Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whodunnit?

For Teachers K - 5th
Want to create an exciting mystery activity? Investigators will identify the elements of a mystery, review mystery stories, then write their own mysteries. They engage in forensic science experiments related to mysteries and learn to ask...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

On This Day With Lewis and Clark

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...
Lesson Plan
Moanalua Gardens Foundation

The Mystery of Rapa Nui

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
What caused the collapse of the environment on Rapa Nui (Easter Island)? Who constructed the Moai? What was their purpose? Class members assume the role of investigators and use evidence drawn from field studies, ships' logs, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Map Mystery

For Teachers 1st
First graders solve a mystery by following map clues. In this map clues lesson plan, 1st graders follow a computer program called Neighborhood Map Machine. In this program, it gives students directional and spatial clues in order to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

House and Holmes: A Guide to Deductive and Inductive Reasoning

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Test your pupils' reasoning skills with several activities and a quick mystery to solve. Learners watch and analyze a few video clips that demonstrate reasoning in action, practice deduction with an interactive and collaborative...
Activity
Scouts

The Deadly Picnic: A Lab on Deductive Reasoning

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Whodunnit? Find out who killed Mr. Brooks through a logical examination of evidence. Class members fill out a couple of data tables to help them pin down the suspect. After they've figured out just who the culprit is, pupils compose...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Airline Ticket Mystery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use newspapers and television stories to search for mysterious behavior. Using mysteries in the airline industry, they identify the economic concept and the steps to unravel the mystery. They answer a mystery question to help...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Arabia: Educator's Resource and Activity Guide

For Teachers 7th - 12th
MacGillivray Freeman's film Arabia presents viewers with remarkable images and insights into this ancient and mysterious land. An educator's guide is designed to provided teachers with the materials they need to support a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mystery of the Shoe Box

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders do the work of historians. In this world history lesson, 6th graders examine the artifacts and handouts in mystery boxes that their teachers prepare. Students collaborate to solve the mystery of their assigned boxes as they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Map Mystery

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders solve a map mystery. In this technology lesson plan, 2nd graders develop an awareness of maps and the symbols associated with maps as they the "Neighborhood Map Machine."
Worksheet
K12 Reader

Storytelling and Folklore

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
Stories are passed down orally in many cultures. Learn about the ways that storytelling can shape a society with a reading passage about Native American folklore and myths. After they finish reading, kids complete five reading...
Activity
Mr. Roughton

The Maya Files

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Class members adopt the role of Law and Order history investigators and examine primary source documents to determine the legitimacy of Marco Polo's claim that he traveled to and traded in China. A cleverly crafted...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mystery of History-Original Sources

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the events surrounding the Alamo in 1863, and explore the differences between primary and secondary sources of information. They brainstorm lists of items used to research a subject and categorize them as primary or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sherlock Holmes: Teaching English Through Detective Fiction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read examples of mysteries and detective fiction. With a focus on Sherlock Holmes, they are introduced to the techniques for reading properly. In groups, they define new vocabulary, make predictions and summarize the stories. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Developing Thinking and Reasoning Skills in Primary Learners Using Detective Fiction

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are introduced to the genre of detective fiction. Based on their reading level, they are given a different series of books to read. For each story, they are to make predictions and practice decoding messages. To end the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bible Activities-- The Easter Story

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
In this Bible activity worksheet, students learn the story of the first Easter from the Bible and complete a variety of puzzles, codes and coloring pages.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forensic Examination of Artifacts: The Mystery of Meriwether Lewis' Death

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students role play the position of a scientist to gather information on Meriwether Lewis' death. They discover what he did after the famous expedition and how centuries affect the study of a body. They share their information with the...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Happy April Fool's Day!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Grab students' attention with these lesson and activity ideas on April Fool's Day.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Protecting the Critical Habitat of the Manatee and the Loggerhead Turtle

For Teachers 1st
First graders research Belize and its landscape and animals on the included internet sites. The students complete activities/centers across the curriculum utilizing the facts they discovered.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students research the Lost Colony of Roanoke by interpreting John White's diary as a primary source.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treasure Chest

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago lesson, students discover what life what like during this time. Students read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students view replicas of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tales from Arabia

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore and develop interest in reading of foreign lands through the reading of The Arabian Nights and a variety of Cinderella stories. Students participate in a variety of folk literature activities. Students recognize the...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Images of Faulkner and the South

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Learners research one aspect of the life of Faulkner and the culture of the South.  For this As I Lay Dying instructional activity, learners explore a webpage on Faulkner and write a summary.  Learners analyze the images...
Interactive
Curated OER

Breaking News English: California Abduction

For Students 6th - 12th
In this Jacee Lee Dugard worksheet, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion questions, write,...