Curated OER
Strength-Training for Both Body and Mind
students take part in a variety of writing exercises about the most important pastime or activities in which they participate and the personal growth gained through this participation.
Curated OER
Taking the Witness Stand
Young scholars identify a pivotal event in world history that they would have liked to have witnessed. They then research this event and write a first-person account of it as if they had been present. Their first-prerson account is...
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Mathematical Metaphors in Art
Learners investigate the role of mathematics in their everyday lives. They discover, through reading a Times article and through analyzing a specific example of art, that mathematics exists on a deeper 'metaphoric' level in art.
Curated OER
High Anxiety
The Learning Network section of the New York Times produces high-quality teaching materials. This issue gets middle or high schoolers reading an article about how people use art to express their response to high-stress events. They work...
Curated OER
The Persuasive Art of Portraiture
Students first explore the power of the visual image to convey a message by examining the portrait of George Washington on American dollar bills. They next use, 'Prolific Chinese Painter Is Anonymous No More,' to explore a famous...
Curated OER
Cuisine Art
Students explore the history of the foods of different ethnic groups and the significance of these foods in perpetuating culture.
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The Art of Speech
Students discuss President Bush's goals for his second term in office. After reading an article, they identify the major themes of his second inaugural address. In groups, they brainstorm ideas and create murals to illustrate them...
Curated OER
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Students investigate storytelling by analyzing images in a book. In this reading analysis lesson plan, students read and analyze the book Alexander and the Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Students observe the illustrations...
Curated OER
Incredible Shrinking Notes
Students listen to a biography of Amelia Earhart. They fill in an index card of the important information. They narrow down those notes to smaller post-it notes. They practice determining important facts in documents.
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Looking At Narrative Art Lesson 2: How Does The Story End?
Pupils use narrative art vocabulary to speculate about the story in a visual image. In a group, students use narrative art vocabulary to create a story with an ending. They view images imbedded in this lesson plan.
National First Ladies' Library
Workers, Take a Holiday! the Beginning of Labor Day
When your upper elementary class returns in the fall, have them identify and define the beginnings of the labor movement and Labor Day in the United States. They thoughtfully reflect on changes that have occurred in the way we think...
Curated OER
Recording the Deed: Note-Taking on Heroes
Students prepare to write summaries of heroes. In this note-taking instructional activity, students listen to a guest speaker discuss the attributes of unsung heroes and take Cornell method notes.
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Vocabulary & Language Development
Students develop their vocabulary skills. In this vocabulary and language instructional activity, students practice naming everyday objects as they take part in 3 classroom activities that require them to note attributes of everyday...
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Environmental Art
Students create their own environmental art after the teacher shows them a variety of example and has a discussion about it. They then write an initial personal definition of environmental art.
Curated OER
Rewriting Shakespeare
Have your learners play around with Shakespeare's language. In this plan, small groups examine and rearrange soliloquies from Othello, noting how the language changes and morphs. All groups have a chance to change each soliloquy, making...
Curated OER
Calligraphy, Handwriting And The Alphabet
Students produce calligraphy projects using writing skills and unique tools in this six-day Art activity. Emphasis is placed upon the work of Portland, Oregon calligraphy artist Inga Dubay and her experiences with "Italic" writing...
Novelinks
Maus: Bingo Vacabulary Strategy
The definitions for unfamiliar words drawn from Art Spiegelman graphic novel memoir, Maus, provide the clues for a vocabulary bingo game.
Curated OER
Family Sues Over Discipline That Stinks
Students read a brief explanation of a situation in which a family is suing a school district because a teacher made a child spray himself with Lysol in front of the class, saying this would take care of his body odor. Students write a...
Curated OER
Citing Sources
Practice citation skills with this activity, which takes learners to the Library/Media center. There, they will view a Powerpoint presentation and practice collecting data in both print and non-print sources. All necessary materials are...
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The World of Work: Job Applications
Students use online resources and activities to examine the vocabulary of a job application. In this job application lesson plan, students review and take sample online job readiness exams. Students read a publication about completing a...
Curated OER
Native American Clay Pots
Students explore world culture by conducting an art project in class. In this Native American culture lesson, students identify the types of materials American Indians utilized in their artistic endeavors, specifically clay. Students...
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Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents
Arranged into small groups, learners read a paragraph of the news story "Texas Kid Writes Book About Presidents." As one reads, others mark the text (underlining important information and writing notes in the margin of the story). After...
Curated OER
The 5 W's
Examine how to answer who, what, when, where, and why when reading text. Young writers listen to the story Skeleton Hiccups, and as a class answer and discuss the five W's. Independently they read the story silently, and write the...
Curated OER
Author's Purpose: Research Process/Narrative Writing Techniques
Determine the author's purpose in writing a memoir. Eighth graders work in groups to elicit author's purpose in memoirs, taking care to note how subtle the message can be hidden throughout the work. This instructional activity is a...