Arts Midwest
The Joy Luck Club: Culture and History
Explore San Francisco's Chinatown in a lesson about the first few chapters of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. Kids research Chinatown on the Internet and create a virtual tour of the neighborhood, including the foods, cultural events,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
“Twelve Years a Slave”: Analyzing Slave Narratives
Readers of Solomon Northup's brutally frank slave narrative Twelve Years a Slave examine passages that support the argument that slavery "undermined and corrupted" the institution of marriage. Background information is...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
How Novel Icefish Genes Can Improve Human Health
Designed to accompany the 13-minute video The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes, this handout serves as both a viewing guide during the video and an analysis of how the adaptations of the icefish might help treat...
Curated OER
My Favorite Things
Fifth graders write a five paragraph informational essay about their favorite things. They correctly use a colon in listing items. Students analyze paragraph writing through questioning. They indent paragraphs, use a colon before a...
Curated OER
Roughing It in the Backwoods
Students have the opportunity to practice research and essay-writing skills using primary and secondary source materials. They explore aspects of early settlers' lives in the backwoods of Upper Canada.
Curated OER
What's in the Time Capsule? A Technology-Connected Lesson Plan
Twelfth graders use computers and the Internet to research a specified area, word processors to prepare an essay, a digital camera, a video camera gather visuals, and a scanner to add visuals to a PowerPoint presentation as they discover...
Curated OER
A Visit to a North Carolina Museum
Students visit the North Carolina Aquariums website and gather the information requested to complete a worksheet. They use this information to write a story about their imaginary trip.
Jen London
Building an Argument
Collect evidence and reasons and fill them in on this page to prepare for presenting an argument. Learners can evaluate what they are missing and make sure they fill in each line and bubble before considering their argument complete.
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 2
After a peer review of their outlines, class members examine a model of an effective, engaging introduction and then craft the first draft of the introduction to their research paper.
EngageNY
Grade 9 ELA Module 3, Unit 3, Lesson 3
Plagiarism is the theft of intellectual property. To avoid this crime, class members learn how to create a works cited page and how to craft in-text citations. After examining a high-performance model paragraph and an example of a works...
National Constitution Center
Born in the U.S.A: Music as Political Protest
Though often used in shows of patriotism, Bruce Springsteen's 1985 song "Born in the U.S.A." is critical of America's role in the Vietnam war and its treatment of American veterans. High schoolers analyze the song's lyrics in an activity...
Scholastic
Marijuana: Perception of Harm vs. Use
Many teenagers don't believe that marijuana is harmful, but if they do, it affects whether they use it or not. Analyze the relationship between what high school seniors believe about marijuana and their tendency to use it with a reading...
English Worksheets Land
Animals and Earthquakes
Can animals sense an earthquake before the ground starts to shake? Read two short passages that feature stories about animals that acted strangely just before an earthquake. Learners then answer a few reading comprehension questions...
Curated OER
Yearbook Interviews
Students apply interview techniques for yearbook articles. They interview the teacher and classmates. They must write questions that are grammatically correct in order to have them answered by the teacher.
Curated OER
Sectionalism, Popular Sovereignty and Secession
Students read and discuss background material on several key decisions that played a role in the Civil War including the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dredd Scott Decision. They create a timeline and write an essay.
Curated OER
Don't Forget to Say Thanks
Students practice descriptive writing in a thank-you note format. In this descriptive writing lesson, students read the example letter and analyze the corrections in the letter. Students read the example thank you notes and focus on the...
Curated OER
Inventors
Students brainstorm a list of inventions that have affected their lives. In groups, they use the internet to research a specific inventor and their invention. They use the information to write two paragraphs and share their information...
Curated OER
Famous People and Cultural Diffusion
Students use the internet to identify cultural traditions throughout the world. In groups, they examine each culture and determine the effect they had on life in the United States. They use this information to write a family history...
Curated OER
All About Me
Learners examine their own personality traits and preferences. They use this information to write an autobiography.
Curated OER
Choosing the Correct Voice
In this writing voice activity, learners complete three activities that help them understand and use the correct writing voice in formal papers.
Curated OER
Pumpkin Writing Paper
In this writing worksheet, learners use the blank lined paper with a colorful pumpkin border for any kind of writing: reports, poetry, stories or letters.
Curated OER
A Pill with a View
Students brainstorm a list of potential uses for micro-video technologies. After reading an article, they analyze the development of a new pill-sized camera. In groups, they create a children's book that shows them the various systems of...
What happened to the frogs?
Students will select ten rubber frogs and determine their pollutant source based on their malformations. Students will write a brief essay on their findings. Students will be engaged in the lesson the entire time!
Curated OER
Children's Media and Censorship
High schoolers form opinions about children and television censorship after analyzing literature. They complete a journal writing activity to identify the topic and make a list of inappropriate television shows for children. Next, they...