Mr. Nussbaum
THE Founding Father
Who is the founding father—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or Benjamin Franklin? Scholars decide which of three early Americans, should be crowned the founding father of America based on research. Then, they compose a persuasive...
Little Stones
How Can Poetry Make People Think and Care?
Can beautiful words change the world? Literary scholars discover how to paint their visions of change using poetry in a series of three workshops. Each independent topic gives participants a chance to examine their feelings about...
Free Library of Philadelphia
Resources for Ghost Boys
Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Ghost Boys, wanted to bring the historical legacy of Emmett Till and the current topic of racial prejudice into today's young readers' mindsets. Use a reading guide and set of discussion questions to...
Penguin Books
An Educator’s Guide to Ruta Sepetys
Historical fiction novels give readers a chance to step into someone else's shoes. An educator's guide from Penguin Common Core Lesson Plans provides resources to accompany three historical fiction novels written by Ruta Sepetys: Between...
National First Ladies' Library
Latin: The Language of Ancient Rome
Middle schoolers gain understanding about where some of today's words originated by reviewing a list of Latin words and their meanings. They work in small groups to create dictionary pages which will then be compiled into a large...
Curated OER
A Prelude To Beowulf
Young scholars study the literature and literary techniques of the early Middle Ages, thus preparing students to read Beowulf with an appreciation for its artistry and beauty. Young scholars solve online riddles, write riddles and study...
Curated OER
When Turtle Grew Feathers
Students explore the Choctaw Native American tribe. In this cross curriculum literacy and U.S. history lesson, students locate where the Choctaw Indians lived on a United States map. Students listen to When Turtle Grew Feathers and...
Curated OER
Gifts of All Sizes
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this stewardship lesson, students consider human capacity for generosity as they read folktales from different cultures that feature characters giving of themselves.
Curated OER
Talking about Advertising
Middle schoolers examine tools and techniques of advertising. In this advertising activity, students view ads, disvuss common terms used, and analyze techniques. Middle schoolers are presented with situations and must design and...
Curated OER
Speaking for the Trees
Students present a play based on The Lorax.In this environmental issues instructional activity, students read and discuss literature and complete activities pertaining to environmental stewardship.
Curated OER
Heroes Here and There
Students explore the concept of philanthropic heroes. In this everyday heroes lesson, students compare and contrast media and famous heroes with everyday heroes. Students discuss heroes in small groups and then come together in large...
Curated OER
Career Advice
Students consider animal welfare-related careers. In this career lesson, students examine non-traditional careers as they research careers that promote animal welfare. Students study the career of John Walsh who invented the idea of...
Curated OER
Franklin Says I Love You
Students consider the importance of giving as they read "Franklin Says I Love You". In this character education lesson, students engage in discussion about the importance of sharing and giving. They relate to the story by offering...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Review Games
Boggle, Jot Thoughts, Trading Cards, Commercial Breaks, Snowball Fight, Bingo, Draw it! Here’s a bunch of review games that would make a great addition to your curriculum library. The games can be easily adapted to address the Common...
Curated OER
Confronting Two Challenges--One Physical, One Intellectual
Learners examine the challenges of a new language and culture. In this cultural lesson, student read Running by Peter Hessler and discuss obstacles faced, including the language barrier. Students write an essay about a time they...
Curated OER
Northwest coast Button Blanket Art
Students explore artistic design by viewing video clips on the Internet. In this blanket making lesson, students view tutorial videos in which they discover the creative process in button blanket designing. Students create their designs...
Curated OER
Benedict Arnold Lesson Plan
Fourth graders read about and write a biography on Benedict Arnold.
Curated OER
Supporting Opinions: Handling the End of a Friendship
Four thought-provoking questions encourage readers to develop and support their opinions about strategies to end a friendship after exploring excerpts from a New York Times article. The reading is brief so this could be a lead-in to...
Curated OER
Student Opinion: How Should Schools Address Bullying?
Spark a disscussion about a current issue, bullying, in your classroom. This resource, published by The New York Times, provides a short article discussing a Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights passed into law in the state New Jersey followed...
Curated OER
Poem in Your Pocket Day: Ideas for Celebrating
First instituted in New York City in 2002 and recognized nationwide in 2009, "Poem in Your Pocket Day" is part of National Poetry Month (April) and celebrates poetry in everyday life. A brief news story includes 9 ideas about how to...
Curated OER
Street Language and Learning
Students examine the type of language they use on the street in the city. In groups, they brainstorm ideas about a topic they decide on from a cluster of words. Using those ideas, they organize them into a written paper using proper...
Curated OER
The Living Words
Students translate a 16th century English text into contemporary English. They discuss the cultural uniqueness and significance of language and document words or phrases currently used in their daily lives. They use this list to aid in...
Curated OER
What Weather When and Where?
Pupils learn the difference between hard news and feature writing. They choose one of these news styles to write a compelling weather-related article based on interviews with local sources.
Ed Change
Learning Social Roles: Boys and Girls
Students write and share short pieces about how their gender identities were affected through childhood messages about what it meant to be a boy or a girl. This activity can be used to introduce a discussion on gender issues.