to create original compositions about animals. They create a music carnival to "Peter and the Wolf"...
Curated OER
Dear Diary
Work on narrative writing with this lesson, in which middle schoolers analyze the characters from a selected piece of literature and write narrative diary pieces as the character. They work to understand the point of view of the...
Curated OER
Brain Breaks to Liven Up the School Day!
Short brain breaks increase engagement and encourage teamwork in elementary, middle school, and even high school classrooms.
Learning to Give
We Can Help to Make a Change!
The importance of accepting those who are different is the subject of a service learning project. Upper graders craft presentations for younger learners on ways to include everyone in the school community and to decrease the feelings of...
Writer’s Digest Books
The Writing Prompt Boot Camp
Fourteen days of writing prompts (or 16 if you count the two bonus days) are featured in packet designed for high school, college level, or adult writers.
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing -- Commercial Style
Students create persuasive TV commercials for common products. They develop a list of products, write the script for a commercial, and act-out and videotape the commercial to present to the class.
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: My Robot and Me
Robots and their interactions with their human counterparts are the catalyst for a fun writing instructional activity. First, the class brainstorms what they'd like to have their personal robot do or be capable of. Then, they each write...
Google
Friends: Create a Company
Create a company, advertise it, and hope it grows. The seventh of eight parts in the Google CS First Friends unit challenges future business leaders to apply computer coding to create an advertisement for a company. After pairs come...
Special Olympics
SO…What’s the Challenge?
What does it feel like to be the victim of intolerance? Class members engage in activities, watch a video, and reflect on their own experiences with intolerance or discrimination before creating a project designed to combat...
Cornell University
Catapults
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome.
Teaching Tolerance
Fairness Fair
How can we create a more fair world? Chances are, class members have some ideas! After reading a text about fairness, individuals create skits around the ideas of fairness. Extend the learning and make their presentations a...