Curated OER
Plants and Animals
Students find common needs between plants and animals. In this plants and animals lesson students compare that both plants and animals need food and water. They also find the differences between plant and animal needs.
Curated OER
21st Century Social Skills
Explore communication techniques by using the latest video technology. In this special education lesson, students create a video discussing their own social goals for the future. Students utilize Flip Video cameras to...
Curated OER
Understanding and Supporting Our Peers with Cognitive Challenges
Students explore different federal laws promoting the education for the handicapped. In this literacy instructional activity, students brainstorm how they can help individual with Down syndrome. They read a fiction book related to the...
Curated OER
Bug-O
Middle school special education students (moderate to severe) learn about insects by playing an entomological version of bingo. They cut out pictures of different bugs and glue them onto a grid. Place the game card inside a sheet...
Curated OER
Story Map Book Report
This is an example of what a story map book report can look like using mind wing teaching concepts. Consider this idea as a way to provide special needs or those with learning disabilities a way to communicate what they know or learned...
Curated OER
Reproduction, Day 2: Pregnancy
Nearly all students have seen pregnant women and may have questions about human development. Intended for secondary students with mild to moderate mental disabilities, this instructional activity defines the process of pregnancy in...
Curated OER
Where Were Your Ancestors in 1871?
Here is a nicely designed lesson on ancestry and family history. In it, learners read an article entitled, "Where Were Your Ancestors in 1871?" Then, they make up a series of questions to profile their family and their community 100...
Curated OER
There's Omegas in Those Hemp Seeds
A very well-designed lesson plan focuses on the many benefits of Omega Fatty Acids. Learners read some articles on omega fatty acids, then access a glossary that is included in the plan. They fill in terms along with their definitions....
Curated OER
Human Body Series - Cardiovascular System
Pump up your class while studying the cardiovascular system with this pair of activities. In one, learners record heart rates during different actions. In the second, they read kid-friendly heart health articles online and then write a...
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
SaveandInvest.org
Introduction to Earning Interest: Middle School
Does your bank pay you for allowing them to hold your money? Class members research three different ways they can earn money using money already in the bank. Topics include certificates of deposit, statement savings accounts, and...
Curated OER
Character Traits in Fables
Combining art, music, dance, and reading comprehension, this instructional activity is geared to reach all ability levels. After reading a variety of fables and discussing story elements and character traits, class members select a moral...
National History Day
Propaganda Posters of World War I: Analyzing the Methods Behind the Images
The power of a picture. During the events surrounding World War I, propaganda posters were widely distributed in American society to sway the emotions of its citizens. By analyzing World War I propaganda posters in the first installment...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
The First Communities
These documents list essential questions and foundational concepts associated with early civilizations and farming communities in the agricultural revolution. Use this as a starting point for developing specific lessons and activities...
Curated OER
Spanish Reflexive Verbs
Why is it that in English you shave, and in Spanish you shave yourself? Spanish uses reflexive verbs. Your pupils can master reflexive verbs with the explanation provided here. Conjugation of this type of verb is described with...
Curated OER
Arab-Israeli Conflict Lesson Plan
Students identify the key participants in the Arab-Israeli conflict. They create a caricature that is both Israeli and Arab. One side should be labeled with the feelings, thoughts, emotions of the Arabs and the other side is from an...
Multiverse
Rainbows of Light: The Visible Light Spectrum
Rainbows can teach us about the visible light spectrum. Learners observe multiple items that clearly display a rainbow to develop better connections. The lesson then explains wavelength using a rope to make waves.
PBS
The Caterpillar or Larva
The larval stage of the butterfly life cycle is quite exciting. Start a discussion about the specially designed body parts unique to caterpillars. After examining images of caterpillars, learners use plastic soda bottles, string, and...
University of Wisconsin
A Rain Garden Year
Pupils become plants in an interpretive play that depicts what happens throughout the seasons in a rain garden. As you narrate, young scholars bloom, flower, and go to seed accordingly. The lesson is first in a series of lessons written...
Curated OER
A Lesson in Biodiversity: Making Comparisons Between Defensive Mechanisms Utilized by Marine Organisms
If your upper elementary or middle school marine biology learners are going to visit an aquarium, then here is a field trip activity guide for you. It is written specifically for The Maritime Aquarium, but the idea can be adapted to...
Curated OER
Special Place
Learners observe and describe a "special place" chosen along a nature trail. In this habitat observational skills and writing lesson, students take a walk on a nature trail and choose a spot to sit and meditate. Learners complete a...
Curated OER
Super Dollar Special
Students read the Super Dollar Special. In this advertisement lesson, students read an article consider placing an advertisement in the newspaper. They work on summarizing what they've read and using context clues.
Curated OER
Shamrock Man
Students create "Shamrock Men" using construction paper, pre-cut patterns, glue, and scissors in this lesson that celebrates St. Patrick's Day. The lesson was originally create for a Special Education class but could be adapted for...
Curated OER
Understanding Nouns
Students identify types of nouns. In this grammar lesson, students define what a noun is and identify the various types of nouns in sentences. This grammar lesson is geared towards Special Education students.