Curated OER
Honoring Our Pets During National Pet Week
Recognize National Pet Week with reading and writing activities to celebrate the animals in your pupils' lives.
Federal Reserve Bank
Then and Now: Fed Policy Actions During the Great Depression and Great Recession
Review the Great Depression in the United States from an economist's perspective, examining roots of the crash, government policy actions, and policies instituted by the Fed.
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Indispensable Listening Skills
It's true: listening skills have to be taught and developed. Read this story about a tiger to your high school class. Then, without giving them a copy of the story, divide them into teams and have them attempt to answer a series of...
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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...
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Study History through Journal Keeping
Journal writing can be a fun way to bring history to life. Upper graders read a series of journals from the time of the westward expansion, specifically the pioneer journey along the Oregon Trail. They compose an ongoing journal from the...
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Current Events
Students explore different countries, their locations, and their cultures. Using an encyclopedia, they locate the information, then write a report. Ultimately, they create a paper doll to represent their chosen country.
Judicial Branch of California
Our Government Today…What A System!
A group of citizens in North Canada has decided to leave their country, and they are asking for help in setting up an American-style democracy. Using a carefully structured activity, pupils lay out the principles in the American...
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Dollars and Sense
Fourth graders read "Starting a Business" and answer the question: "How could you design an ad to let the community know about the business described in the story?" Then, they illustrate a written ad that could be posted in the...
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Digging Deep for Figurative Language (Hyperbole)
What are hyperboles? Examine the attributes of hyperboles with your high school classes. Pupils read selected poems and prose selections that feature hyperboles and discuss their functions in each work of literature. Specific poems and...
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A Long Time Ago in the Future
Students read and discuss Canadian young adult literature. They compare/contrast the elements of citizenship, characterization, and themes, write journal responses, and identify the elements that define Canadians.
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Tuck Everlasting and Economic Decision-Making
Sixth graders use a decision-making grid and list the alternatives and criteria for deciding to drink the Water of Immortality. They examine advertisements and list the product for sale, where it is sold, and why consumers should buy it,...
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Internet Research tied to Literature for Alternative Jr. High
Ninth graders research a career using different "center" activities and then write a paper.
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Rapping Regions in America
Students determine what designates a place as a region. They apply their criteria for a region to the US map. They work in groups to write a rap about their region that describes its organization, type and structure.
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The Class Garden Essay
Fifth graders use a class garden as inspiration for a specific writing assignment. They conduct research into different types of flowers in photo images taken with a digital camera. Students write a creative essay and draw a picture to...
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Promoting the South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees
Sixth graders recongize and analyze different components of a piece of literature. They must also practice their oral communcation skills by reading a book to an audience.
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Writing in Different Viewpoints
Young scholars read and analyze the point of view of a selected classic short story. They take notes while reading the story, select a character, and rewrite the story from a different viewpoint.