Curated OER
Analyzing an Issue From Three Perspectives-Smoking in Public Places
Students examine multiple perspectives on a social issue. In this social issues activity, students discuss New York's recent ban on smoking from the perspectives of different groups. Students takes notes on a video about...
Curated OER
The Buzz about Fact and Opinion
Students distinguish facts from opinions. In this biological science lesson plan, students research information on bees to decipher what things are proven true versus assumed. They view a video and discuss what makes the...
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Character Development-Nanavi, A Girl from Benin, West Africa
Students examine the ways a character changes throughout the course of a story. In this literary analysis lesson plan, students discuss a story that spans three years in a young girl's life. Students analyze the changes the...
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Comparing and Contrasting-Explorers of Yesterday and Today
Young scholars compare and contrast two explorations of Yellowstone National Park. For this essay writing lesson, students compose essays using information from a variety of sources. Young scholars view a video about one...
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Comparing and Contrasting-Grassland, Desert, and Forest Elephants
Young scholars compare and contrast different types of elephants. In this environmental science lesson, students examine the characteristics of three species of elephants. Young scholars view a video of each type of elephant...
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Determining Main Idea and Supporting Details-Wild in the City
Students discuss the main idea of a story. In this writing process lesson plan, students use a video about parakeets as a tool to find the main idea of a story. After viewing the video, they engage in a discussion about...
Curated OER
Evaluating the Validity of Information-Did the Chinese Discover America in 1421?
Learners examine the discovery of the Americas. In this US History lesson, students investigate the theory that Chinese explorers initially discovered America. They collect research from a variety of sources, and distinguish...
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Form an Opinion-Cats
Pupils discuss which animal makes a better pet. In this statistics instructional activity, students examine the factors that cause people to choose one animal over the other (cat or dog). Pupils discuss their own opinions,...
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Identifying Cultural and Ethnic Values-Dance Theatre of Harlem
Students examine culture and ethnicity. In this cultural arts lesson, students discuss the cultural and social elements of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. They discuss other historical locations that have cultural influence, and...
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Identifying the Social and Cultural Contexts of a Time Period-The Journey of the Jewish Americans
Students discuss the experience of 19th century Jewish American immigrants. In this US history lesson, students research the cultural, social, and economic experience of Jews who immigrated to the United States. Students view...
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Main Idea and Details-Cloud
Students distinguish between main idea and details. In this writing process instructional activity, students use a video on horses to learn about note-taking. They write details from the video on sticky notes, and then...
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Using Prior Knowledge from Personal Experiences-Understanding Duke Ellington
Students research the life of Duke Ellington. In this music history instructional activity, students draw comparisons between the early life experiences of Duke Ellington and themselves. Students work in small groups to...
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Using Supporting Evidence to Interpret Meaning-A Native American Folktale
Learners read Native American folktales. In this multicultural literature lesson, students research the style of writing used in Native American folktales. They view a video of a folktale, and discuss the meanings of the...
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Connections Between Texts-Maya Lin and Jane Jacobs
Students discuss New York City architectural developments. In this architectural history lesson plan, students create Reader's Theater scripts based on imaginary conversations between two women who contributed to New York City's...
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Designing a Poster to Communicate Information: Yellowstone National Park
It's not hard to convince someone to visit the beauty of Yellowstone National Park. But there's more than meets the eye in this region! Learners watch a short historical video and conduct research before creating an advertisement for...
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Identifying Information-The Dogon of Africa
Students practice categorizing information. In this sociology lesson, students categorize information based on a video about the Dogon people of Mali. Students work to separate information into the following categories:...
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Perspectives of the Gullah Geechee People-Sapelo Island
Students study the Gullah Geechee people of Georgia. In this world geography lesson, students conduct research about the Gullah Geechee people and their unique culture. They view videos of three local people, and take note of...
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Pieces of Mind: Remembering What Matters
Students watch the program "Pieces of Mind" from PBS and participate in a class discussion about PET scans and their advantages. Students then brainstorm activities a PET scan could be used for.
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The Thrill of Big-Wave Surfing
Students view a PBS Nature program about big-wave surfing and participate in a class discussion about their experiences with surfing, body boarding, or body surfing. Students create a drawing based on a reading and post their art around...
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Jazz Music and the Crisis Over School Desegregation
High schoolers will learn to appreciate the civil rights movement with a focus on Little Rock, Arkansas. They will also acknowledge Louis Armstrong's unparalleled contributions to American music.
Curated OER
Writing With Punch
Learners watch the series "Unforgiveable Blackness". They examine the media's response to Jack Johnson in the film. They role-play the role of reporters to compose poems of headlines.
PBS
Democracy in Action: Freedom Riders
This is a must-have resource for every social studies teacher covering the civil rights movement. Through an engaging video and detailed viewing guide, young historians learn about the Freedom Riders, and discover how everyday...
PBS
The Goals of the March on Washington
Who else had a dream other than Martin Luther King, Jr.? Pupils explore civil rights leaders in a fourth instructional activity out of a series of five about people who paved the way to freedom for African Americans. The inquiry-based...
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Global Health Issues
Examine global health issues and the philanthropic efforts of Bill Gates. Working in groups, your class will research selected diseases focusing on symptoms, transmission, and prevention. They also conclude by writing grant proposals to...