Curated OER
Opinions, Please!
Students discuss the meaning and purposes of polls and surveys. After reading an article, they analyze the results of a poll given to residents of New York City. They create a survey of their own and analyze the data to write a written...
Curated OER
Local Motives
Investigate current local elections across the United States with this New York Times reading lesson. Using informational text, middle and high schoolers research local elections and create their own news reports about what they...
Curated OER
Strong Convictions
How can the rhetorical structure of an editorial help to develop its argument? Use this New York Times editorial to emphasize the importance of structure in a piece of informational text. Adolescent writers then use the editorial as a...
Curated OER
The End?
This activity asks young readers to predict what will happen to Harry Potter. While the question has been answered by the last book and film in the series, the concept and links provided by The New York Times’ Learning Network are...
Curated OER
Critically Surfing the Web
The New York Times article “Online Diary,” launches this study of websites and how to assess them. Richly detailed, the lesson includes warm-up activities, procedures, journal prompts, discussion questions, and links to valuable...
Curated OER
Fanatically Grammatically Correct
Research guidelines for correct usage, then explore how creative writers employ punctuation as an essential tool in their craft. Secondary classes create board games to teach elementary school young scholars how to properly punctuate....
Curated OER
Validating Votes
Explore the discrepancies in Florida's vote counting process in 2000 and 2002 with this New York Times reading instructional activity. Middle schoolers study the viewpoints presented in informational text, paying attention to how...
Curated OER
Still Suspicious?
Students read and analyze The New York Times news article "An Assessment Jars a Foreign Policy Debate About Iran." They answer comprehension questions, evaluate both sides of the debate, and write a one page report on the article.
Curated OER
Active Reading with American History
Explore connections within and between informational texts with this lesson about encyclopedia articles. Middle schoolers write encyclopedia articles focusing on topics in American history. They discuss how to determine credibility...
Curated OER
Steer Clear of Trouble
Inform teenagers about safe driving techniques. Young journalists use the Internet to investigate safe driving practices and technologies then publish a manual for the teen drivers in their life.
Curated OER
Technological Twins
Students list comparisons between technology and nature. Then they create superheroes with special animal characteristics and describe how ordinary persons might replicate the changes with technology.
Curated OER
Our City, Our Words
Students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After presenting their poetry at a class reading students compare their poetry to the work of published poets who have written about the same city.
Curated OER
That Was Then, This is Now
Students read about the effect of strict fur trading laws on the lives of the Inuit people in Canada, then use print and digital resources to compare past and present-day ways of life of several indigenous peoples around the world.
Curated OER
Right About Now… and Then
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
Curated OER
Older, Wiser, and Making a Difference
Students reflect on an adult who plays a significant role in their lives. They conduct peer interviews and write newspaper articles about these important individuals.
Curated OER
Lifestyles of the Extreme and Adapted
Students explain challenging theories about the evolution and distribution of microbes. They also investigate other examples of extremophile species, then create posters and write diary entries about them.
Curated OER
Separation of Church and Class?
Students examine the changing socioeconomic status of the evangelical Christian population in the United States. They discuss the relationship between class and religion in American society.
Curated OER
Causes and Effects
Students investigate one family's volunteer tourism experience and the international volunteer organizations to create a community guide to helping those in need around the world.
Curated OER
A New NATO?
Students read and interpret NATO's mission statement. After reading an article, they discover incidents in which NATO has deviated from their original purpose. In groups, they research the opinions of the countries of NATO. They write...
Curated OER
The New Fant-"Asia": Contrasting Animated and Live-Action Filmmaking
Students consider different stories and story-telling techniques of animated and live-action filmmaking, write proposals for animated films, and storyboard individual scenes.
Curated OER
Reaching New Heights
Students consider the impact of genetics on a person's intelligence and appearance. After reading an article, they examine the controversy over using human growth hormones. They debate the approval of using the hormone to increase the...
Curated OER
Online and Off the Record
Students evaluate how effectively teen Web sites abide by privacy protections of the studenT Online Privacy Protection Act. They write letters to the Webmasters offering recommendations for improving the privacy and appeal of the sites...
Curated OER
Of Amulets And Scrolls
Students come to an understanding of the time period covered in the first five books of the Bible by researching and recreating ancient artifacts. They recreate artifacts that represent the people, lifestyles, and culture of people...
Curated OER
Code Blue and You
Young scholars review their understanding of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They explore other types of medical responses to common emergency situations and evaluate the importance of CPR training in their curriculum.