Curated OER
Interpreting Foundation Documents of the American Republic
Explore early American documents that qualify as primary sources. Tenth and eleventh graders use the provided worksheets to analyze the texts of the Articles of Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation,...
Curated OER
Spinning My Tale
Begin writing personal narratives in this writing lesson. Junior high writers start by writing a journal about their favorite holiday. They read a book at their skill level and use graphic organizers to record their ideas for writing....
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Music of African American History
High schoolers examine role spirituals have played in African American history and religion, examine Harriet Tubman's use of spirituals in her work, explore power of spirituals in Civil Rights Movement, and work with oral tradition,...
Curated OER
What's for Dinner?
View a video presentation comparing chemosynthesis to photosynthesis. Review the findings of the 2004 Ring of Fire Expedition that studied biological communities around the hydrothermal vents of the Mariana Arc. In...
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
Curated OER
Looking at Photographs
Sixth graders evaluate photographs as historical documents. In this social studies instructional activity, 6th graders analyze photographs as propaganda.
Curated OER
Letters from Emily Dickinson: Letters and Poems
Learners analyze how Emily Dickinson perceived herself as a poet. Students read correspondence between Dickinson and her preceptor, Mr. Higginson to determine the depths of their relationship. Learners interpret several of her poems.
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Patterns and Shapes In Our Community
Shapes in art, shapes in stories, shapes in the environment, shapes all around. A multi-part instructional activity that includes looking at the artist Paul Klee's work, reading books about shapes, taking a walk in the neighborhood and...
Curated OER
The Envelope Please
Students research an animal of the rainforest. They create a computerized claymation to present their research.
Curated OER
Through the Eyes of the Big Bad Wolf
Imagine how the wolf would tell the tale of Little Red Riding Hood or The Three Little Pigs. Young writers re-imagine classic tales by adopting the point of view of another character in the story. After reading models like The True Story...
Curated OER
Art and Careers
Students study and inquire what museum curators do and their responsibilities of collecting, displaying, researching, maintaining, and promoting their collections. They research an art museum and choose one work of art that is their...
Curated OER
Persecution
Eleventh graders determine the causes and effects of persecution. They read The Crucible by Arthur Miller. They analyze the historical significance of persecution. They use technology to research types of persecution.
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
A Mini lesson on Semicolons
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" serves as an exemplar for a mini-lesson on semicolons. Working alone or in small groups, class members first circle all the semicolons in the letter, and then consider how this...
Curated OER
Maniac Magee: Found Poem
Instruct your readers to scrounge through the pages of Maniac Magee in search for descriptive passages or words they may use to write poetry. As they look for meaningful, sensory descriptors in Jerry Spinelli's novel, readers...
Curated OER
Who Wants to Spend $20,000?
Who wouldn't want $20,000 to spend? But, the question becomes, what do you spend it on? Learners discuss loans, interest, and making adult-like financial decisions. They role-play a scenario that depicts the choices of a girl who took...
National Gallery of Canada
The Ideal Trophy
Invite your pupils to represent a club, team or other group with a trophy of their own creation. Learners examine the Taylor Cup by Laurent Amiot and then prepare trophy designs. When the sketches are complete, pupils sculpt...
Curated OER
Knowledge or Instinct? Jack London's "To Build a Fire"
Students examine the relationship of man and nature in "To Build a Fire" and discuss the juxtaposition of knowledge and instinct. They investigate third person, omniscient point of view.
Curated OER
Hydrothermal Vent Challenge
Give our ocean voyagers the "Hydrothermal Vent Challenge!" It is a worksheet that guides them through an exploration of hydrothermal vents and the chemical reactions that occur when lava meets seawater. Using a collection of websites,...
NOAA
Where There's Smoke, There's ...
A remotely operated vehicle approaching a volcano was engulfed by molten sulfur where the plumes of fluids contained the highest concentrations of aluminum ever recorded. This isn't science fiction or an April fools joke, though it did...
Curated OER
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Explore Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in this literature analysis lesson. Middle schoolers read and summarize the plot of the story. They then adapt passages for a contemporary audience and analyze the...
Curated OER
Recreating a Masterpiece
Young scholars analyze and critique various artists and their work. They write research papers on artists and create reproductions of their works, reflecting their earlier critiques of the works.
Curated OER
Studies of the Eastern Worlds: Cultural Maps
Seventh graders look for similarities and differences in the culture of Eastern World countries by looking at the art from each country. They test their hypothesis and assumptions through further research in the media center. Finally...
Curated OER
Midnight Train To Freedom
Students research, discuss and study about the Underground Railroad and examine the risks associated with escaping slavery by reading the article "North Toward Home." They create a museum book to accompany a teacher-created exhibit on...
Curated OER
California Primary 2000
Young scholars explore the open primary system and the candidates that appeared on the ballot in California's Presidential Primary in 2000. A variety of issues and sites are explored and form the focus of this instructional activity.