Curated OER
Writing History: From Students to Scholars
An Online NewsHour article about scholarly ethics launches this study of plagiarism. Since historians are supposed to bring original ideas and perspectives to their publications, they must give credit to the ideas of others. After a...
Curated OER
Archeologists For a Day
Students listen to a reading about fossils and go on a hunt for items with fossil characteristics. In this cross curricular fossil lesson, students will examine their fossil finds and create a graphic organizer. Students...
Shakespeare in American Life
Performing Modernized Shakespeare
“All the world’s a stage…” What do Leonardo DiCaprio, Heath Ledger, and Kenneth Branagh have in common? They have all starred in modern adaptations of Shakespeare’s plays. After viewing a series clips from modern Shakespeare videos,...
Curated OER
Jim Murphy, The Great Fire - Grade 6
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy provides the text for a study of the Chicago fire of 1871. The plan is designed as a close reading activity so that all learners have the same background information require for writing. Richly detailed, the...
Curated OER
RAINSTICKS
Students create a rainstick from recycled materials and begin learning about the "nature" of the rainforest.
Curated OER
Designing Another Juilliard
Students investigate the vision and history of the Juilliard School. They develop a personal mission statement, watch a video, conduct Internet research, and create a PowerPoint presentation about a fictional school that also promotes...
Curated OER
Changing Sounds
Students listen to sound. In this changing sounds lesson, students play instruments to help them hear volume and pitch. Students use the interactive whiteboard to experiment how change can make sounds go higher or lower.
Curated OER
Hamlet Research Paper: Find, Evaluate, and Select Appropriate Research Sources
Help young researchers find credible sources online. Modeling with a Google search for information about Shakespeare’s Macbeth, use a computer projector or Smart Board to show class members how weak the top three search results are....
Curated OER
International Festival: Germany
Students complete several activities to learn about the German culture. In this German culture lesson, students read the 'Hansel and Gretel' story and create a paper gingerbread house. Students complete a matching game for the story....
Curated OER
My "I Spy" Book
Students create an "I Spy" book. In this book writing lesson plan, students work in groups to come up with a topic for their page. They create individual pages in the "I Spy" format.
Curated OER
Make a Peace Windsock
Young scholars explore "peace." In this character development lesson, students define "peace" and discuss instances that reflect examples of peace. Young scholars create a windsock using symbols for peace. Directions for the windsock are...
Curated OER
Building Literacy Through Character
Second graders connect reading to writing by making predictions, completing text to world connections, solving problems, and more. In this reading and writing lesson plan, 2nd graders draw conclusions after reading and write them down.
Curated OER
Van Gogh Self-Portrait
Students explore using digital cameras to take their own photograph and then download them to the school's Dell computers. They then utilize the Tool Factory Workshop program to manipulate the photograph to only a few basic colors and...
Curated OER
Using Words to Work Things Out
Students explore appropriate ways to communicate feelings. In this character development lesson, students listen to Hands are not for Hitting and several other books about expressing emotions appropriately. Students observe...
Curated OER
Heroes, Kindness, and "To Kill a Mockingbird"
Young scholars explore the concept of heroism. For this character education lesson, students reflect on the actions of the characters in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as they create mission statements for Atticus Finch and prepare...
University of Chicago
Comparing Modern and Ancient Ideas of Ethnicity and Identity
Explore ethnicity and identity with a research and writing assignment. Class members conduct online research, looking in particular at images and carefully noting down their sources on notecards. They read about identity and compose...
Curated OER
Fracking: Positive or Negative Impact?
Your teenagers may have heard of fracking, but do they really know what it is? And could they debate the benefits and risks? Educate your environmental science class with a lesson about hydraulic fracturing, non-renewable energy...
Curated OER
Historical Fiction- Thanksgiving
Young scholars write a story. In this historical fiction lesson, students research how Thanksgiving began. Young scholars write a fictional story where they are a main character of this time period.
Curated OER
The Journey of the Magi
Students create storyboards. In this pre-Christmas special lesson, students produce a storyboard for a TV version of the poem, "The Journey of the Magi". Options to complete with or without technology are included.
Curated OER
Nifty Thrifty Fifty Vocabulary
Students review new vocabulary. For this vocabulary lesson, students are introduced to the "nifty thrifty fifty" vocabulary words, their definitions, and the meanings of their prefix, suffix, and root words. The fifty words are split...
Curated OER
Chocolate Fever
Fourth graders read and interpret each chapter of the book in small groups through various exercises. Vocabulary lists are given, as well as rubrics, quizzes and activity sheets. Students create their own PowerPoint presentations to...
US Institute of Peace
Advanced Mediation Practice
What will become of the giraffes of Amali? Pupils participate in a large scale role-playing activity to study the art of conflict mediation. The lesson plan engages participants in the struggle between two countries and the animals...
Curated OER
A New Ending for Of Mice and Men
Students rewrite the ending of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In this Of Mice and Men lesson, students enter a fictitious contest in which they compose a new ending for Of Mice and Men in which Lennie is not killed. The...
Curated OER
The Great Gatsby
Students develop a visual display illustrating an event from F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and write a paper showing the relationship between the visual and The Great Gatsby. For this The Great Gatsby lesson, students research the...