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
Flat Stanley Visits....Your Imagination in Claymation!
In this literature lesson, students read the Jeff Brown book Flat Stanley and collaborate to create claymation characters from the story. Students create a claymation video and discuss using word cards during hte movie.
Curated OER
Dream Houses
Students imagine and create their dream house. In this comprehension and interpretation lesson, students read The Big Orange Splot, answer comprehension questions about the story and complete a character traits web. ...
Curated OER
Flight of the Imagination
Students study the success of video games by reading an online article. They work in groups to design settings, storylines, characters and technical features for their own fantasy video games. Finally, they write scripts for previews of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Tales of the Supernatural
Scary stuff! Whether approached as the first horror story or a "serious imaginative exploration of the human condition," Frankenstein continues to engage readers. Here's a packet of activities that uses Mary Shelley's gothic...
US Holocaust Museum
Educational Modules Based on Audio Podcasts
Imagine hearing someone claim an event like the Holocaust never happened. Pupils use audio podcasts and reading passages to dive into the lives of those impacted by the Holocaust of World War II. Using the information they gather, class...
Curated OER
Fantastic Journeys
Students design an amusement park attraction based on a fantastic journey from literature, film, or their own imaginations. Each design team must submit a formal proposal. The proposal should include: a two- or three-dimensional visual...
Curated OER
The Marvelous World of OZ
Students investigate the major themes in fantasy maps, expand basic map reading skills, write imaginative narrative essays based on the OZ map, and create their own fantasy map detail based on a core map.
Curated OER
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Explore Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in this literature analysis lesson. Middle schoolers read and summarize the plot of the story. They then adapt passages for a contemporary audience and analyze the...
Curated OER
Rembrandt: His Life and Times
High schoolers review important facts about the famous 17th-century Dutch painter Rembrandt. They compare two of Rembrandt's self-portraits and discuss the style of each. Students create an exhibit guide describing the overall theme...
University of Arizona
Identity Repair
In a detailed, creative writing task, potential poets analyze how race, identity, and society categorize and (mis)represent us. The learning begins with an imaginative anticipatory set where students describe unique situations that...
Curated OER
Making the Movie Antigone
Students create a movie prospectus for Antigone being faithful to the major themes and conflict. They include the plot, setting, characters, and conflict while making them relevant to contemporary audiences.
Curated OER
The Magic Orange Tree
Fifth graders provide examples of folktales and their themes. They define a moral and give an example of a moral of a story. They read the story "The Magic Orange Tree" a Hatian folktale. They discuss events of the story and complete a...
Curated OER
The Need for Family and Home
Students read and analyze the novel, 'Homecoming.' They create a word web, analyze the theme of family and home, complete a writing assignment, research and develop a chart listing the needs of Students, and conduct research on foster care.
Curated OER
Literature of the Islands and the Sea
Students read an age-appropriate novel in which an island setting plays an important role from a provided list. This will help them understand life on an island. They will analyze the plot, theme, characterization, setting, and style...
Curated OER
FRED the FISH
Students engage in the study of the human impact on environmental systems (specifically rivers). This lesson enhances Students' exploration of a variety of themes or topics.
Curated OER
Minnesota-China Connections: Writing Prompts
Students write a short essay in response to a writing prompt related to a theme or issue raised within the Minnesota-China Connection Web site.
Curated OER
Proud to Be Me Mobile
Student create mobiles to promote self-awareness and discovery. In this creative hands-on mobile instructional activity, students use large star patterns to create a mobile that reflects a theme they've chosen, representing something...
Curated OER
Cultural Calendar
Pupils design their own cultural calendar. In this calendar making lesson, students decide on a culture for a calendar theme and discuss how calendars differ from the US calendar. Pupils create their own calendar using a...
Curated OER
Fiction: Reading and Responding
Learners respond and make predictions as they read an excerpt from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. For this The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle lesson, students read aloud and respond to questions that require them to...
Curated OER
Whale Song Acrostic
What do whales sing about? Invite your class to imagine the thoughts of whales before writing acrostic poems on the topic. The plan blends together a bit of life science with plenty of opportunities for creativity and writing.
Curated OER
From George to Martha: Writing a Sonnet Using Primary Sources
What was the relationship like between George and Martha Washington? To protect their privacy, Martha Washington destroyed all her husband’s letters after his death so historians have little evidence of their lives together. Two letters...
Missouri Department of Elementary
R-E-S-P-E-C-T: A Basic Skill
Imagine seventh graders developing a school wide plan to promote respect in their school. That's the vision behind the second lesson in the R-E-S-P-E-C-T series. In preparation for designing a school-wide media campaign, class members...
Curated OER
Resistance Poetry
Students create a definition for the term resistance. Once a definition has been created, they create a visual image to correlate with their definition. Working in groups, students read several different resistance poems and classify...