US House of Representatives
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Groups select a photograph from one of the four eras of African Americans in Congress and develop a five-minute presentation that provides background information about the image as well as its historical significance. The class compares...
Curated OER
Antonyms, synonyms and homophones
Shed light on what antonyms, synonyms, and homophones are. In this lesson, upper elementary schoolers create pairs using an antonym, a homophone, and/or a synonym. Then they play an antonym matching game.
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The Progressive Era in Illinois
High schoolers collect photographs on the Progressive Era in Illinois, then write three newspaper articles, using one photo per article. The article will highlight an event in Illinois during the Progressive Era. The newspaper must also...
Curated OER
The Time Machine
Challenge your class with this lesson! Learners read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, discuss context clues, identify main ideas and details, and analyze story elements. Discussion questions and activities are broken down for each chapter...
Curated OER
Ooh, You're in Trouble!
Students consider disruptive school behavior and how school districts in several states are turning to the juvenile justice system for help. They debate this issue from a variety of perspectives, and write a paper.
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Make your Garden Grow
Fourth graders role play as certified horticulturists as they study the biology of plants and gardening. They design a garden for their school based on what they researched and a given budget.
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Cherokee Leaf Printing
Young scholars investigate their local creeks and forests and practice identifying trees. For this ecology identification lesson plan, students utilize a pad and pencil while on a field trip near their school and describe their...
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Reference Resources: Being a Good Detective
Students explore a variety of reference resources while seeking information. atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and online search engines as well as library card catalogs are utilized in this lesson.
Curated OER
Writing Novelettes
Students practice their writing techniques by creating a novelette. In this creating writing lesson, students brainstorm and decide on a topic they would like to expand upon in order to create their own novelette. Students...
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From Basketball Court to Supreme Court
Young scholars discuss scenarios about unfairness and retaliation in school sports. They read about a recent Supreme Court ruling about Title IX, and research, conduct polls and write articles about public opinions on gender issues in...
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Be Our Guest
Students share their own opinions about proper and poor etiquette in school. After reading an article, they discover matters of etiquette and conflict that occur during holiday rituals. They role-play the potential conflicts and...
Facing History and Ourselves
Emmett Till: Choosing to Remember
Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till and civil rights activist, believed that her son's murder was the last straw before public outrage over racial injustice spilled over into the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. A history...
Curated OER
Create A Map!
Students examine two- and three-dimensional shapes, and discuss map skills and attributes. They plan and create their own school campus maps using pre-cut building site shapes.
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Sorting
Students examine the concept of organization. In this library skills lesson, students practice ordering and classification skills by playing the Flood Game as well as locating and shelving books in the school library.
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Dictionary Work - Entry Words
Second graders examine the use of entry words in the dictionary. In this dictionary use activity, learners look at guide words in a children's dictionary as the teacher/librarian describes the characteristics of each entry. They complete...
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Look for Patterns: Quilts in Two Faith Ringgold Stories
Author Faith Ringgold uses quilts to illustrate her books Tar Beach and Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad. In this integrated trio of activities, young scholars read stories, identify and create patterns, and design quilt squares of...
Curated OER
Glossaries and Indexes
Fourth graders identify parts of a book including the glossary, index, and dedication. In this glossary and index lesson, 4th graders complete a worksheet after studying the glossary and index from a Houghton Mifflin Social Studies...
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History & Civics Lesson for Grades 5-7
Students become aware of the culture, lifestyles and attitudes of Native American kids living on the Crow, Navajo and Nez Perce; reservations.
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Class Forums: An English Language Arts Lesson for Information Resources
Tenth graders listen to a controversial piece of writing. They with opposing viewpoints face one another. After ground rules are suggested and adopted by the group, 10th graders articulate their positions in successive turns.
Curated OER
Teen Driving: Skills, Responsibilities and Reactions
As an introduction to the skills required for and responsibilities of driving, pre-teens and teens engage in a series of activities, chart their response times, and analyze how variables effect these reaction times. Class...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
"Scottsboro Boys": A Trial Which Defined an Age
Here's a must-have resource. Whether your focus is racism, the Great Depression, the "Scottsboro Boys" trial, or part of a reading of To Kill A Mockingbird, the information contained in the seven-page packet will save hours of...
Curated OER
What A Pair! A Cross Grade Writing Activity
What a pair! Older pupils interview younger ones and use what they learn to write a short, illustrated storybook that features the youngster as the main character. The youngster responds with a thank-you note in which they identify their...
PBS
Historical Perspectives: Coming Home from War
What do the homecoming experiences of soldiers who fought in WWII, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan reveal about the politics and culture of the US during the time period of each war? Young historians view The Way We Get By, which tells...
Perkins School for the Blind
Accessible Labels
When you're blind it is extremely important to be able to navigate your environment in as independent a way as possible. This idea isn't a lesson plan, but it is a great way to foster independent mobility and literacy skills while making...