Curated OER
Vocabulary Development and Writing
Engage pupils in practicing denotative and connotative strategies to understand particular words. They work in pairs and write a series of sentences using each word that has a positive connotation and negative connotation. Some example...
Curated OER
Giving an Outdoor Plan
Students utilize their acting skills to put on an impromptu play based on a book. In this performance art lesson plan, students read Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina and discuss how the story could be told through human action....
Curated OER
To Kill a Mockingbird: A Historical Perspective
Students research the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of life in the American south during the depression era as they read Harper Lee's To Kill a...
Curated OER
U.S. Geography: The West
Young scholars explore the national parks of the American West. In this geography skills lesson, students watch "U.S. Geography: The West," and examine print and Internet sources about the national parks found there. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Tomas and the Library Lady
Students practice read aloud comprehension strategies. In this literacy comprehension lesson, students listen to Tomas and the Library Lady, stopping to discuss with a partner aspects of the story suggested by the teacher. Students make...
Curated OER
Water: Read All About It!
Students discuss newspapers and water and work in groups to develop their own paper focusing on water issues. In this journalism instructional activity, students discuss the value of newspapers and water as an issue. They work as a group...
Curated OER
The Equator
Students investigate cultures located along the equator. In this geography skills lesson, students research the geography, history, culture, and tourism of Ecuador, Indonesia, Kenya, Brazil, and Singapore. Students write an article based...
Curated OER
Self-Portrait Unit - Lesson #1
Fourth graders create self-portraits using artistic elements found in Hispanic culture and, specifically, the art of Frida Kahlo. The activity can be adapted for any culture/country and requires an outside person with cultural knowledge.
Curated OER
Cutting Antony's speeches: "I am meek and gentle with these butchers"
Tenth graders identify Mark Anthony's scheming brilliance in his three major speeches in 3.1. They isolate the main idea by cutting the speech in half and then they perform the speech chorally. Each student also identifies three phrases...
Curated OER
Long Island Sound - A Research Skill Approach
Eighth graders examine the characteristic of Long Island Sound. In groups, they use the internet to describe how the Sound formed and what environmental changes have altered it. They also discover what humans have done to affect the...
Curated OER
Modesto City Schools Library Lesson Plan
Students read and understand a variety of genres in a library setting. In this library activity lesson, students act as detectives and use clues in text and pictures to hypothesize the title of the missing book for the library reading...
Curated OER
Sorting
Students sort class books into categories to help classify and organize them so they are easier to find. In this sorting lesson plan, students go to the library and see how they organize their books and do the same in the classroom.
Curated OER
Studying the African Immigration Lesson Plan
Students read a narrative, conduct an interview and write an autobiographical piece highlighting their findings about an immigrant's experience leaving their country.
PBS
U.S. Agricultural Subsidies and Nutrition
Most young people don't spend a lot of time thinking about why some foods cost less than others. This resource uses clips from the documentary, Food, Inc. to explore the impact of agricultural subsidies on nutrition, health, and the...
PBS
Exploring Parent-Child Relationships Through Letter Writing
The PBS film, Bronx Princess, launches a study of complex parent-child relationships. Using the provided reading guide, viewers respond to clips from the film and compare Rocky and Yaa’s relationship to other parent-child relationships....
Curated OER
Geography of Canada
All about Canada! Learners explore the geography and providences of Canada by watching videos, studying maps and conducting internet research. By the end of this lesson, your class should be able to locate major areas and compare and...
Curated OER
Marketing to Teens: Parody Ads
High schoolers deconstruct advertising messages by analyzing parody ads and exploring the purpose of satire. Then they create their own parodies based on real ads discussed in class. A creative activity to extend any study of media,...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 6
Is a college education necessary for success in today's world? The class investigates the question, along with others at the end of the sixth workshop in a 15-part series. The instructional activity has four parts with multiple...
PBS
The Impact of Genetically Modified Seeds
What is all the fuss about genetically modified foods? PBS provides this resource designed to supplement the documentary Food, Inc. to help learners investigate the benefits and controversies of genetically modified foods...
Story Corps
The Great Thanksgiving Listen
StoryCorp provides a resource that captures and preserves the remembrances of family or community elders. Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, class members select a person they want to interview, record the conversation, and then upload...
Curated OER
Evaluating Information on Food Labels
What kinds of foods include corn? Corn syrup? Start by viewing a clip of Food Inc. with your middle or high schoolers. Then, study a list of corn-derived ingredients, encouraging your class to see how many food products contain corn. A...
Pulitzer Center
China's Rising Labor Movement
Young historians will explore the complex causes and effects of industrialization in China by perusing the numerous articles included in this webpage. Throughout the resource, there are many writing and discussion prompts to help direct...
Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation
Photographs as History
Imagine being a war photographer embedded in World War I. How do you see your role? How might your photos influence that study of the war? Of history? Class members select a photograph, adopt the perspective of the photographer, and...
Curated OER
The Function of Music
Explore concepts of audience, purpose and symbols in this lesson from Media Smarts that asks high schoolers to consider all the functions of music. Through a series of discussions and activities, your class will brainstorm possible...