Curated OER
Fairy Tales
Once upon a time are four words most children are familiar with when reading a fairy tale. But do they know that fairy tales are a great way to learn the literary elements of reading and writing? Use a thorough fairy tale unit...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Upton Sinclair, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harvey W. Wiley
Though Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle shocked the American public into a thorough examination of the meat-packing industry, the author was disappointed that his book's main argument—the exploitation of American immigrants—was not...
Roald Dahl
The Twits - Muggle-Wump Has an Idea
If a bar of chocolate was on the floor, would you try to pick it up? What if it was covered with glue? The eighth lesson in an 11-part unit designed to accompany The Twits by Roald Dahl has scholars imagine crazy scenarios. The...
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying...
Curated OER
Fuel Cell Experimentation
With rising oil prices and increasing concerns over global warming, the pressure is on for engineers to develop alternative sources of energy. Among the new technologies being developed are hydrogen fuel cells, which young scientists...
Environmental Education in Wisconsin
Biome Travel Guide
In a perfect marriage of social studies and science, groups work together to research and create a travel guide presentation to share with the class. Not only do kids learn about the climate and geography of a biome, but also the...
Civil War Trust
Transcribing Civil War History
Primary sources are valuable for understanding the context of historical events, but the diction and dialect in these documents can be difficult to understand. Middle and high schoolers participation in a transcription process in which...
Purdue University
The Represented World: Recreational STEM
How are forces and motion important to a swing set? Scholars explore the concepts of force and motion using swing sets. In preparation for their own STEM design project, individuals take surveys and data from peers, complete labs on...
Statistics Education Web
Are Female Hurricanes Deadlier than Male Hurricanes?
The battle of the sexes? Scholars first examine data on hurricane-related deaths and create graphical displays. They then use the data and displays to consider whether hurricanes with female names result in more deaths than hurricanes...
Science Matters
Finding the Epicenter
The epicenter is the point on the ground above the initial point of rupture. The 10th activity in a series of 20 encourages scholars to learn to triangulate the epicenter of an earthquake based on the arrival times of p waves and s...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson that encourages awareness and open...
Curated OER
The Letter Kk Alphabet Theme
First graders complete a variety of cross-curricular activities to examine the uses of the letter K. In this alphabet theme activity, 1st graders complete music, cooking, geography, craft, physical education, science, and online...
Curated OER
Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Sahara, Vanishing Cultures
Learners read Sahara, Vanishing Cultures by Jan Reynolds. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study nomadic cultures. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library...
Curated OER
Cuban Missile Crisis: Teaching Activities
Students create a timeline of the important events of John F. Kennedy's presidency. They construct a timeline of the major events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. They compare the Missile Crisis events with their presentation in the movie...
Curated OER
Analysis of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Students examine primary resources to analyze pictures and documents related to the Pontysyllte Aqueduct (built by Thomas Telford) in Britain. For this critical-thinking lesson, students answer questions based on primary source...
Curated OER
Scale Me Down
Students create scale drawings, and ultimately scale models, of real-world objects in this Math activity about ratios, proportion, scaling factors, and cross products. The activity includes ideas for cross-curricular extensions and is...
Curated OER
Liquid Killer
Students explore number sense applications and discuss strategies for multiplication and division using mental math. For cross-curricular purposes, they explore causes and effects of inequality and social injustice. Students explore...
Curated OER
Get Ready to Safely Transport
Fourth graders complete multi-curricular activities to learn about trucks and transportation. In this transportation lesson, 4th graders answer questions about specifics for the trucking industry including safety questions and...
Curated OER
Little Cloud
Students create "little clouds" after reading the story "The Little Cloud" by Eric Carle in this cross-curricular Art and Language Arts lesson for the early-elementary classroom. The author suggests using this with a "Raindrop Picture"...
Curated OER
Twain: Icon and Iconoclast
Students examine work by Mark Twain in the context of pre- and post-Civil War America. In this cross curricular lesson, students gather biographical information about Twain, use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast him with...
Curated OER
Natural Disaster Acrostic Poems
Fourth graders will conduct research to locate facts about natural disasters. Using a cross-curricular approach they will create acrostic poems with technology. The emphasis will be upon establishing skills for using powerpoint media.
Curated OER
Adjective, Adjective, Noun
Students create artistic renditions of two random adjectives and one noun in this game-like Art instructional activity for the elementary and middle school classroom. The cross-curricular instructional activity includes a vocabulary...
Curated OER
Fossil Fantastic
Students collect found objects, including leaves, twigs, and buttons, and create hand-made "fossils" in this 2-day lesson for the 7th and 8th grade Science or Art classroom. This is a great cross-curricular exploration of fossils and...
Curated OER
Animal Action
Students construct descriptive sentences. For this cross curricular music and descriptive writing lesson, students listen to classical music and pantomime actions that correspond to the music. Students write descriptive sentences...