Curated OER
Information Problem Solving
Middle schoolers locate the specific elements of text and illustrations that communicate setting, characterization, and plot in order to evaluate how the text and illustrations work together to communicate effectively.
New York Public Library
What's for Lunch?: New York City Restaurant Menus
Do you remember the days when a cup of coffee cost five cents? At A.W. Dennett restaurant in 1894, you could buy a five-cent cup of coffee and as well as a five-cent slice of pie to accompany it. The menu from that year is a primary...
Curated OER
Learning to Resist: Watercolor
Consider wax resist drawings as a way to bridge art and science. Learners view, discuss, and practice drawing insects or animals using waxy crayons. They pay attention to the creature's features as they create images with watercolor and...
Curated OER
Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
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Masks
Students examine traditional masks from Southwest Indian groups and create their own mask based on Internet research. They share their mask with the members of their class.
Curated OER
The Daily Idiom
What is an idiom? Learners identify and read common idioms. They discuss what idioms are, and are given a black line master embedded in the plan that has 100 common idioms. Next, they complete "The Daily Idiom" worksheet, which is...
Sargent Art
Pop Art Sculpture: Food
Pop art food sculptures may look good enough to eat, but don't bite into them! Paying close attention to detail, ninth-graders use modeling clay to sculpt then paint a realistic item of food, reflecting the American popular culture of...
Museum of Tolerance
Quilt Activity
After completing the first five lessons from the series, scholars assemble their quilt pieces to create a family history quilt. They then rate their experience of learning about their families by conducting interviews, creating family...
Curated OER
Chicago's South Side
Students discover the cultural of Chicago's South Side. In this African American History lesson, students examine the migration and contributions of African Americans as they moved into cities of the North. Students will explore...
Curated OER
Japanese Stone Lanterns: Culture and Decoration in the Japanese Garden
Pupils examine and discuss the many decorative elements in the Japanese garden. They learn about Japanese gardens and lanterns and create their own model out of clay.
Curated OER
Citing Sources
Pupils explore the purpose and requirements for a bibliography. They examine where to find bibliographic information in a variety of print and non-print sources on an assigned topic. Students prepare a bibliography online using a...
Curated OER
Historical Fiction Project
Students be engaged in a history project that is combined with Language Arts with the purpose of teaching students how to cite bibliographic information. This is important for doing future research.
Curated OER
The Balkans and World War I
Students review the causes of World War I and draw timelines of the 1914 events. They conduct Internet research to discover the role of the balkans in the war and how it spread to a worldwide conflict. Students then research the recent...
Curated OER
Grassland Animals
Third graders will be able to cut and paste from Internet into a word document with 100 percent accuracy. They use their research to write a 1-2 paragraph paper about their animal with 90 percent accuracy.
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Habitat Happenings
Pupils examine the characteristics of the Prairie Creek Habitat in Illinois. In groups, they travel between various stations writing haikus and reading brochures. They identify what occurs in each habitat and identify the animals located...
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Importance of American Flag in American Literature
Betsy Ross - fact and myth. As an introduction to American Literature, class members become detectives and search web sites to find information about the flag, prominent places it has been displayed (on the moon, at ground zero, in...
Curated OER
Ocean Animals - A Kindergarten Research Project
Something’s fishy! Assign each of your pupils an individual sea creature and investigate the oceans. Young oceanographers utilize Kidspiration software to research a creature, illustrate an image, and create fact cards about their...
Curated OER
Treasure Hunters
Students design an on campus treasure hunt to find various architectural vocabulary words which they then create definitions for on the blog page on the Environmental Design website.
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Creating Context Mural
students examine the historical, political, religious and culture aspects of the Renaissance. Using this information, they read "Galileo" by Bertolt Brecht. They use the internet to research a specific event of the time period and come...
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Community Helpers
Kindergartners learn who community helpers are and what contributions they make for the community. They will hear a story outlining various community helpers, their jobs, and tools, create a graphic organizer connecting community...
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Massaging the Message: Parliament Speaks
Students watch a CPAC broadcast, including the Question Period and discuss the roles of various members.
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Telling the Blue Angels Story
High schoolers use the internet to research a recent Blue Angels plane crash. As a class, they list the various ways journalists list the facts of an incident and which one is most effective given different scenerios. They write a story...
Curated OER
American Women Who Shaped the Civil Rights Movement Explored Through the Literature of Eloise Greenfield
Examine the women who contributed to the Civil Rights movement. In groups, children read excerpts of writings from Eloise Greenfield and research the women she mentions using the internet. To end the lesson, they create a timeline of...
Curated OER
Passport to Africa
Middle schoolers begin the lesson by reading a novel about the diversity of geography in Africa. They are to create an oral report based on information they research. They also communicate with someone through email about the situation...