Lesson Plan
PBS

Baker's Gold

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine art of the California Gold Rush. In this visual arts instructional activity, students analyze the photography and art of Isaac Wallace Baker. Students also conduct further research about the miners of the era in order to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolutionary War Spy Methods

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Young scholars research how coded messages were used during the Revolutionary War. In this Revolutionary War lesson, students view primary documents about the Revolutionary War spies and the methods used for sending messages. Young...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore daily life and its influences in the late 1700s for two families in different colonies- Delaware and Massachusetts by becoming historical detectives. After gathering information from artifacts to make inferences about...
Lesson Plan
Teacher Created Resources

Working with Algebraic Expressions

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Learners understand that algebra is a branch of mathematics that uses symbols or letters to represent unknown numbers in problems. They also understand the definition for an algebraic expression. Make sure to click on the Download the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Read to Feed

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners participate in the Read-to-Feed project. In this fundraising activity, students read books to purchase a farm animal for a family in need. Learners write a letter to the family that will be receiving the farm animal.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Prototypes and Model Designs

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine prototypes and model designs. In this engineering lesson, 5th graders build a prototype out of a deck of cards and test their design. Upon completion, students write a letter to an architect which includes the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life Along the Trail

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. They read to explain a new topic and write to inform readers of the historic events they explored.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Sea-nic Perspective

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students brainstorm topics related to the health of our world's oceans. They create presentations about specific issues affecting oceans for display in a classroom exhibit. They write letters of invitation to guests to view the exhibit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Words of Deep Meaning

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create their own poems to express a deep feeling or transformative experience, then write imaginary letters to people in the article, responding to their poetry and sharing their own creative process.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Problem with Prejudice

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read and discuss "The Hangman" by Maurice Ogden and answer questions about the poem. They list things they can do to combat prejudice using each of the letters in the word and create a small poster with a slogan against...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Color of Poetry

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young scholars listen to a story about colors and then write their own color poems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Three Branches of Government

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students complete a unit on the three branches of government. They compare/contrast the three branches of government, write a letter or e-mail to an executive in the Federal Government, and develop outlines for historical documents.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Short Story Lesson Plan

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars read and discuss the short story, "The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm," by Mark Twain. They assume the role of the main characters in the story and write a humorous letter of complaint using a business letter format....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

President Bush's Decision Points: Torture & the Rule of Law

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young scholars explore terrorist interrogation issues. In this human rights lesson, students read articles and documents related to torture in terrorist investigations. Young scholars respond to discussion questions regarding the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Geometry in the Real World

For Teachers K - 1st
Students find real-world examples of a variety of geometric shapes. They conduct research, record observations, and write descriptions. They create a classroom cityscape and highlight the information they gathered. They present an oral...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Declarations of Independence

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine what they know about American Indians past and present, then research key issues facing American Indian tribes today. To synthesize their learning, students write letters taking the perspective of an American Indian.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Powers That Be

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate past energy legislation, then write letters to Congress from the perspective of citizens trying to influence the original passage of these bills. Each small group does their research using a website imbedded in this...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water: The Flow of Women's Work

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners view photographs, read, and reflect on their own environments to gather information about gender roles in Lesotho and the United States. Students role-play gender role related scenarios and write about their reflections on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Appointment to Remember

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the arguments for and against President Bush's recess appointment of John R. Bolton as the United States ambassador to the United Nations and debate the appointment. They write letters to Mr. Bush expressing their views.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Dirt on Worms!

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders make predictions, observe, collect and record data. They investigate several soil and worm websites. Finally, 4th graders write a letter to The President which defends earthworms by explaining their value to the United...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Perilous Fight: WWII - Up Close and Personal

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research World War II primary source documents and write first person historical point of view stories.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Master Spy

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explain that a code is a system of symbols, letters, words, or signals that are used instead of ordinary words and numbers to send messages or to store information. They practice deciphering a variety of secret codes used in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Hard Luck" La Salle

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine life of French explorer, La Salle, and how he impacted settlement of Texas and the establishment of Catholic missions in Texas; students write letters from the perspective of an explorer.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conflicting Views

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students complete a Venn diagram comparing the United States and Afghanistan. They research the history of the Taliban and how they relate to the United States and its foreign policy. They write a paper on possible solutions.

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