Brown University
Considering the Role of Values in Public Policy
Strong opinions come from deeply held values. Young citizens explore the values that are most important to them in a class discussion and activity. As they prioritize a list of values cards that include freedom,...
Facing History and Ourselves
A Scene from a Middle School Classroom
Citizens in the modern world can't imagine making the same social choices made by many Germans in the 1920s and 1930s, but they don't realize that they actually do it every day by ostracizing others. A case study of middle schoolers...
Curated OER
It Can't Happen Here or Can It?: Peer Pressure, Prejudice and Intolerance
Learners study the Holocaust and explore peer pressure, prejudice and intolerance.
Curated OER
It Can't Happen Here or Can It?: Peer Pressure, Prejudice and Intolerance
Pupils examine the pressures of group-pressured behavior. In this teaching tolerance instructional activity, students read literature and view videos regarding negative group behavior. Pupils answer comprehension questions and...
Curated OER
Walking with the Emperors: Exploring Imperial Rome
High schoolers travel Rome. In this geography skills instructional activity, students explore famous places in Rome with Google Earth tools. High schoolers research the city of Rome and create touring videos that feature their findings.
Curated OER
Differentiated Tea Party: Important Groups in Feudal Japan
Students research the different groups in Feudal Japan. In this Japanese people lesson, students are broken into different groups representing the different roles in Japan. They research their group and have a "tea party" in which they...
Curated OER
My Birthday Connection
Focus on famous women using this lesson. Learners choose a famous woman to research, complete a fact sheet, and discuss their results. While incomplete, this lesson could be used as an outline for a more in-depth exploration.
Civil War Trust
Civil War Personalities Lesson Plan
Caring, trustworthiness, and responsibility—these are only a few character traits in focus of a lesson based on stories from the Civil War era. Class members explore several influential lives while reading biographies that highlight...
K12 Reader
Christmas Tree Add an Adjective
The star on the top of a Christmas tree can be beautiful, or it can be gold, or it can be shiny—or, in fact, it can be all three! A picture of a decorated Christmas tree encourages pupils to choose from a list of 18 adjectives to...
HISTORY Channel
The American Presidency Grades 7-9
As part of a study of the American Presidency, groups investigate five topics: Campaigns and Elections, Role and Responsibilities, Life in the White House, Assassination and Mourning, and Communicating the Presidency.
EngageNY
Launching Readers Theater Groups: Identifying Passages from Esperanza Rising for Readers Theater that Connect to the UDHR
Teach young readers how to compare two texts and select passages that exemplify a specific theme with Lesson 6 from Unit 3. Begin by modeling how an expert reader selects examples from a text, performing a think aloud on how Article 2 of...
Curated OER
Twelve Days of Christmas--Prediction, Estimation, Addition, Table and Chart
Scholars explore graphing. They will listen to and sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and estimate how many gifts were mentioned in the song. Then complete a data chart representing each gift given in the song. They also construct...
Curated OER
Born Gay
Is a person's sexual orientation determined at birth? With the informative website, scholars prepare for a debate about the topic. They learn the top pro and con arguments and read through a historical timeline of homosexuality. They...
Curated OER
Character... My Foundation
Students participate in a lesson examining the concept of character and how it is the foundation of lasting human relationships. They examine character traits that are considered positive and then define the differences between...
Curated OER
When Gifted Kids Are Bullied
There are many effective ways to reduce bullying in school.
Curated OER
Presidential Bookmarks
Students research a U.S. president of their choice. They create bookmarks that include basic facts about and a photograph of the selected president. Students print and trade their bookmarks with their peers.
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts
It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...
Curated OER
Cannabis and Young People
Students identify, analyze and characterize smoking and young people.
They try to consider why young people take drugs to begin with. In addition, they point out the effects and risks of cannabis smoking with young people. They also...
Curated OER
Describing Feelings
In this lesson students explore simple feelings. Students interview their peers and question them as to whether a particular situation is frightening to them or not. Students further describe words as scary using a yes or no checklist.
Curated OER
Local Heroes
Students investigate heroes in their community by presenting a story of a true hero to their class. For this storytelling lesson, students interview a local person who has performed a heroic deed and create a presentation with...
Curated OER
Exploration
Students are engaged in a research project about the planet Saturn. The learners use research skills in books and on the internet to gather information for an imaginary trip to the planet. This lesson is highly engaging because of the...
Curated OER
Quilting Connections
Students research online an influential woman, then create on the computer a quilt block with text and graphics. Quilt blocks are then printed and combined to form a quilt of connections.
Curated OER
Los Angeles Throughout the Years
In groups, 4th graders are given a recent decade to focus on and its impact on Los Angeles and to see how the city has changed over time.
Curated OER
Los Angeles Throughout the Years
Fourth graders study the history of the city of Los Angeles, investigating its variety of cultural traditions. They develop expertise on one specific decade in LA history.