Whitewater Valley Railroad
Teaching and Learning with The Polar Express
Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take...
Curated OER
Our First Families
Students complete a variety of activities in which the Washington Post Newspaper is used to reinforce concepts pertaining to the history of the Washington, D.C. area.
Curated OER
Sports and Hobby Math
Explore math concepts as they relate to real world situations. Young analysts consider a personal hobby or favorite sport and list three ways math is involved in the hobby. They create several related math story problems and write a...
Curated OER
What makes agriculture "sustainable"?
Students define terms and distinguish between the goals and practices used to achieve sustainable agriculture. In this sustainable agriculture lesson students demonstrate awareness of the different impacts of agriculture.
Curated OER
The Big Picture: Systems
Pupils study the ways that agro-ecosystems function to support sustainable agriculture. In this investigative instructional activity students examine the different cycles of ecosystems and food systems.
Curated OER
The Human Skeletal System: Inside and Out
Students investigate the body. In this biology lesson plan, students will learn the basics of the bones in their body and about how they can be injured. Students will participate in a total of seven activities designed to improve their...
Curated OER
Children's Literature and African American Culture
Third graders examine various stories and poems and identify characteristics that make each individual unique. After analyzing the readings, they create their own personality poems to accompany self-portrait drawings. The poems and...
Curated OER
Character Building from Inside Out
Students determine how a stop animation movie is created. They compare the similarities of a stop animation movie to a flip book and construct a flip book showing fluid motion. They examine the different theories about why when a series...
Curated OER
Equivalent Fraction Quilts
Fifth graders practice fraction skills by making quilts using paper or cloth for the squares and rectangles. Each square of the quilt is an equivalent fraction which they design. Students can also use this activity to demonstrate how to...
Curated OER
The Acoustics House
Students study how drums produce sound by building and playing a simple drum. They measure the diameter of their can, then mark a circle two inches larger in diameter on their piece of plastic with the marker or chalk, and cut out the...
Curated OER
Planning For Student Diversity When Teaching About Puberty
Students begin their examination of the changes their body is going to go through during puberty. In groups of boys and girls, they discover their experiences during puberty are going to be very different from one another. As a class,...
Curated OER
Our Class
Middle schoolers discuss what they expect out of their education. After reading a story, they answer comprehension questions and match the meaning of the word to the vocabulary word. To end the lesson, they write a story about a time in...
Curated OER
Exercise Your Options for Stronger Bones
Students investigate ways to improve their bone strength. In this bone strength lesson, students explore the link between exercise and bone growth. Students study the effects of proper nutrition and exercise.
Curated OER
A Dash of Folk, A Pinch of Fairy Recipes for Playmaking
Students examine the importance of oral traditions while reading various fairy and folk tales. Given a piece of clay, they can mold it into any shape they want and pass it to their neighbor which keeps building the object. They use...
Curated OER
Interpretation of Shakespeare's "As You Like It"
Young scholars are introduced to the background behind Shakespeare's "As You Like It". In groups, they compare and contrast the family issues in the play with those in their own family. They also write the traits of each character and...
Curated OER
Aztec and Mayan Mythology
Sixth graders write myths to show tolerance in creation. They read from both the Aztec and Mayan eras and develop an understanding of the similarities and differences of these two closely related cultures. They track the travels of...
Curated OER
Piggies
First graders listen to the book, Piggies, and act out the events of the story with premade puffball pigs.
Curated OER
The Mosaic School
Students complete activities to learn about world cultures. In this multicultural lesson, students define the terms diversity, culture, and mosaic. Students research their family's country of origin and complete activities using the...
Curated OER
We Are Alike, We Are Different:A Focus on Japan
First graders develop a connection with students in a first grade classroom in Japan. They begin to develop a curiosity about Japan--the landscape, the people, and their culture, while developing an understanding of the Five Themes of...
Curated OER
Mathematics Through Nutrition
Students plan a meal including shopping, preparing and meal and serving it. They become aware of different foods from different ethnic backgrounds and describe the displays in the store and why the items are displayed as they are.
Curated OER
A Bird's Eye View of the Caribbean: Art, Folklore, and Music
Students examine the Caribbean in terms of its music, art, and folklore. As a class, they listen to a folktale and discuss the difference between telling a story and reading a story. In groups, they write their own folktale and share...
Curated OER
Parenting in the Movies:Examining Responsibilities in Modern American Films
Students use films to identify the characteristics of a good parent. In groups, they research the different types of parenting methods used during colonial times, the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. As a class, they develop...
Curated OER
African-American Folktales
Learners are introduced to the characteristics of folktales and their purpose. As a class, they listen to a folktale, answer questions about the characters and share which part they enjoyed the best. In groups, they compare and...
Curated OER
Black Music: Its Message and Meaning
Students develop an appreciation for modern black music from a historical, political and lyrical perspective. They examine the political and the historical surge of the civil rights movement of the 1960's and how this surge directly or...